Communion
Communion is one of the most important celebrations of our church and we celebrate it every Sunday.
Unlike Baptism, which is a one time event, Communion is a practice that is meant to be observed over and over throughout the life of a Christian.
We observe Communion because:
For persons who have participated in Communion, the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper in other denominations, Divine Peace’s ritual may appear to be very different to you.
This is what you will see during the process of Communion. First, you will be asked to take a moment to reflect on your own life and ask yourself if there is anything you need to put aside in order to come to communion. Whatever you ask God to remove from you, we believe is removed.
Then you will hear the story retold of how Jesus began communion, when he met with the disciples at the Last Supper. After the story is told, the Bread (normally a flat wafer-like bread, more like a cracker, but any bread may be used) and the Juice (normally grape juice, always non-alcoholic) are blessed. The bread represents the body of Christ broken for us. The juice represents Christ’s blood. Both are stark remembrances of the great sacrifice of Jesus for us.
After this is done, we pronounce out loud what is called ”the Mystery of Our Faith.” Simply stated it is a statement about our beliefs as to Christ. Very often, it will be
Unlike Baptism, which is a one time event, Communion is a practice that is meant to be observed over and over throughout the life of a Christian.
We observe Communion because:
- Jesus told us to. We are to obey His commands.
- In observing Communion we are remembering Christ and all that He has done for us in his life, death and resurrection.
- When observing Communion we take time to examine ourselves.
- In observing Communion we are proclaiming His death until He comes. It is, then, a statement of faith.
- When we observe Communion we show our participation in the body of Christ. His life becomes our life and we become members of each other:
- It is a holy time of worship when we corporately come together as one body to remember and celebrate what Christ did for us.
For persons who have participated in Communion, the Eucharist or the Lord’s Supper in other denominations, Divine Peace’s ritual may appear to be very different to you.
This is what you will see during the process of Communion. First, you will be asked to take a moment to reflect on your own life and ask yourself if there is anything you need to put aside in order to come to communion. Whatever you ask God to remove from you, we believe is removed.
Then you will hear the story retold of how Jesus began communion, when he met with the disciples at the Last Supper. After the story is told, the Bread (normally a flat wafer-like bread, more like a cracker, but any bread may be used) and the Juice (normally grape juice, always non-alcoholic) are blessed. The bread represents the body of Christ broken for us. The juice represents Christ’s blood. Both are stark remembrances of the great sacrifice of Jesus for us.
After this is done, we pronounce out loud what is called ”the Mystery of Our Faith.” Simply stated it is a statement about our beliefs as to Christ. Very often, it will be
“Christ has Died.
Christ has Risen.
And Christ will come again.”
or a similar statement. This very brief announcement tells the important story of Christ’s mission to come to earth, to die, and to be resurrected. It also announces our belief that Christ will return to earth to gather God’s people at a future time.
Finally, you are invited to come forward and take a wafer dipped in the juice. When you do this, you have two choices. You may go to someone who, after giving you the bread and juice, will offer a brief prayer for you to guide you in the coming week. Or you may choose to visit the self-serve communion station, where you can serve yourself by dipping a wafer in the cup. By the way, you will notice that at Divine Peace people often take communion as couples, families, singles or friend groups. There is nothing secret or “mysterious” about it, just unusual, if you haven't seen it before.
We hope you will feel welcome to come to the table, knowing that it is for everyone and is a very special time of love and comfort.
Finally, you are invited to come forward and take a wafer dipped in the juice. When you do this, you have two choices. You may go to someone who, after giving you the bread and juice, will offer a brief prayer for you to guide you in the coming week. Or you may choose to visit the self-serve communion station, where you can serve yourself by dipping a wafer in the cup. By the way, you will notice that at Divine Peace people often take communion as couples, families, singles or friend groups. There is nothing secret or “mysterious” about it, just unusual, if you haven't seen it before.
We hope you will feel welcome to come to the table, knowing that it is for everyone and is a very special time of love and comfort.