The Table Wk Five // Communion
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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.” 25 In 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.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1 Cor 11:23-26
Begin with prayer (5 minutes)
Gather together as a community in a comfortable setting (around a table, on the couch, the floor of the living room, etc.) Have somebody lead a prayer asking the Holy Spirit to guide your time together.
Spend a Little Time in Triads (15 minutes)
If you are a community of seven or more, divided into small groups of 3-4 people each.
Spend a few minutes catching up on life…Then talk through the following debrief questions
Did you listen to the teaching? What did you think?
How was last weeks practice for you (Eating and drinking with the family of God)
Did anything surprising happen as you
Transition Back to One Large Group (15-20 minutes)
Have a conversation around the following questions:
What is participating in the Lord’s Supper (communion, eucharist) like for you?
What do you hope to receive at the Lord’s Table?
What is it like to participate in the Lord’s Supper at a church where the custom is different from your own?
Talk About the Coming Week’s Practice as a Community (10-30 minutes)
Eating your meal as communion
The basic idea this week is very simple: repurpose your meal together tonight (and in the future as well) as communion. There is no rule book in scripture on how to practice communion, we have a lot of freedom. Here are some best practices, or suggestions, to guide your time together.
Have somebody play the role of host at the table.
The leader calls the community to repent of any sin toward God and each other and reconcile any relational tension before they come to the table. You could have the group pray a prepared liturgy together, take a moment in silence to repent, or have one person lead a prayer of repentance.
Have a person in the group read a Bible passage about the Lord’s Supper: Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:14-23; or 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.
A pray of thanks begins the meal, and a pray of invitation to the Spirit to make his presence known. You might try a prayer of thanks or blessing to end the meal as well.
As you eat the meal, you eat with joy and gratitude and attempt to be present to the Spirit of Jesus, and each other (put away your phone, stop worrying about your to-do list, focus on God and the person across the table).
In your meal planning, it’s ideal if the meal includes some kind of bread, and pairs with wine or non-alcoholic juice.
There can be much beauty, sincerity, and honesty in both spontaneous prayers as well as pre-written prayers. You might find that people in your group tend naturally towards one or the other. might be meaningful in your time together around the table. Written and spontaneous prayers can be paired together to set the table for a moving and beautiful time together in God’s presence. If you would like to try a more liturgical responsive prayer we have two selections below that
Prayer Before or After a Meal (from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals). One person can lead the prayer, while all join in to read the words in bold.
Lord God, Creator of all,
in your wisdom,
You have bound as together so that we must depend on others
for the food we eat,
the resources we use,
The gifts of your creation that bring life, health, and joy.
Creator God, we give thanks.
Holy be the hands that sew our clothes so that we do not have to go naked;
sacred be the hands that build our homes so that we do not have to be cold,
blessed be the hands that work the land so that we do not have to go hungry.
Creator God, we give thanks.
Holy be the feet of all who labor so that we might have rest;
sacred be the feet of all who run swiftly to stand with the oppressed;
blessed be the feet of all whose bodies are too broken or weary to stand.
Creator God, we give thanks.
Holy be the sound of children laughing to take away our sorrow;
sacred be the sound of water falling to take away our thirst;
blessed be the sound of your people singing to heal our troubled hearts.
Creator God, we give thanks.
Holy be the bodies of those who know hunger;
sacred be the bodies of those who are broken;
blessed be the bodies of those who suffer.
In your mercy and grace,
soften our callous hearts and
fill us with gratitude for all the gifts you have given us.
In your love,
break down the walls that separate us
and guide us along your path of peace,
that we might humbly worship you in Spirit and in truth.
Amen.
Prayer for Communion/Eucharist (from Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals)
Celebrant:
The table of bread is now to be made ready.
It is the table of company with Jesus,
and all who love him.
It is the table of sharing with the poor of the world,
with whom Jesus identified himself.
It is the table of communion with all of creation,
in which Christ became incarnate.
So come to this table,
you who have much faith
and you who would like to have more;
you who have been here often
and you who have not been for a long time;
you who have tried to follow Jesus,
and you who have failed;
come.
It is Christ who invites us to meet him here.
All:
Loving God,
through your goodness
we have this bread and wine/grape juice to offer,
which has come forth from the earth
and human hands have made.
May we know your presence
in the sharing,
so that we may know your touch
and presence in all things.
We celebrate the life that Jesus has shared
among his community through the centuries,
and shares with us now.
Made one in Christ
and one with each other,
we offer these gifts and with them ourselves,
a single, living act of praise.
Amen
Spend some time as a community dreaming up ideas for how you can repurpose your weekly meal as communion.
Work Through These Discussion Questions (10-15 minutes)
Do you have any thoughts, creative ideas, or feedback on this coming week’s Practice?
Did tonights meal feel any different?
Where you able to attend to Jesus’ presence at the table? To each other?
