Celebrating The Lord’s Supper with Your Family

This guide has been created to assist you in celebrating the Lord's Supper with your family. The Lord's Supper is a remembrance and a celebration of Jesus' death by which He atoned for all our sins. Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of their lives can participate. It is appropriate not only to celebrate with the gathered church, but also with family and friends as God leads.

Call to Worship

God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray together as Jesus taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Prayer of confession

Together, we pray:
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Scripture

Hear these portions of scripture:

Jesus invites us: Come to Me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. Mt 11:28-29

Jesus declares: I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never be hungry and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty. Everyone that the Father gives Me will come to Me and anyone who comes to Me, I will never drive away. Jn 6:35, 37

On the night before He died, Jesus shared a final meal with His disciples. During the meal, Jesus gave to His disciples, for all time, this special way of remembering Him: 1) Bread broken as a symbol of His body broken for us and 2) Fruit of the vine poured out as a symbol of His blood shed for our forgiveness. We celebrate The Lord's Supper because Jesus commands us: “Do this in remembrance of Me.”

The bread is broken in pieces and is a sign of Jesus' body that is broken on the cross. The juice is poured and is a sign of Jesus' blood that is shed on the cross. Both bread and juice point to the reality of a greater and deeper salvation: Jesus set us free by dying on the cross in our place. When we celebrate the Lord's Supper, then we remember Jesus' death. However, we also remember His resurrection from the dead. In fact, as our risen Savior, Jesus is the host who invites us to his table.

Distribute

Distribute the communion elements. Ask everyone to open and hold the bread.

Read

I Corinthians 11:23-26: 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." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You that this bread represents the body of Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life. We thank You that Christ lives in us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, setting us into a family of believers, the body of Christ - Your church. And now we receive this bread as the body of Jesus, broken for us. Amen

Share

Let us eat together.

Pray

Dear Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the fruit of the vine and we ask You to bless it as the symbol of Christ's blood, shed for the remission of our sins. Thank You for the sacrifice of Jesus, Your only Son to die for us, washing us clean and bringing us peace with You.

Share
The cup of the new covenant is Jesus Christ's blood shed for you. Let us drink together.

The Apostle’s Creed

Repeat the creed together:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; the third day He rose from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Blessing

May the blood of Christ purify your conscience from sinful deeds so that you can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Holy Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for your sins (Heb. 9:14). May the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until that day when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God, who calls you, is faithful; He will do this (1 Thess. 5:23-24).

Closing Prayer
We thank you, O God, that through Word and Supper you have given us your Son, who is the true bread from heaven and food of eternal life. We lift up to You, this day, these joys and concerns of our hearts. Strengthen us in Your service that our daily living may show our thanks, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.