Communion at Home

1 Corinthians 11:24

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.

Join us in celebrating, through communion, the fulfillment of the great mystery that salvation and freedom comes from the finished work of what Jesus has done on the cross.

COMMUNION AT HOME

Many of us have traditionally experienced communion in the larger sanctuary setting of our church home during a Sunday gathering. While this is both biblical and beautiful, we can bring this celebration into our homes as well. In fact, when Jesus first modeled communion for us in the Gospels, it was in someone’s home surrounded by his closest friends, the disciples, during the Jewish tradition of Passover. We’ve come to call this night the Last Supper as it was Jesus’ last dinner with His disciples before giving Himself up to be killed on the cross.

The breaking of bread and drinking of wine was a tradition of Passover that the Jewish community did to remember how God brought them out of the slavery of Egypt long ago. Jesus led his disciples in this spiritual practice, but tied it to the greater story of what God was about to do—bringing His followers out of the slavery of sin and death forever through Jesus’ sacrifice of an undeserved death on a cross.

He then encouraged His disciples (and the ones to follow like us) to continue practicing this beautiful moment of remembrance.

Before leading your home in communion, we encourage you to read about that first communion in Matthew 26, Luke 22 and Mark 14.

IDEAS FOR TAKING COMMUNION AT HOME

• If your household isn’t familiar with the meaning of communion, use the Scriptures above to explain how it came about and what it’s for.
• Jesus and His followers used wine and unleavened bread, but you can use whatever you have available. Using juice is a great way to involve children while also being sensitive to anyone who might not drink alcohol. (*If you really want to use unleavened bread, a matzo cracker is a great option. If you can’t find grape juice, another juice will do.) What’s important is focusing on the meaning of this spiritual symbol and using it as a time to direct your heart’s attention.
• Pass around the bread and juice/wine and, as a household, take a few minutes of silence as you eat and drink to meditate on what Jesus has done for you. Ask one person to pray at the end, thanking God for his rescue and Jesus for his sacrifice.
• Another way to do it is to ask one person to pray for the bread and lead the group in the first part of communion. Hold the bread as a symbol of Jesus’ body and read Matthew 26:26 before praying a prayer of thanksgiving.

Matthew 26:26

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.'

Ex: God, thank You for sending Jesus who not only lived for us, but died for us. The Son of God, who came in the body of a man, gave Himself up so we could live! Thank You that His body was raised back to life. Thank You that because of the grace of Jesus we have real life, and we can live forever in You. Amen. 

Then, eat the bread and linger on what you just heard, thanking God for his body and eternal life shared with us.

Next, ask someone to read Matthew 26:27-29 and pray for the juice/wine.

Matthew 26:27-28

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."

Ex: God, what an incredible picture this is of Your love for us. You allowed Your only Son to literally be poured out so that we could be in a fully restored relationship with You. Thank You, Jesus, for giving your blood. Amen. 

Then, drink the juice/wine and linger on what you just heard, thanking God for his blood and love poured out for our forgiveness.

• If you want, you can take time to reflect and share with one another anything one of you felt like God might have been helping you to see or remember while taking communion.