OUTLINE FOR COMMUNION
The Lord’s Supper can be led more spontaneously or according
to some of the text found below. The general order is as follows:
· The leader explains communion, who it
is for, and occasionally warning unrepentant Christians as to the consequences
of partaking.
· We affirm our faith with some form of
creed to show we unite with all true believers.
· An acclamation of God or Christ is
said from the book of Revelation to acknowledge their presence.
· With an awareness of Christ’s
presence, his words of institution are said from a gospel narrative or Paul’s
from 1 Corinthians 11.
· Just as Christ gave thanks, a prayer
is said thanking God for the cross and the supper, leading people in confessing
sin that they would come worthily, and praying that all would partake of Christ
and his benefits as they do.
· Just as Christ said “eat” and “drink”
people are exhorted to come, eat and drink, remembering that Christ died for
them.
INTRODUCTION
In a moment we come to share in the Lord’s Supper. In
representing Christ’s body and blood, the bread and wine proclaim his death to
us, until he comes again. In doing so, they hold Christ out to us, promising
all the blessings of the new covenant as we renew our faith.
So who is it for? It is for all baptised Christians, who hold
to the essentials of the faith, calling on Christ for forgiveness and
salvation, and submitting to him as Lord and God.
If you have not yet responded in this way, or there is another
reason why you don’t want to receive, that’s absolutely fine. Just stay where
you are.
One of the following to
follow:
(1) Some like this to be said fairly
regularly: The Apostle Paul reminds us: ‘Whoever eats the bread
and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning
against the body and blood of the Lord.’ So we come now to examine ourselves by reaffirming our faith and
commitment to Christ.
(2) An
explanation like this every few
months:
What happens as we receive the Lord’s Supper? As Christians
we are united to Christ by the Holy Spirit. So by his Spirit Jesus is actually present
with us at the table.
Our awareness of this means that we enjoy communion with him
in particularly special way. We feast together as a foretaste of the fellowship
we will have with him when he comes.
More than that, if we come with sincere faith and repentance,
as we take, eat and drink, we express our faith in Christ to fill and sustain
us, so feeding on him spiritually in our hearts.
Our faith is therefore refreshed and refocused by the act of
receiving, keeping us in all the blessing of the new covenant. We are therefore
forgiven and cleansed from our sin, spiritually nourished and strengthened for
our Christian service, and drawn closer to one-another as Christ’s body the
church.
Yet we are warned that those who receive unworthily, without
love of Christ or one-another, sin against Christ’s body and blood, eating and
drinking God’s judgement on themselves.
So as we receive these pledges of God’s covenant love to us,
let’s hunger and thirst for Christ, remembering his death to our endless
comfort, rejoicing in him with sincere thanks, and resolving to serve him together,
in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.]
To ensure we come in the right manner, scripture urges us first
to examine ourselves. We do that now by reaffirming our faith and commitment to
Christ.
Usually followed by
a form of the Apostles or Nicene Creed, acclamation of Christ from Revelation,
the words of institution and then confession either formally or in the prayer
of thanksgiving below.
ACCLAMATIONS
Together with all through all time,
we join with angels and archangels, and every creature in heaven and
earth, forever praising God by saying:
(1) God as holy: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is
and is to come! (Rev 4:8)
(2) Christ’s death: Worthy are you, O Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and
blessing. For by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and
language and people and nation. And you have made us a kingdom and priests to
our God, and we shall reign on the earth. (Rev 5:9-10)
(3) Father and Son: To him who sits on the throne and to
the Lamb, be blessing and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever! Amen.
(Rev 5:13-14)
(4) Salvation through Father and Son:
Salvation belongs to
our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb! And so may blessing and glory
and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to you forever and
ever! Amen. (Revelation 7:10-12)
Each
may be followed by:
“Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord” or “Amen. Come Lord Jesus” (Jn 12v13, Rev 22v20)
The
leader then moves to the table and pours the wine.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION
(1) Longer: While eating the Passover meal the
night before his death, ‘Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, gave it to
the disciples, and said, “Take and eat; this is my body given for you. Do this
in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, gave
thanks and gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my
blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that
day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom. (Matt 26:26-29, Lk
2:15-20)
(2) Shorter: ‘The Lord Jesus, on the night he was
betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This
is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way,
after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my
blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor 11:23-25)
THANKSGIVING PRAYER
A prayer is said along the following
lines, but shaped to emphasize the truths of the sermon.
§ We lift our
hearts to Christ in heaven.
§ We
acknowledge our unworthiness.
§ We major on
giving thanks for the cross/its work.
§ We confess
our sins that we would come with right motive towards God and others.
§ We ask to partake
with sincere faith and so partake of Christ.
§ We ask to be
cleansed and nourished.
§ We ask to be
united with each other as one body.
§ We ask to remain
in Christ and he in us.
§ We ask to be
brought to the heavenly banquet.
Some helpful phrases: We thank you
that in you great love, you made us for yourself, and when we rebelled, you did
not destroy us but gave us your one and only Son….
(1) Substitution: …obeying you to the end he bore our sins upon the
cross, and the punishment that brought us peace was laid upon him.
(2) Satisfaction: …he satisfied the demands of your justice so that his
righteousness could be counted as our own.
(3) Reconciliation: …he quenched the fire of your anger so that we could be
reconciled to you.
(4) Victory: By him you have triumphed over the devil. Through him
you have freed us from sin and death and hell. In him you have raised us to
life by your Spirit, lavishing upon us the riches of his grace.
The prayer of humble access could be said: We do not presume to come to this
your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your
manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the
crumbs under your table. But you, Lord, are the God of our salvation, and you share
your bread with sinners. So cleanse and feed us with the precious body and
blood of your Son, that we, with the whole company of Christ, may sit and eat
in your kingdom. Amen. (From the BCP)
INVITATION
This could be said if the short introduction is
used:
Paul writes that we who are many, are
one body, because we all partake of the one bread. So draw near to Christ,
crucified at Calvary, reigning at God’s right hand, amongst us by his Spirit.
With love for one-another, feed on him in your hearts by faith, with joy and
thanks for his glorious grace for whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup
we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
AFTER RECEIVING
The Lord’s Prayer could be said, or a
prayer along the following lines, but if appropriate, shaped to emphasize the
truths of the sermon.
§ We give thanks for the cross, the
Lord’s Supper and its benefits.
§ We pray that we would continue to
rely on Christ’s death.
§ We reaffirm the covenant,
recommitting ourselves to Christ and asking that we would offer our lives as
living sacrifices.
SAMPLE ORDER
(1) Creed
(2) Acclamation
The leader moves to the table and pours the wine.
(3) Words of
institution
(4) Prayer of thanksgiving
Introduction: Let’s give
God thanks for the cross, and pray that we would partake of Christ. First, a moment of silence for your
own confession of sin and prayers of preparation.
Followed by prayer for thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, you call us to your banqueting table. And so we lift
our hearts to you in heaven, and give you our most sincere thanks…
[PRAYER A – BEARING SIN]
…for although we have been sinful from our mother’s womb, turning from
you, suppressing the truth about you, neither seeking you nor fearing you, but
hardening our hearts and gratifying our sinful desires; yet according to your
unfailing love, you sent your one and only Son, to bear our sins in his body
upon the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.
[PRAYER B – BEARING WRATH]
…for although we are by nature objects of wrath, deserving death and deserving
condemnation, yet according to your unfailing love, you sent your one and only
Son, to redeem us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us, for it
is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
[PRAYER C – DOCTRINE OF CROSS]
…for you love our world so much that
you sent us your one and only Son. Obeying you to the end he bore our sins upon
the cross. He satisfied the demands of your justice, that his righteousness
could be counted as our own. He quenched the fire of your anger, that we would
be reconciled to you.
[PRAYER D – VICTORY OF CROSS]
…for you have forgiven all our sins,
having nailed the regulations that stood against us to the cross, disarming all
powers and authorities. In Christ you have redeemed us from sin and death and
hell; through Christ you have therefore triumphed over the devil; and with
Christ you have raised us to life by your Spirit,
[PRAYER E – ISAIAH 53]
…for in your great love you gave your one
and only Son to be a guilt offering for us. He was pierced for our
transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought
us peace was laid upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
[PRAYER E – PHILIPPIANS 2]
…for being in very nature God, Christ Jesus
humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Therefore
you exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every
name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord.
[PRAYER F – COLOSSIANS 1]
…for although we were alienated from
you, enemies in our minds because of our evil behaviour, you have reconciled
us by Christ’s physical body, through death to present us holy in your sight,
without blemish and free from accusation – if we
continue in our faith.
[PRAYER G – EPHESIANS 1]
…for you chose us in Christ before the
creation of the world to be holy and blameless in your sight. Through him, you
predestined us to be adopted as your sons to the praise of your glorious grace,
which you have so freely given us. In him we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of your grace that you
have lavished on us. When we believed the gospel of our salvation, we were
included in Christ and given your promised Holy Spirit, who guarantees our
inheritance, to the praise of your glory.
[PRAYER H – GOD AS CREATOR]
…for
in you alone are found all life, all goodness and blessedness. You are
sufficient in yourself, not needing your creation or your creatures. Yet you
have chosen to display your excellence through them, and been pleased to have
your fullness dwell in Christ, through whom you are putting all things right
with yourself, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[PRAYER I – GOD AS SOVEREI GN]
…for
you are the sovereign one, doing whatever you please, for all things were
created by you and for you, and so to you is due from every creature in heaven
and on earth, all worship, service and obedience. And although we have
suppressed the truth about you, neither glorifying you or giving you thanks,
you have worked salvation for us, by sending your Son to give his life for us
upon the cross.
[PRAYER J – GOD AS JUSTIFIER]
…for
you are compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and
faithfulness, forgiving sin; rewarding all who diligently seek you; yet just in
your judgments, hating evil, and not letting the guilty go unpunished. And so in
your great mercy, you presented Jesus your Son as an atoning sacrifice upon the
cross, pacifying your anger that you might be just whilst justifying those who
have faith in him.
[PRAYER K – THE GLORY OF GOD]
…for
you alone are the true and living God, infinite in being and perfection,
eternal and unchanging, immense and incomprehensible, the almighty creator,
most wise, most holy, most righteous, working all things according to your
faultless will, and for you own glory. And so although your greatness and
majesty make our rebellion against you all the more terrible and worthy of your
anger, you have redeemed us through Christ’s blood, that we might be for the
praise of your glory.
Followed by prayer of humble access:
[PRAYER A – LED]
…and
so we draw near to you now, with a sincere heart, and
with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to
cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure
water. We come to your table, not trusting in our own righteousness but
only in your mercy. So grant that we would truly partake of Christ. Nourish us
in our souls, cleanse us from our sins, and unite as one, that Christ may live
in us and amongst us, and we may come, with his whole family, to sit and eat in
his kingdom. Amen.
[PRAYER B – TOGETHER]
…and so, as we receive this bread and wine in obedience to
your Son’s command, grant that we partake of his most precious body and blood.
Amen.
We say together: We do not presume to come to this your
table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold
and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under
your table. But you, Lord, are the God of our salvation, and you share your
bread with sinners. So cleanse and feed us with the precious body and blood of
your Son, that we, with the whole company of Christ, may sit and eat in your
kingdom. Amen.
(5) Exhortation
Paul writes that we who are many, are
one body, because we all partake of the one bread. So draw near to Christ, crucified
at Calvary, reigning at God’s right hand, amongst us by his Spirit. With love
for one-another, feed on him in your hearts by faith, with joy and thanks for
his glorious grace, for whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup we
proclaim his death until he comes.
(6) Communion is received