Communion
Example Communion Ceremony
Communion Ceremony Instructions
Communion Facilitator Order of Events
9:30-9:45 am: Please check-in at the sound booth and ask for the Communion Microphone. The sound technician may want to test your mic. Please be willing to follow their leadership if they request a mic test. Thanks!
10:00 am: Beginning of service, be in Theater 9 prepared to take the stage at the established time with communion elements.
Order of Service: Please see Planning Center Services of where we have placed communion time exactly but we typically place it after the second song. You may also check in with the worship leader that day when you arrive as well.
Feel free to walk up onto the stage as they are finishing up that song. The worship leader will know why you have come up but he will not feel pressure to end abruptly. We will be looking for a smooth transition.
As communion facilitator we ask that you come prepared to…..
- Give a small devotional/scripture verses.
- Tell them that anyone who knows Jesus may participate in communion; they do not need to be a member of Lifeway.
- Give instructions of how to open the communion containers.
- Explain elements and what they represent.
- Pray and take communion elements.
Please limit the entire ceremony time to 7 minutes (you can time this by looking at the clock at the back of the theater when you walk up).
After communion is finished, please inform everyone that the Ushers will pass the buckets around to collect trash.
Thank you for serving your Lifeway Family in this way!
Example Communion Ceremony Script
This is an example Communion Service that you can use as an outline to prepare your thoughts. Feel free to modify it for your purposes, but please do not leave out any essential details.
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“Good morning, everyone! Welcome to Lifeway Church! This morning we are celebrating Communion.
During this time, we remember that Jesus Christ gave His life for our sins on a crucifix for our forgiveness, our redemption, and our reconciliation into a good relationship with God. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, we invite you to join us today as we express our faith in Jesus Christ no matter what your Christian tradition is. If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, simply let the communion elements pass by while the ushers are handing them out and know that we are glad to have you with us today whether you are a believer or an unbeliever.
Introduce Elements & Demonstrate how to open.
- Bend tab down.
- It will leave a foil tab for you to peel back. Go ahead and do that now while holding it carefully so as not to spill it.
Devotional
I want to share a few thoughts from a passage of Scripture before we take the communion elements:
John 6:51–58 | “’I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ 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. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.’”
- Why does Jesus compare Himself to bread? Why food?
- “Digesting being one with Christ.” We quite literally sustain our lives by what we eat. Jesus is comparing the abiding relationship we have with food, with the one we need with Him. “You are what you eat.”
Take the Elements:
- At the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread and broke it and said, “Take, eat. This is my body broken for you. As often as you take it, remember Me.” Please eat the bread at this time.
- Then again on that same night, Jesus took the wine and blessed it, then said, “Take, drink. This is the cup of the New Covenant in my blood. As often as you drink it, remember Me.” Please drink the juice at this time.
- Pray with thanksgiving for what Christ has done.
Give Final Instructions:
The Ushers will now collect your empty containers. Let’s continue to worship God!”