Worship Order for the 4 Communion Themes

Four Themes of Communion: Communion Services for Worship 1. Suggested Standard Introduction for All Four Sundays 2. The Four Themes a. 1st Sunday: Jesus as Our Daily Manna and Drink Words of Institution: 1 Corinthians 11 b. 2nd Sunday: Jesus as Our Passover Sacrifice Words of Institution: Luke 22 c. 3rd Sunday: The Lord's Supper and the End Time Wedding Feast of the Lamb Words of Institution: Matthew 25 d. 4th Sunday: Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Old Testament Sacrifices and Feasts Words of Institution: Mark 14 3. Scripture Version: All verses were taken from the Contemporary English Version (CEV) except where noted. 4. Each of the services will have at least one passage from the Old Testament, one passage from the New Testament Epistles, and one passage from the Gospel in addition to the passages above that will be used for the Words of Institution. You can choose to eliminate either the Old Testament or New Testament Epistles' passages, but not both. They are used to set the themes and backgrounds for each of the services listed above. 5. The Old Testament and New Testament passages may also be read congregationally. The Leaders' parts are listed in regular print; the congregation's parts are listed in bold print. I. Standard Introduction for All Four Sundays This is the time where we enact and celebrate what is called by a variety of names as the Lord Supper, Communion, the Eucharist, the Agape Meal, the Love Feast and the Great Thanksgiving. This is the time when we regularly remember Jesus Christ's last meal with his friends and his pronouncement of his coming death and resurrection. It is a time to reflect upon and to give thanks for Christ's death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, and finally his future coming return to Earth to right what is wrong, to raise the dead back to life, and to judge the world. We hold that the Lord Supper is open to every person who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of the world. All Christians--no matter their denomination, gender, race or creed--are invited by Christ to share in this celebration and remembrance. All are welcome to receive the bread and cup and to participate. As for the children receiving or not receiving communion, we leave that decision to the parents or guardians to decide based on their own study of Scriptures, prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In order that all may participate in this symbolic meal at the same time, we asked everyone not to eat or drink the elements until all have been served and are directed to eat and drink the same after the appropriate readings from the Scripture. You will be prompted by the pulpit speaker as to the appropriate moment to eat the bread and to drink from the cup. Part I-Background Scriptures [Old Testament Scriptures] Deuteronomy 8 records the following reminder of Moses to the children of Israel after they had been delivered from slavery in Egypt and have wandered forty years in the wilderness: 2Don't forget how the LORD your God has led you through the desert for the past forty years. He wanted to find out if you were truly willing to obey him and depend on him, 3so he made you go hungry. Then he gave you manna, a kind of food that you and your ancestors had never even heard about. 3bThe LORD was teaching you that people need more than food to live--they need every word that the LORD has spoken. 14bDon't forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and that it was the LORD who set you free. 15Remember how he led you in that huge and frightening desert where poisonous snakes and scorpions live. There was no water, but the LORD split open a rock, and water poured out so you could drink. 16bThe LORD was testing you to make you trust him, so that later on he could be good to you. [New Testament Scriptures] Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10, the following regarding the Lord's Supper. 1Friends, I want to remind you that all of our ancestors walked under the cloud and went through the sea. 2This was like being baptized and becoming followers of Moses. 3All of them also ate the same spiritual food 4and drank the same spiritual drink, which flowed from the spiritual rock that followed them. That rock was Christ. [Gospel] In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, after Jesus had fed the five thousand and had walked on water, Jesus said to crowd that had followed him to the other side of the lake," 26"I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles, but because you ate all the food you wanted. 27Don't work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so." 34The people said, "Lord, give us this bread and don't ever stop!" 35Jesus replied: I am the bread that gives life! No one who comes to me will ever be hungry. No one who has faith in me will ever be thirsty. 37Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won't turn any of them away. 40My Father wants everyone who sees the Son to have faith in him and to have eternal life. Then I will raise them to life on the last day. 47I tell you for certain that everyone who has faith in me has eternal life. Part II-Prayer Over the Bread and the Cup Let us pray over the bread and the cup. [Prayer Over the Bread] [Prayer Over the Cup] [Distribution Of the Bread and Cups] Part III-Preparation for Partaking Jesus said, 48I am the bread that gives life! 49Your ancestors ate manna in the desert, and later they died. 50But the bread from heaven has come down, so that no one who eats it will ever die. 51I am that bread from heaven! Everyone who eats it will live forever. My flesh is the life-giving bread that I give to the people of this world. 53I tell you for certain that you won't live unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man. 54But if you do eat my flesh and drink my blood, you will have eternal life, and I will raise you to life on the last day. 55My flesh is the true food, and my blood is the true drink. 56If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you are one with me, and I am one with you. 57The living Father sent me, and I have life because of him. Now everyone who eats my flesh will live because of me. 58The bread that comes down from heaven isn't like what your ancestors ate. They died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever. 59Jesus was teaching in a Jewish place of worship in Capernaum when he said these things. Part IV- The Institution (1 Corinthians 11) 23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." [Let us Eat the True Manna from Heaven Together.] 25In 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." [Let us Drink of the Cup Together.] 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Part I-Background Scriptures [Old Testament Scriptures] It is recorded in Exodus 12 that the Israelite celebrated the Festival of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread in honor of the Lord, who delivered them from slavery in Egypt. This is what the Lord told Moses. 3Tell the people of Israel that on the tenth day of this month the head of each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for his family to eat. 6Each family must take care of its animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, when the animals are to be killed. 7Some of the blood must be put on the two doorposts and above the door of each house where the animals are to be eaten. . . . 11cThis is the Passover Festival in honor of me, your LORD. 12a-bThat same night, I will pass through Egypt and kill the first-born son in every family and the first-born male of all animals. 13The blood on the houses will show me where you live, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. Then you won't be bothered by the terrible disasters I will bring on Egypt. 44Your slaves may eat the meal if they have been circumcised, 45but no foreigners who work for you are allowed to have any. 47And all Israelites must take part in the meal. 48If anyone who isn't an Israelite wants to celebrate Passover with you, every man and boy in that family must first be circumcised. Then they may join in the meal, just like native Israelites. No uncircumcised man or boy may eat the Passover meal! 49This law applies both to native Israelites and to those foreigners who live among you. [Gospel 1-John 1] In the Gospel of John, we find recorded the words of John the Baptist, who proclaimed, when he saw Jesus, 29bHere is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! [New Testament Scriptures 1-1 Corinthians 5] In 1 Corinthians we read the following words of Paul, Our Passover lamb is Christ, who has already been sacrificed. 8So don't celebrate the [Passover] festival by being evil and sinful, which is like serving bread made with yeast. Be pure and truthful and celebrate by using bread made without yeast. [New Testament Scriptures 2-Revelations 5] The writer of Revelations says this of Christ and his future coming Kingdom, 6Then I looked and saw a Lamb standing in the center of the throne that was surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb looked as if it had once been killed. 7The Lamb went over and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who sat on the throne. 8aAfter he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders knelt down before him. 9Then they sang a new song, "You are worthy to receive the scroll and open its seals, because you were killed. And with your own blood you bought for God, people from every tribe, language, nation, and race. 10You let them become kings and serve God as priests, and they will rule on earth." Part II-Prayer Over the Bread and the Cup Let us pray over the bread and the cup. [Prayer Over the Bread] [Prayer Over the Cup] [Distribution Of the Bread and Cups] Part III-Preparation (Luke 22) 7The day had come for the Festival of Thin Bread, and it was time to kill the Passover lambs. 8So Jesus said to Peter and John, "Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat." 9But they asked, "Where do you want us to prepare it?" 10Jesus told them, "As you go into the city, you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house 11and say to the owner, `Our teacher wants to know where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.' 12The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there." 13Peter and John left. They found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal. 14When the time came for Jesus and the apostles to eat, 15he said to them, "I have very much wanted to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. 16I tell you that I will not eat another Passover meal until it is finally eaten in God's kingdom." 17Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles, "Take this wine and share it with each other. 18I tell you that I will not drink any more wine until God's kingdom comes." Part IV- The Institution (Luke22) 19Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!" [Let us Eat From the Body of the Lamb Together.] 20After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, "This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God makes his new agreement. [Let us Drink of His Cup Together.] Part I-Background Scriptures [Old Testament Scriptures] It is recorded in the book of Hosea, chapter 2, the following the image of God as the Groom and Israel as the Redeemed Bride. 16I promise that from that day on, you will call me your husband instead of your master. 18And I will agree to let you live in peace--you will no longer be attacked by wild animals and birds or by weapons of war. 19I will accept you as my wife forever, and instead of a bride price, I will give you justice, fairness, love, kindness, 20and faithfulness. Then you will truly know who I am. 23 I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called 'Not my people', 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.' " [Verse 23 is from the New International Version] [New Testament Scriptures-Revelations 5] The writer of Revelations says this of Christ and his future coming Kingdom, 6Then I heard what seemed to be a large crowd that sounded like a roaring flood and loud thunder all mixed together. They were saying, "Praise the Lord! Our Lord God All-Powerful now rules as King. 7So we will be glad and happy and give him praise. The wedding day of the Lamb is here, and his bride is ready. 8She will be given a wedding dress made of pure and shining linen. This linen stands for the good things God's people have done." 9Then the angel told me, "Put this in writing. God will bless everyone who is invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb." The angel also said, "These things that God has said are true." [Gospel-Mathew 22] In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus compares the coming Kingdom to a wedding banquet. 1Once again Jesus used stories to teach the people: 2The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a king gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3The king sent some servants to tell the invited guests to come to the banquet, but the guests refused. 4He sent other servants to say to the guests, "The banquet is ready! My cattle and prize calves have all been prepared. Everything is ready. Come to the banquet!" 5But the guests did not pay any attention. Some of them left for their farms, and some went to their places of business. 6Others grabbed the servants, then beat them up and killed them. 7This made the king so furious that he sent an army to kill those murderers and burn down their city. 8Then he said to the servants, "It is time for the wedding banquet, and the invited guests don't deserve to come. 9Go out to the street corners and tell everyone you meet to come to the banquet." 10They went out on the streets and brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike. And the banquet room was filled with guests. 14Many are invited, but only a few are chosen. Part II-Prayer Over the Bread and the Cup Let us pray over the bread and the cup. [Prayer Over the Bread] [Prayer Over the Cup] [Distribution Of the Bread and Cups] Part III-Preparation (Matthew25) 1The kingdom of heaven is like what happened one night when ten girls took their oil lamps and went to a wedding to meet the groom. 2Five of the girls were foolish and five were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps, but no extra oil. 4The ones who were wise took along extra oil for their lamps. 10While the foolish girls were on their way to get some oil, the groom arrived. The girls who were ready went into the wedding, and the doors were closed. 11Later the other girls returned and shouted, "Sir, sir! Open the door for us!" 12But the groom replied, "I don't even know you!" 13So, my disciples, always be ready! You don't know the day or the time when all this will happen. Part IV- The Institution (Matthew 26) 17On the first day of the Festival of Thin Bread, Jesus' disciples came to him and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal?" 18Jesus told them to go to a certain man in the city and tell him, "Our teacher says, `My time has come! I want to eat the Passover meal with my disciples in your home.' " 19They did as Jesus told them and prepared the meal. 26During the meal Jesus took some bread in his hands. He blessed the bread and broke it. Then he gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this and eat it. This is my body." [Let us Eat the Bread Together.] 27Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this and drink it. 28This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you. It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven. [Let us Drink of the Cup Together.] 29From now on I am not going to drink any wine, until I drink new wine with you in my Father's kingdom." 30Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. Part I [Old Testament] Scriptures In is recorded in Leviticus the following stipulations and types of sacrifices. 1) Whole Burnt Animal Offering for Intentional Sins [Lev. 1 & 6] 2) Grain Offering [Lev. 2] 3) Fellowship or Peace Offering (Grain and Animal Sacrifices) [Lev. 3] 4) [Unintentional] Sin Offering for both the sins of commission and of omission (Animal Sacrifice) [Lev. 4] 5) Guilt Offering (Animal Sacrifice) [Lev. 5 and 6] Leviticus 23 also lists the following required festivals and feasts (sacred assemblies): 1) The Weekly Sabbath 2) The Passover (14th Day of the 1st Month) 3) The Feast of Thin or Unleavened Bread (15th through 22nd Day of the 1st Month) 4) The First Fruits or Wave Offering 5) Feast of Weeks or Pentecost Offering After the Seventh Sabbatical Year 6) The Feast of Trumpets (1st Day of the 7th Month) 7) The Day of Atonement (10th Day of the 7th Month) 8) Feast of Tabernacles or Booths (15th Day to the 22nd Day of the 7th Month) 9) The Sabbath Year (Every 7th Year) 10) The Year of Jubilee (Every 50th Year) [New Testament Scriptures-Hebrews] In the book of Hebrews, Jesus is not only said to be our perfect, High Priest who lives forever, but also our perfect and eternal sacrifice and offering which once and for all times secured the forgiveness of our sins. Hebrews 4 14We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help. Hebrews 7 15All of this becomes clearer, when someone who is like Melchizedek is appointed to be a priest. 16That person wasn't appointed because of his ancestors, but because his life can never end. 17The Scriptures say about him, "You are a priest forever, just like Melchizedek." . . . 22This means that Jesus guarantees us a better agreement with God. 26Jesus is the high priest we need. He is holy and innocent and faultless, and not at all like us sinners. Jesus is honored above all beings in heaven, 27and he is better than any other high priest. Jesus doesn't need to offer sacrifices each day for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. He offered a sacrifice once for all, when he gave himself. Hebrews 9 11Christ came as the high priest of the good things that are now here. He also went into a much better tent that wasn't made by humans and that doesn't belong to this world. 12Then Christ went once for all into the most holy place and freed us from sin forever. He did this by offering his own blood instead of the blood of goats and bulls. 13According to the Law of Moses, those people who become unclean are not fit to worship God. Yet they will be considered clean, if they are sprinkled with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a sacrificed calf. 14But Christ was sinless, and he offered himself as an eternal and spiritual sacrifice to God. That's why his blood is much more powerful and makes our consciences clear. Now we can serve the living God and no longer do things that lead to death. 15Christ died to rescue those who had sinned and broken the old agreement. Now he brings his chosen ones a new agreement with its guarantee of God's eternal blessings! 18Blood was also used to put the first agreement into effect. . . . 22The Law says that almost everything must be sprinkled with blood, and no sins can be forgiven unless blood is offered. 23These things are only copies of what is in heaven, and so they had to be made holy by these ceremonies. But the real things in heaven must be made holy by something better. 24This is why Christ did not go into a tent that had been made by humans and was only a copy of the real one. Instead, he went into heaven and is now there with God to help us. Part II-Prayer Over the Bread and the Cup Let us pray over the bread and the cup. [Prayer Over the Bread] [Prayer Over the Cup] [Distribution Of the Bread and Cups] Part III-Preparation (Luke24 ) 13That same day two of Jesus' disciples were going to the village of Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14As they were talking and thinking about what had happened, 15Jesus came near and started walking along beside them. 16But they did not know who he was. 17Jesus asked them, "What were you talking about as you walked along?" The two of them stood there looking sad and gloomy. 18Then the one named Cleopas asked Jesus, "Are you the only person from Jerusalem who didn't know what was happening there these last few days?" 19"What do you mean?" Jesus asked. They answered: Those things that happened to Jesus from Nazareth. By what he did and said he showed that he was a powerful prophet, who pleased God and all the people. 20Then the chief priests and our leaders had him arrested and sentenced to die on a cross. 21We had hoped that he would be the one to set Israel free! But it has already been three days since all this happened. 25Then Jesus asked the two disciples, "Why can't you understand? How can you be so slow to believe all that the prophets said? 26Didn't you know that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?" 27Jesus then explained everything written about himself in the Scriptures, beginning with the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets. 28When the two of them came near the village where they were going, Jesus seemed to be going farther. 29They begged him, "Stay with us! It's already late, and the sun is going down." So Jesus went into the house to stay with them. 30After Jesus sat down to eat, he took some bread. He blessed it and broke it. Then he gave it to them. 31At once they knew who he was, but he disappeared. Part IV- The Institution (Mark 14) 17When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me--one who is eating with me." 19They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, "Surely not I?" 22While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." [Let us Eat of the True Sacrifice For Our Sins.] 23Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. 24"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many," he said to them. [Let us Drink of the Cup of His Offering For Our Salvation.] 25"I tell you the truth; I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God." 26When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 1st Sundays-Jesus as Our Daily Manna and Drink Page 3 of 3 2nd Sundays-Jesus as Our Passover Sacrifice 3rd Sundays-The Lord's Supper as a Symbol of the End Time Wedding Feast of the Lamb and the Bride. 4th Sundays-Jesus As Our Perfect Sacrifice Page 4 of 4