Supplies: Bread, juice, communion cup and plate, candles, table cloths, lighter. You’ll need to have juice and bread consecrated by your pastor, so this might take a little pre-planning. I asked to use the leftovers from the morning’s worship service.
Prepare the room: Find a room that is unfamiliar to the youth, preferably upstairs. set up enough tables to seat all your youth into a U shape. Place tablecloths and candles and blacken any windows best you can. Copy and place Student Guides (below) within eyesight of each youth. Set bread and grape juice on a separate table.
Gather in your regular meeting place.
This morning we celebrated Communion during worship. Lots of times when we take Communion in the sanctuary, it is just a habit, something we do because everyone else does it. I’m hoping though by the end of tonight you’ll have a new understanding of Communion as Jesus Himself explained it.
Read John 6:32-59 (may want to get volunteers to read every few sentences)
Who prepared the meal? John 6:32-35, 50-51
Every meal has to be cooked or prepared by someone. If God cooks, you know it’s gonna be good! Jesus said that God had prepared a kind of bread even better than the manna he gave the Israelites in the desert. God Himself made the preparations and provisions for the Lord’s Supper.
What is being served? John 4:48, 51, 55
Jesus said that the food found at the Master’s table is His own flesh and blood. He was talking about His sacrifice that He was about to make on the cross. This means that Jesus Himself is the bread God sent down from heaven. In verse 55, Jesus describes His sacrifice as “true” food and drink. What do you think that means? It is eternal, it satisfies the soul forever
How do we eat the food? John 6:53-56
If the food is Jesus’ sacrifice, how do we “eat” that? We are not eating real blood and flesh! It means to accept the sacrifice and trust that He did all this for you. We use our hands to eat the bread, but we use our hearts and minds to accept the sacrifice.
What do we get from the meal? John 6:53-58
Usually we eat because we are hungry and need nutrition. Jesus listed these benefits of eating His meal: eternal life, hope of resurrection, unity with Christ (you are what you eat!), and His help to live every day.
Who can take part in the meal? John 6:51, 54, 56
Jesus said that this bread was given to the whole world. The table is open to anyone who willingly comes. However, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:28 that we should confess our sins and cleanse our hearts before we approach the meal. Read 1 Corinthians 11:28-32. Communion is not to be taken lightly!
If you don’t remember anything else…
- We cannot have eternal life without eating and drinking this meal. (remember, we’re not talking about the bread and juice, we’re talking about accepting Christ’s sacrifice)
- Eating this meal unites us with Christ and provides us many benefits
- Taking Communion is a personal act. No one can make you eat or eat in your place. Be sure you are ready and understand what you’re doing before you take Communion.
Worship
Song – Jesus Saves
Song – My Savior My God
Say: Do you remember when Jesus broke the bread and shared the juice with His disciples? It was right before He allowed Himself to be sacrificed on the cross. He took His disciples to an Upper Room (a room upstairs) for a meal that He knew would be His last. We are now going to travel to an Upper Room and have a meal just as Jesus did with His disciples for His Last Supper.
Ask the youth to sing “Sanctuary” as you travel from the meeting place up the stairs to the prepared room.
Traveling Song – Sanctuary
Stop youth and song at the door and ask them to be silent. Ask them to fill every chair at the table. Once they have all been seated begin reading the Communion liturgy.
Leader’s Guide
Welcome to the upper room. On the night before his arrest, Jesus took his disciples to a room that was laid out much like this one to celebrate the Passover. The men would have reclined on the floor and the table would have been much lower, but Communion is a time to put us back in that room to remember what Jesus did that night.
Youth read aloud the words in BOLD.
Remember we are not supposed to take Communion without being forgiven of our sins. That’s why before every service we have a confession. As we read this, I’ll give you a few seconds to pray and really ask God to forgive you.
Confession of Sin
We have not believed you or trusted in your power.
Lord, help our unbelief.
We have stained our souls by what we do and by what we refuse to do.
Cleanse us, Lord.
We are broken by sickness, bruised by the sins of others, weakened and unable to repair ourselves.
Heal us, Lord.
We ignore your call to center our lives in you, and so are deaf to the hopes and cries of the poor, the sick, and the needy.
Help us to hear, Lord.
When we confess our sinful ways, God forgives.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are all forgiven. Glory to God!
Before we receive Communion, we give thanks to God for our forgiveness and give Him praise for what He has done for us and for the forgiveness we’ve just received.
Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to praise You, Lord
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Holy God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
your name is praised among all peoples.
Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
who for ever sing this hymn to the glory of your name:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord,
God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who comes
In the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
You are holy, Almighty One!
Blessed are you, Jesus Christ!
In the power of the Spirit
you created all things, blessed them, and called them good.
You called to yourself a people
to make your mercy and truth known in all the world.
We betrayed your calling;
You were faithful.
We wandered from the way;
You called us to return, and led us home.
And still we turned from your ways, and made ourselves slaves to sin and death.
At the right time
you came and dwelt among us, as one of us,
bringing good news to the poor,
healing the sick, raising the dead,
sharing meals with the sinful,
and teaching the way that leads to life.
By your coming as a baby, life, suffering, execution and resurrection
You gave birth to your church,
delivered us from slavery
and made a new covenant with us
by water and the Spirit.
Now we’re ready to receive the meal. Remember that we talked about this not being important because we’re eating bread and juice, but because it represents that we are accepting Jesus’s sacrifice and believing that He has saved us.
I will tear and hand out the bread and then we will pass the cup to dip it in. This way of taking Communion is called intinction.
Communion
On the night of your betrayal, Lord Jesus,
you took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to your disciples and said,
”This is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
Distribute the bread saying “(Name) This is the body of Christ broken for you for the forgiveness of your sins”
You did the same with the cup after the supper, saying,
”This cup that is poured out is the new covenant in my blood.”
Pass the cup around the table and dip the bread.
Blessed Trinity, in remembrance of all you have done to save us,
we offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Christ has come among us.
Christ has died.
Christ has risen.
Christ lives within us.
Christ will come again.
Prayer
Lord, you now have set us free to go in peace as you have promised.
For our eyes have seen the Savior whom you have prepared for all the world to see!
Blessing and honor and glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen.
Ask youth to stand around the table and join arms. Ask for prayer concerns. Have a youth volunteer lead a prayer and when she is finished, you say:
You have seen the Savior.
Go now in peace, and the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Both One in Three and Three in One,
Goes with you.
Student Guide
Please read aloud the words in BOLD.
Confession of Sin
We have not believed you or trusted in your power.
Lord, help our unbelief.
We have stained our souls by what we do and by what we refuse to do.
Cleanse us, Lord.
We are broken by sickness, bruised by the sins of others, weakened and unable to repair ourselves.
Heal us, Lord.
We ignore your call to center our lives in you, and so are deaf to the hopes and cries of the poor, the sick, and the needy.
Help us to hear, Lord.
When we confess our sinful ways, God forgives.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are all forgiven. Glory to God!
Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
It is right to praise You, Lord
Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with your people on earth
and all the company of heaven
who for ever sing this hymn to the glory of your name:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord,
God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who comes
In the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest!
We betrayed your calling;
You were faithful.
We wandered from the way;
You called us to return, and led us home.
Communion
Blessed Trinity, in remembrance of all you have done to save us,
we offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Christ has come among us.
Christ has died.
Christ has risen.
Christ lives within us.
Christ will come again.
Prayer
Lord, you now have set us free to go in peace as you have promised.
For our eyes have seen the Savior whom you have prepared for all the world to see!
Blessing and honor and glory are yours, now and forever.
Amen.
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