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Form for the Sacrament of Holy Communion
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
We give thanks to God the Father that our Savior, Jesus Christ, before He suffered, gave us this memorial of His sacrifice, until He comes again. At His last supper, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it [here the minister breaks the bread] and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, He took the cup after supper [here the minister pours the wine] and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this in remembrance of me." For whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until He comes (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Therefore we proclaim our faith as signed and sealed in this sacrament: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Prayer of Consecration We thank You, O God, that You remembered Your promise to reconcile the world to Yourself, that You have come among us in Jesus Christ, the eternal Word made flesh. As our substitute, He suffered all his years on earth, especially in the horrible torture of the cross. We thank You that He carried Your judgment on our sin; that His sacrifice removes our guilt; and that He walked out of the grave, the Lord of life, conqueror of sin and death. Lord Jesus, as both God and man, be our only Mediator between God and Your people. You alone paid the debt of our sin; there is no other Savior! In You the Father chose those whom He would save. Now may your electing love sustain our hope: Your grace is free to save us sinners, who offer nothing but our need for mercy. Lord, our God, send Your Holy Spirit so that this bread and cup may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we and all Your saints be united with Christ and remain faithful in hope and love. Gather your whole church, O Lord, into the glory of Your Kingdom. We pray in the name of Jesus, Who taught us to pray, [congregation recites the Lord's prayer]
“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 debts As we have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, And the power, And the glory, Forever and ever. Amen.” The Invitation Congregation of Jesus Christ, the Lord has prepared His table for all who love Him and trust in Him alone for their salvation. All who truly regret their sins, who sincerely believe in the Lord Jesus as their Savior, and who desire to live in obedience to Him as Lord, are now invited to come with gladness to the table of the Lord. The Communion [During the distribution, communion hymns may be sung, or the minister may read an appropriate passage of Scripture.] Take, eat, remember, and believe that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ was given for the complete forgiveness of all our sins. Take, drink, remember, and believe that the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was given for the complete forgiveness of all our sins. Thanksgiving We thank You, our Lord, for the hope this meal gives us, that Jesus will return as triumphant King, that the dead will be raised, and that all people will stand before His judgment. We face that day without fear, for you, our Judge, are our Savior. May our daily lives of service aim for the moment when the Son will present His people to the Father and God will be shown to be true, holy, and gracious. With the whole creation we wait for the purifying fire of judgment. For then we will see You face to face. You will heal our hurts, end our wars, and make the crooked straight. Then we will join in the new song to the Lamb without blemish, who made us a kingdom and priests. You, our God, will be all in all, righteousness and peace will flourish, everything will be made new, and every eye will see at last that our world belongs to God! Hallelujah! Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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Holy Communion |