communion2

1

I am the living bread which cam down from heaven; if any eats of this bread he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.”.... So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” (John 6:51, 53—56).

2

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one spirit.... Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Corinthians 12:12, 13, 27).

3

On the first day of the week... we were gathered together to break bread.... And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 20:7; 2:42).

4

Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.... But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (John 15:13; Romans 5:8).

5

Come to this table, not because you must but because you may; come to testify not that you are righteous but that you sincerely love our Lord Jesus Christ and desire to be His true disciples. Come, not because you are strong, but because you are weak; not because you have any claim on heaven’s re­wards, but because in your frailty and sin you stand in constant need of heaven’s mercy and help; come, not to express an opinion, but to seek a Presence and to pray for a Spirit. And now that the Supper of the Lord is spread before you, lift up your minds and hearts above all selfish fears and cares. Let this bread and this cup be to you the witness and signs of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. Before the throne of the Heavenly Father and the cross of the Redeemer make your humble confession of sin, consecrate your lives to Christian obedience and service, and pray for strength to do the holy and blessed will of God. --AUTHOR UNKNOWN

6

Do this in remembrance of me (1 Corinthians 11:24).

   Memory is a balancing factor in life. Though we are not to live in the past, we do live by the past. We keep photographs, mementos, and symbols to remind us of important events, sac­rifices made for our heritage, vows we have made, and the love we cherish.

Our Lord did not want to be forgotten. He knew that if faith, morality, love, and proper motivation were to be kept alive in His disciples, they must remember the purity of His life, the cost of His sacrifice, and the power of the Resurrection.

So we come to this table today, remembering that here we may come as near to Calvary as man may come . . - remembering  the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world” .. . remembering the great cloud of witnesses all of whose hands have been on the table and who have since gone to the “place of many mansions”... remembering what we are and what we can become in Christ ... remembering that we live not so much to be loved as to love, not to be served but to Serve.

7

LORD, IS IT I?

When it was evening, he sat at table with the twelve disciples; and as they were eating, be said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” And they were very sorrowful, and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” (Matthew 26:20—22).

The saddest event recorded in Scripture is not what hap­pened on a hill outside of Jerusalem; it is what happened in the Upper Room. The saddest words of the Bible are not “and they crucified him,” but these: “One of you shall betray me.” The cruelest nails ever driven were not those driven into the hands and feet of Jesus, but those His friends drove into His heart.

When the will of Jesus went contrary to the desire of one of the disciples, he betrayed the Lord for a few worldly coins. When following Jesus became dangerous, and when He needed loyal support, His disciples forsook Him and fled. When an opportunity was given to testify, one who followed afar off denied Him three times.

It still goes on among His most trusted followers. The Upper Room question is still appropriate for us to ask in these quiet moments of introspection. “Lord, is it I?”

8

Friends, if you sincerely want to turn your back on your sins, if you wish to be transformed from a patronizing member to an involved disciple, and desire to lead a new life of love and compassion, then get ready to come to God in faith, confident of His forgiveness.

9

Welcome to the celebration. You are invited here to celebrate what the early Christians celebrated in the Eucharist feast—Jesus Christ—His life, His love, His words, His joy, His triumph over death. Let  us shout the joy of our hope—and celebrate!

10

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial to the sacrifice of our Lord for the sins of men, a means of grace to those who believe in Him, a bond and pledge of union with him, and with each other in His mystical body. 

Therefore, it is necessary that we come to this table with understanding, faith, repentance, and love, not holding fellowship with evil, or cherishing self-righteousness, but conscious of our weakness and in our sorrow for our sins, humbly putting our trust in Christ, and seeking His grace.

Draw near then, to the Holy Table, and hear the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  (adapted from the Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland.)