Celebrating Communion

A Step-by-Step Guide for Participating in Communion

A Step-by-Step Guide for Participating in Communion

Communion is an opportunity to remember what Jesus has done for us.

Jesus first initiated Communion with his disciples over a Passover meal shortly before his death. His instruction to his followers was to do this act in remembrance of him.

Communion can be celebrated anywhere and as often as we want. Where and when you participate in Communion isn’t what’s most important… it’s why we do it.

The Communion bread and juice represent Jesus’s broken body and shed blood. For followers of Jesus, these elements, the bread and the juice, are reminders that we are forgiven through Jesus’s great sacrifice.

We’ve provided this step-by-step guide to allow you to celebrate Communion on your own, as a family, with friends, or as a Community Group.

Here’s what you will need:

  • A loaf of bread
  • Grape juice in a wide cup or juice glass
  • A Bible
Step 1 (Prior to Communion):

If you plan to do Communion with others, be sure to let them know beforehand. Read and reflect on John 19 and John 20 sometime before taking Communion. Invite those who will be joining you to do the same.

Step 2 (WHEN YOU GATHER FOR COMMUNION):

Read the passages below for context on Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. If possible, have people take turns reading aloud.

Mark 15:21–39

Luke 22:14–20

Step 3:

Take a few moments for each person to reflect silently on what Jesus’s sacrifice means to them. If you are with others, you can give people the opportunity to share what Jesus’s sacrifice means to them.

Step 4:

Before taking the juice and the bread, read 1 Corinthians 11:23–24 aloud.

Step 5:

Break the bread as a symbol of Jesus’s body that was broken for us. If you are with others, have each person take a piece of the bread.

Step 6:

Hold the juice as a symbol of Jesus’s blood that was shed for us. Then read 1 Corinthians 11:25–26 aloud.

Step 7:

Each person should take their piece of bread and dip it in the juice. Those who wish to participate should then eat the bread dipped in juice as a way of remembering the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf.

Step 8:

Conclude this time by praying. We’ve provided a sample prayer if needed:

Heavenly Father, thank you for this opportunity to remember the sacrifice you made for us by sending your son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Amen.