Dilworth Lutheran Church Home Communion Celebration
Holy Communion is a special meal we celebrate when we worship. When regular bread and wine meet with Jesus’ promise of forgiveness, the bread and wine are mysteriously the real presence of Jesus Christ. God is with us in communion!
During this time when we cannot be together, you are invited to celebrate Holy Communion at home. After hearing God’s Word in Scripture or preaching, prepare a space with bread and wine or grape juice. Whatever you have will work—remember, it’s not what we do but what God does for us in communion that matters.
Choose one person in your home to lead you:
One: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.
And also with you.
When our congregation gathers for Holy Communion with all the saints from every time and place, we hear again the story of God’s mighty acts and the love shown us in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The holy meal of the Lord’s supper is shared.
Even though we gather separately, for now, we share this bread of life and cup of blessing – gifts that that unite and strengthen the Christian community.
Let us confess our sins, all that we have done to hurt each other and ourselves, in the presence of God and of one another.
(Pause for a moment of reflection.)
One: God of all mercy and consolation, come to the help of your people, turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your Holy Spirit that we may confess our sin, receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
One: God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith.
Amen.
Words of Institution
In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me. For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Communion Distribution Share the bread with each person, saying: “The body of Christ, given for you.”
Then share the wine or grape juice with each person, saying: “The blood of Christ, shed for you.”
Prayer After Communion
Life-giving God, in the mystery of Christ’s resurrection you send light to conquer darkness, water to give new life, and the bread of life to nourish your people and free us from fear. Send us forth as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection, that we may show your glory to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.