Leading your family in Communion
What is the Lord’s Supper?
Also known as Communion, the Lord’s Supper is a time when we gather together as the family of God and remember the sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. The Lord’s Supper and baptism are the two sacraments (sacred acts) that Jesus left for the church to practice regularly. (Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22)
Elements of the Lord’s Supper
There are two elements that comprise the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper; the bread and the cup. The bread represents the body of Christ broken to pay the penalty of our sins. The cup symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed for the forgiveness of our sins. When Jesus first gave us Communion He used unleavened bread and wine for the elements. As a general guideline I would suggest crackers and grape juice. Other things can be substituted but always with the idea of keeping this a sacred act of worship. I would recommend that the crackers be small and the cups for the juice be as small as possible.
Jesus taught the disciples about the Lord’s Supper after they had finished eating the Last Supper on the eve of His crucifixion. With that in mind I would encourage you to do this after a family meal. One of the traditions that sadly are fading is the family meal. I would encourage you to plan a weekly family meal and make Communion a part of it.
Leading Your Family in Communion
The Lord’s Supper is one of the things that will unite your family around the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is a beautiful reminder of His most precious gift to us. If you have never done something like this, simply follow the directions that follow. Read directly from the sheet, even the prayers, until you become more comfortable leading. God loves it when we try even when we are not sure what we are doing.
Pass Out the Elements
Bread – Give a cracker to each member of your family. The leader should take theirs last. Ask each person to hold their elements until after you have prayed. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-24
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Pray this prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you for dying on the cross for our sins. Because of your death we have eternal life. We do this now to remember what you did for us.
Have your family eat the cracker.
Juice – Give each member of your family a cup of juice. Read 1 Corinthians 11:25-26.
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Pray this prayer: Lord Jesus, your blood shed for us means that our sins are forgiven. We thank you for your sacrifice and the blessing that it means to our lives. We thank you that this sacrifice means that we are going to be with You forever in heaven.
Small Children
Communion is a sacrament for believers. This is a good time to speak to your children about their faith in Christ. My suggestion for the really young children - give them a different cracker and a juice box or something. We don't want to exclude them but we also want to keep the sacrament sacred.
Final Thoughts
There, you have just led your family in the Lord’s Supper. Make this a regular part of family life. Teach your family to worship God and I know He will bless you and your family in ways that will amaze you.
Join us online Good Friday @ 6:30 pm and Easter Sunday @ 9:30 am!
It is not the same as being there, but it is as close as we can get right now!
With the 'shelter in place' order in effect, we will do our Easter services online. Pastor Rick will be sharing encouraging messages reminding us what this event symbolizes and relating it to the current state of the world.
We will be doing Communion at the Good Friday service. Get a cracker and some juice and partake with us.