Christian Communion, also known as the Eucharist or the Lord's Supper, is a central sacrament in many Christian traditions. During Communion, Christians partake of bread and wine (or grape juice), symbolizing the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Prayers are an integral part of this sacred ritual. Here are some common Christian Communion prayers:
Common Prayers for Communion
The Great Thanksgiving: This is a traditional Christian Communion prayer often used in liturgical settings, especially in Anglican, Episcopal, and Catholic churches:
"The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise."
The Words of Institution: These are the words of Jesus at the Last Supper, which are often repeated during Communion:
"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me... This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Prayer of Confession: Before partaking in Communion, some traditions offer a prayer of confession and forgiveness:
"Heavenly Father, we confess our sins to you and ask for your forgiveness. Cleanse us and make us worthy to partake in this holy meal. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen."
Prayer of Approach: "Loving God, as we come to your table, we remember the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus Christ. May this bread and wine be for us a means of grace, drawing us closer to you and to one another. In His name, we pray. Amen."
Thanksgiving Prayer: "We thank you, Lord, for this precious gift of Communion. As we partake of the bread and wine, may we be filled with your love and grace, and may we be strengthened to go forth and share your light with the world."
Prayer of Dedication: "Gracious God, we dedicate ourselves to you as we partake in this Communion. Use us for your purposes, and may this sacred meal empower us to live as your faithful disciples."
Meaning of Communion: The Lord's Supper
The Lord's Supper is also called "the Lord's table" (1 Corinthians 10:21), "communion," "cup of blessing" (1 Corinthians 10:16), and "breaking of bread" ( Acts 2:42 ).
In the early Church, it was also called the "eucharist," or giving of thanks (Matthew 26:27), and generally by the Latin Church, "mass," a name derived from the formula of dismission. The account of when Jesus instituted this ordinance of communion is given in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:19-20, and 1 Corinthians 11:24-26.
Jesus told us why we honor communion when He instated it. He said, “Do this… in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:25).
When we take communion, we are remembering Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The bread and wine are tangible, visible reminders of Christ’s love. Rather than simply saying “remember,” Jesus gave us a reminder. Just as we depend on food and drink to live physically, we can only live spiritually through Christ.
Communion is a time of just that: communing. It is a chance to bring ourselves before the Lord and partake in the life He has given us through His death and resurrection.
What Is the Purpose of Communion?
- To commemorate the death of Christ: "Do this in remembrance of me."
- To signify, seal, and apply to believers all the benefits of the new covenant. In this ordinance, Christ ratifies his promises to his people, and they, on their part, solemnly consecrate themselves to him and to his entire service.
- To be a badge of the Christian profession.
- To indicate and to promote the communion of believers with Christ.
- To represent the mutual communion of believers with each other.
The elements used to represent Christ's body and blood are bread and wine. The kind of bread, whether leavened or unleavened, is not specified. Christ used unleavened bread simply because it was at that moment on the paschal table. Wine, and no other liquid, is to be used (Matthew 26:26-29). This is a permanent ordinance in the Church of Christ and is to be observed "till he comes" again. Adapted from Easton's Bible Dictionary ~ Excerpt from Crosswalk.com
How Catholics View Communion
EWTN.com provides a Catholic overview of the "Holy Eucharist":
The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament and a sacrifice. In the Holy Eucharist, under the appearance of bread and wine, the Lord Christ is contained, offered, and received.
- The whole of Christ is really, truly, and substantially present in the Holy Eucharist. We use the words "really, truly, and substantially" to describe Christ's presence in the Holy Eucharist in order to distinguish Our Lord's teaching from that of mere men who falsely teach that the Holy Eucharist is only a sign or figure of Christ, or that He is present only by His power.
- All Christians, with but few minor exceptions, held the true doctrine of the Real Presence from the time of Christ until the Protestant Revolution in the sixteenth century.
- The word "Eucharist" means "Thanksgiving."
Prayers for Communion
Prayer for Communion
O Lord God, heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for your grace that through your Son Jesus Christ, you established this supper in which we eat His body and drink His blood.
By your Holy Spirit, help us to use this gift worthily, to confess and forsake our sins, to confidently believe that we are forgiven through Christ, and to grow in faith and love day by day until we come at last to the joy of eternal salvation, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen. (Source: Veit Dietrich, 1506-1549)
Holy Communion Prayer
We thank you, our Father, for that life which you have made known to us by Jesus your Son, by whom you made all things, and take care of the whole world. You sent him to become man for our salvation. You allowed him to suffer and to die. You raised him up, glorified him, and have set him at your right hand, and in Him, you have promised us the resurrection of the dead.
O Lord Almighty, eternal God, gather together your Church from the ends of the earth into your kingdom, as grain was once scattered and now has become one loaf. Our Father, we also thank you for the precious blood of Jesus Christ, which was shed for us and His precious body, as Himself appointed us “to proclaim his death.”
For through Him, glory is to be given to you forever. Amen.
Source: Apostolic Constitutions
Prayer Before Communion
Lord Jesus Christ, our only comfort, our hope, our righteousness, our strength and sure defense, kindle in our hearts a desire, hunger and thirst for the eternal food of the soul, your true body and blood, that we may gladly and frequently receive the sacrament, knowing our sins, but relying on you to strengthen and assure us until life’s journey ends and we come to you in our heavenly homeland to see you face to face and dwell with you through all eternity. (Wilhelm Loehe)
Prayers for after Communion
1. O Lord Jesus Christ, you have richly fed and refreshed my soul. Help me to love you with all my heart, truly believe in you, and live according to your will. Finally, grant me a blessed and joyful end that I may live and remain with you forever. Amen (Source: Pomeranian Agenda)
2. Dear Lord Jesus Christ, thanks and praise to you. Again you fed me at your holy table with your own body and blood. By your Word and Supper, may I be led from this world of sorrow into life eternal. Amen.
Source: Modified from Evangelical Lutheran Hymnal
Confession before Communion
I, a poor sinner, confess to God that I have sinned much against all the commandments of God in my thoughts, words, and actions, that I am sinful by nature, born in sin, and am condemned under God’s wrath and worthy of eternal death. My heart is troubled, and I am sorry that I have angered God, my Lord, and I humbly pray that God would forgive all my sins for the sake of his dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Forgive me by his grace, and renew my heart with His Holy Spirit. Since you have the command from our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive all those who are repentant of their sins, so I ask you through Christ that you would instruct and comfort me with God’s Word and pronounce the forgiveness of sins in his name, that I may receive the body and blood of Jesus Christ for the strengthening of my faith, and that I may better my life with God’s help.
Bible Verses about Communion
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. ~ 1 Corinthians 11:26
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.” 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. ~ Matthew 26:26-28
The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ~ Acts 2:42
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. ~ Luke 22:19-20
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 Corinthians 11:24
Prayers used from acollectionofprayers.com
Images from Unsplash.com
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