Jesus,
through your death and resurrection you reconciled the world to God,
and through your example you have shown us a way to peace.
Give us strength as the people of God
to be channels of peace in the world,
speaking your peace, living your peace,
and always longing for that moment of eternal peace
when we shall see you again. Amen.
God of grace,
thank you for raising Jesus Christ from the dead,
our hope for life eternal.
Holy Spirit, fill us with your strength to be the body of Christ on earth,
God's church in Laos and Los Angeles,
in Hawaii and Havana,
in Ethiopia and Edmonton,
and here in this congregation, in__________. [name of your city/town/region].
Give us strength to do the work you would have us do,
to be the people you would have us be.
And most of all, give us hope
as we wait together to see Jesus again.
Amen.
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire;
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost thy sevenfold gifts impart.
Thy blessed unction from above
Is comfort, life and fire of love;
Enable with perpetual light
The dullness of our blinded sight.
Anoint and cheer our soiled face
With the abundance of thy grace;
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;
Where thou art guide no ill can come.
Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And thee, of Both, to be but One;
That through the ages all along
This may be our endless song:
Praise to thy eternal merit,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour,
in what we have thought,
in what we have said and done,
through ignorance, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We have wounded your love
and marred your image in us.
We are sorry and ashamed
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past
and lead us out from darkness
to walk as children of light.
Amen.
Lord, we pray that You would still our minds and quiet our hearts as we approach this communion table today. We ask that You would draw each one of us into ever closer fellowship with Yourself, as we partake together of the bread and wine, in grateful remembrance of what You did for each one of us, on Calvary's cross.
Help me Lord, to approach this communion table with reverence and godly fear, as we share together in the bread and the cup. Lord, we remember how on the same night that You were betrayed You took a piece of bread, and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to Your disciples and said. “eat this in remembrance of Me.”
We also remember how You then took the cup and told them. “this is the new covenant in My blood, do this in remembrance of Me.” Lord, we partake of this bread and drink this cup in remembrance of what You did on our behalf, on Calvary's cross, and praise and glorify Your holy name.
Amen.
You are invited to the table of our Lord Jesus Christ
Here we have a feast for the people of God,
a sign of Jesus' body and blood given in love to save us.
Everyone who has committed their lives to Jesus
is welcome to take the bread and juice
to sustain them on their journey of faith.
Everyone else, including children,
are invited to take the grapes,
which are a sign of God's love for you.
Please take the bread and hold it, and we will eat together.
The same with the juice.
You can eat the grapes as they come to you.
On the night he was handed over,
our Lord Jesus Christ took bread,
and after giving thanks to God,
broke it and gave it to his disciples.
He said, “Take, eat;
this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
[distribute the bread]
Let's pray together:
God of grace, we give you thanks for this bread,
and your son Jesus Christ who came to save us.
The love of Jesus shines through the years,
his death on the cross, his broken body
has become the bread of life which sustains us.
As we eat this bread,
remind us that we are part of his body,
living for him, giving for him. Amen.
My brothers and sisters……..The body of Christ, broken for you. [eat the bread]
After supper Jesus took the cup of wine;
and after giving thanks,
gave it to them and said,
“Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant
which is shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, remember me.
[distribute the juice]
Let us pray;
Thank you Jesus for loving us to the end of your life.
We drink this juice remembering your sacrifice for our sins,
your love which never ended,
your love which sustains us still. Amen.
My sisters and brothers…the blood of Christ was shed for you. [drink the juice]
Let's pray together:
God of grace,
thank you for raising Jesus Christ from the dead,
our hope for life eternal.
Holy Spirit, fill us with your strength to be the body of Christ on earth,
God's church in Laos and Los Angeles,
in Hawaii and Havana,
in Ethiopia and Edmonton,
and here in this congregation, in__________. [name of your city/town/region].
Give us strength to do the work you would have us do,
to be the people you would have us be.
And most of all, give us hope
as we wait together to see Jesus again.
Amen.
I do pray that those who have come to the Lord's Supper have examined themselves beforehand so that they do not drink the wine (grape juice) or eat the bread in an unworthy manner, meaning that we don't forget to esteem the precious body and blood of our Savior, and discerning it's meaning for us today. I remember Jesus promising that the next time He partakes of Communion, it will be with those who dine with Him in the kingdom, as part of the celebration at the wedding feast of the Lamb of God with His bride, the church. That day we will partake of the meal in His presence is what we yearn for, and why Paul may have said that as long as we partake of the bread and wine, we proclaim His coming, so let us do just that, but do so with a heart that is willing to be examined to see if there is any unconfessed sin in our lives, and if there is Father, please forgive us so that we might have peace of mind when taking the bread and the wine, and we truly look forward to partaking of this meal in the very presence of Jesus Christ someday, and it is in His name we pray, Amen.
We come to the Lord's supper together
as children of our one God.
Jesus makes the guest list, not us.
Our family, chosen by God,
is gathered from west and east,
and includes everyone,
even the lowest and the least.
Jesus, when he was resurrected from the dead,
revealed himself to his disciples
in the breaking of bread around a table.
May we see the face of God today as we come to the Lord's Supper.
On the night he was handed over,
the night before he was crucified,
Jesus gathered with his friends for a meal.
He took the bread, and after blessing it,
he broke it, saying,
“This is my body, which is broken for you.
As often as you eat it, remember me.” [break the bread]
Please pray with me:
Jesus, as we take this bread,
let it be a sign of all you did for us,
and who you are for us.
Thank you for this bread of life. [people eat the bread]
After sharing the bread,
Jesus took a cup of wine, and gave it to them to drink, saying,
“This is my blood of the new covenant which is poured out for many.” [hold up the cup]
Let's pray:
Jesus, as we drink this cup,
let it be a sign for us of all you did for us,
and who you are for us.
Thank you that you bring us peace that passes understanding. [people drink]
Closing Prayer:
Jesus,
through your death and resurrection you reconciled the world to God,
and through your example you have shown us a way to peace.
Give us strength as the people of God
to be channels of peace in the world,
speaking your peace, living your peace,
and always longing for that moment of eternal peace
when we shall see you again. Amen.