Celebration of the Lord’s Supper – Form 2
Preparatory Exhortation
If the Preparatory Exhortation and the communion Formulary are combined for use in the communion service, the following changes should be made:
The words “since we hope next Lord’s Day” should be changed to “since it is our privilege this day.”
The paragraph beginning “And since it is necessary for us” should be omitted.
Dear congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ, since we hope next Lord’s Day to celebrate the blessed sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, we are called to prepare our hearts by rightly examining ourselves. For the apostle Paul has written, “Whoever … eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Cor. 11:27–28
).
Therefore, you should examine your life and, considering your own sin and the wrath of God against it, be sure that you humble yourself in repentance before God. Examine your heart to be sure that you trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation—believing that your sins are forgiven wholly by grace because of our Lord’s sacrifice on the cross. Finally, examine your conscience to be sure that you resolve to live in faith and obedience before your Lord, and in love and peace with your neighbor.
Warning and Invitation
God will surely receive at the Table of His Son all who truly repent of their sins, believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, and desire to do His will. All those, however, who do not repent, who do not put their trust in the Lord Jesus, and who have no desire to lead a godly life, are warned, according to the command of God, to keep themselves from the holy sacrament. If any one of us is living in disobedience to Christ and in enmity with his neighbor, he must repent of his sin and reconcile himself to his neighbor before he comes to the Lord’s Table. “For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself” (1 Cor. 11:29).
This solemn warning is not designed, however, to discourage penitent sinners from coming to the holy sacrament. We do not come to the Supper as though we were righteous in ourselves, but rather to testify that we are sinners and that we look to Jesus Christ for our salvation. Although we do not have perfect faith, do not serve and love God with all our hearts, and do not love our neighbors as we ought, we are confident that the Savior accepts us at His Table when we come in humble faith, with sorrow for our sins, and with a will to follow Him as He commands.
And since it is necessary for us to come to the sacrament in good conscience, we urge any who lack this confidence to seek from the minister or any elder of this church such counsel as may quiet his conscience or lead to the conversion of his life.
All, then, who are truly sorry for their sins, who sincerely believe in the Lord Jesus as their Savior, and who earnestly desire to lead a godly life, ought to accept the invitation now given and come with gladness to the Table of their Lord.
Prayer
Let us pray:
Almighty God, who has given us the gospel of Jesus Christ and provided a most wonderful communion with Him through the mystery of the sacrament, we need Your grace to enable us to prepare our hearts for the reception of Holy Communion. To all who sincerely believe in Your Son and truly repent of their sins, grant assurance of Your gracious readiness to receive and bless them in the Supper of their Lord. To all who have not yet repented and have not put their trust in the Lord Jesus, grant a restraining fear of this Supper, lest their condemnation be greater. But have mercy upon these, and grant them grace to repent of their sins and seek their salvation in your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We confess, O Father, that we have all offended Your majesty and deserve Your judgment. We have transgressed in our thoughts, our words, and our deeds. Truly there is no strength in us. Be merciful, O God, and grant us Your pardon. And let us come to the sacrament in the joy of Your forgiving love. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who, with You and the Holy Spirit, the one and only God, lives and reigns forever. Amen.
Formulary
Beloved, hear now the words of the apostle Paul concerning the institution of the Holy Supper:
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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 also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Cor. 11:23–26)
When our Lord said, “Do this in remembrance of me,” He ordained this Holy Supper as a constant memorial and visible proclamation of His death. The apostle Paul also teaches us that “as often as [we] eat this bread and drink the cup, [we] proclaim the Lord’s death.” As we partake, therefore, we bear witness that our Lord Jesus was sent by the Father into the world to take upon Himself our flesh and blood and to bear the wrath of God on the cross for us. We confess that He came to earth to bring us to heaven, that He was condemned to die that we might be pardoned, that He endured the suffering and death of the cross that we might live through Him, and that He was once forsaken by God that we might forever be accepted by Him.
The sacrament thus confirms us in God’s abiding love and covenant faithfulness, sealing to our hearts the promises of His gracious covenant and assuring us that we belong to His covenant family. Let us then be persuaded as we eat and drink that God will always love us and accept us as His children for the sake of His Son.
Our Lord also promises that as we “eat this bread and drink the cup,” we are fed with His crucified body and shed blood. To do this, He gives us His life-giving Spirit, through whom the body and blood of our Lord become the life-giving nourishment of our souls. Thus He unites us with Himself and so imparts the precious benefits of His sacrifice to all who partake in faith.
As a means of grace, this meal also unites us with one another in the bond of the Spirit, as the apostle says: “We who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:17). Thus, even as He unites us with Himself, He strengthens the bond of communion between us, His children.
Finally, the remembrance of our Lord’s death revives in us the hope of His return. Since He commanded us to do this “until he comes,” the Lord assures us that He will come again to take us to Himself. As we commune with Him now under the veil of these earthly elements, we are assured that we shall behold Him face-to-face and rejoice in the glory of His appearing.
Our Lord Jesus will surely do what He has promised. Let us draw near to His Table, then, believing that He will strengthen us in faith, unite us in love, and establish us more firmly in the hope of His coming.
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Rev. 1:5–6).
Prayer
Let us pray:
Almighty God, with one accord we give You thanks for all the blessings of Your grace, but most of all we thank You for the unspeakable gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. We most humbly thank You that Your Son came to us in human form, that He lived a perfect life on earth, that He died for us on the cross, and that He arose victoriously from the dead. We bless you for the gift of Your Holy Spirit, for the gospel of reconciliation, for the church universal, for the ministry and the sacraments of the church, and for the blessed hope of everlasting life. We pray, gracious Father, that You would grant us Your Holy Spirit, that through this sacrament our souls may truly be fed with the crucified body and shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Grant us the full assurance of Your grace as we draw near to Your Holy Table, filling our hearts with humble gratitude for Your mercies. Unite us more fully with our blessed Lord, and so also with one another. Enable us, in newness of life, to pledge ourselves in service to Christ and all your children. And lift our hearts to You, that in all the troubles and sorrows of this life we may persevere in the living hope of the coming of our Savior in glory. Answer us, O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray, saying:
Congregation:
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
If the Table needs to be prepared, an appropriate hymn may be sung.
Apostles’ Creed
As we draw near to the Table of our Lord, let us confess our Christian faith:
Congregation:
I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there he shall come to judge the living 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.
Words of Promise
Having approached the Table, the minister shall say:
Beloved, hear these gracious words of promise spoken by our Lord:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matt. 11:28–29)
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.… Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” (John 6:35, 37)
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matt. 5:6)
Then the minister says:
Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, let us lift up our hearts to the Lord; let us lift them up to the God of our salvation.
Or:
Minister: Lift up your hearts!
Congregation: We lift them up to the Lord.
Communion
As he breaks the bread, the minister shall say:
“The Lord Jesus on the night when 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’?” (1 Cor. 11:23–24).
At the eating of the bread, the minister shall say:
Take, eat, remember, and believe that the body of our Lord Jesus Christ was given for the complete forgiveness of all our sins.
As he takes the cup, the minister shall say:
“And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’?” (Matt. 26:27–28).
At the drinking of the wine, the minister shall say:
Take, drink, remember, and believe that the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ was shed for the complete forgiveness of all our sins.
Thanksgiving
The minister and congregation may read the following psalm responsively:
Minister: Bless the Lord, O my soul,
Congregation: And all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Minister: Bless the Lord, O my soul,
Congregation: And forget not all his benefits,
Minister: Who forgives all your iniquity,
Congregation: Who heals all your diseases,
Minister: Who redeems your life from the pit,
Congregation: Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
Minister: Who satisfies you with good,
Congregation: So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s (Ps. 103:1–5).
Minister:
Let us pray:
Almighty God, we give You our most humble and hearty thanks that of Your great mercy You have given us Your Son to be our Savior from sin and to be our constant source of faith, hope, and love. We bless You for permitting us to show forth His death and to receive the communion of His body and blood through the holy sacrament. We praise You for uniting us more fully with the body of Christ, and for assuring us that we are heirs of Your heavenly kingdom. Grant that our commemoration of His death may tend to the daily confirming of our faith, the establishment of our hope, and the strengthening of our love. Enable us henceforth to live always for our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us. Amen.