THE COMMUNION SERVICE

The Communion Supper is not a celebration for only specially selected people. The Communion Supper reminds us that it is by going to Calvary—the cross of Christ—that we discover and understand Jesus’ love for us. He says, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (John 12:32, RSV).

“Christ has instituted this service that it may speak to our senses of the love of God that has been expressed in our behalf. There can be no union between our souls and God except through Christ . . . And nothing less than the death of Christ could make His love efficacious for us.”

“Unseen messengers are present at the Lord's Supper; both holy angels to strengthen us, and messengers from the prince of darkness to try to divert our attention, to turn our thinking from the solemnity of the occasion. So reverent and meaningful is the service that we feel deeply Christ's presence, hear His still small voice speaking to us, feel the Holy Spirit working on our hearts, thus Satan's angels can have no influence on us.”

As we gather in front of His emblems—emblems of His dignity—our hearts have an extra reason to be won over by His love, as the centurion was won at the foot of the cross (Mark 15:39). We do not have to think about ourselves—about our unworthiness—but of Jesus: “The Communion service was not to be a season of sorrowing a time to remember our sins or past religious experiences. The preparatory service is the time for this. . . . As the Lord’s disciples gather about His table, they are not to remember and lament their shortcomings. They are not to dwell upon their past religious experience, whether that experience has been elevating or depressing . . . Now they come to meet with Christ.

After Jesus finished this act of service, He said, "'Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you'" (verses 14, 15). The idea contained in the practice of foot washing, which many still practice as Jesus explicitly told us to, is not simply to come to Him to receive deliverance but to turn around and serve others so that they, too, can be delivered from the selfishness we are all prone to. We come to our Master's table to receive a feast of love, where God communicates His plan for us through food, and then challenges us to turn and sacrifice for others.

Ultimately, what God really wants us to learn from the Lord's Supper and foot washing is to bring the lessons of these rituals into our daily lives. The Lord’s Supper symbolizes our acceptance of the body and blood of Jesus, spilled and broken for us. By searching our hearts and washing one another’s feet, we remember Jesus’ humble example of service.

The Lord's Supper is a participation in the emblems of the body (symbolic and not actual body) and blood of Jesus as an expression of faith in Him, our Lord and Saviour. In this experience of communion, Christ is present to meet and strengthen His people. As we partake, we joyfully proclaim the Lord's death and resurrection until He comes again.

Preparation for the Supper includes self-examination, repentance, and confession.

Jesus ordained the service of foot washing to signify renewed cleansing, to express a willingness to serve one another in Christlike humility, and to unite our hearts in love.

“The self-examination, the confession of sin, the reconciling of differences, has all been done. Now they come to meet with Christ. They are not to stand in the shadow of the cross, but in its saving light. . . . With hearts cleansed by Christ's most precious blood, in full consciousness of His presence, although unseen, they are to hear His words, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you."

“Communion services should be as refreshing rain, bathing us with renewed spiritual strength. They should put a song of praise and thanksgiving upon our lips, and point forward to that wonderful day when we will hold Communion in heaven with our resurrected Lord.”

THE COMMUNION SERVICE IS OPEN TO ALL

The communion service is open to all believers in God. (1 Cor. 10:16, 17; 11:23-30; Matt. 26:17-30; Rev. 3:20; John 6:48-63; 13:1-17.). The Seventh-day Adventists practice communion four times a year. Other churches more, and still others every week.

The communion is an open service (available to members and non-members who feel the need to express their love and desired commitment to God) and includes a foot-washing ceremony (commonly referred to as the Ordinance of Humility) and consumption of the Lord's Supper.

The Communion Service is a moment for leaders of the church to minister to their congregants – members and visitors – as they are lead to reflect on the great sacrifice Christ made to redeem mankind from the destructive clutches of sin.

It is a moment for all to realize that although our sins may be like scarlet, the sacrifice of Christ, once we accept His forgiveness, will make us whiter than snow; that is we are forgiven.

““Christ’s example forbids exclusiveness at the Lord’s Supper. It is true that open sin excludes the guilty. This the Holy Spirit plainly teaches. 1 Cor. 5:11. But beyond this none are to pass judgment. God has not left it with men to say who shall present themselves on these occasions. For who can read the heart? Who can distinguish the tares from the wheat? ‘Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.’ For ‘whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.’ ‘He that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.’ 1 Cor. 11:28, 27, 29. . . . There may come into the company persons who are not in heart servants of truth and holiness, but who may wish to take part in the service. They should not be forbidden. There are witnesses present who were present when Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and of Judas. More than human eyes beheld the scene.”—DA 656.

EVERY MEMBER SHOULD ATTEND THE SERVICE:

“None should exclude themselves from the Communion because some who are unworthy may be present. Every disciple is called upon to participate publicly, and thus bear witness that he accepts Christ as a personal Savior. It is at these, His own appointments, that Christ meets His people, and energizes them by His presence. Hearts and hands that are unworthy may even administer the ordinance, yet Christ is there to minister to His children. All who come with their faith fixed upon Him will be greatly blessed. All who neglect these seasons of divine privilege will suffer loss. Of them it may appropriately be said, ‘Ye are not all clean.’ ” DA 656.

WHO MAY CONDUCT THE COMMUNION SERVICE?:

“The communion service is to be conducted by an ordained/commissioned pastor or an ordained elder. Deacons or deaconesses are not permitted to conduct the service.

WHAT ABOUT COMMUNION FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT ATTEND?

“If members are ill or cannot for other reasons attend the communion service, the pastor or elder, possibly accompanied and assisted by a deacon or deaconess, may conduct a special service in their homes.”

THE COMMUNION SERVICE IS A LONG WORSHIP SERVICE AND NOT RUSHED!

The communion is incorporated into the regular worship order of our Sabbath services with a few differences. For starters, the pastor will deliver a sermonette instead of a sermon after which the congregation will separate to the fellowship hall for the first activity, that of the foot washing service.

Children and those not participating will remain in the sanctuary reverently awaiting the return of those who left for the foot washing. 

During the communion service, you will notice a covered table situated on the main floor in front of the pulpit. It contains the “bread and wine” which will be served later during the service.

“In dress, as in all things else, it is our privilege to honor our Creator. He desires our clothing to be not only neat and healthful, but appropriate and becoming. 

We should seek to make the best of our appearance. In the tabernacle service God specified every detail concerning the garments of those who ministered before Him. Thus we are taught that He has a preference in regard to the dress of those who serve Him. Very specific were the directions given in regard to Aaron's robes, for his dress was symbolic. So the dress of Christ's followers should be symbolic. In all things we are to be representatives of Him. Our appearance in every respect should be characterized by neatness, modesty, and purity.” CCh 180.1-2.

The subject of dress is no trivial matter. “Our words, our actions, and our dress are daily, living preachers, gathering with Christ, or scattering abroad. This is no trivial matter, to be passed off with a jest. The subject of dress demands serious reflection and much prayer. Many unbelievers have felt that they were not doing right in permitting themselves to be slaves of fashion; but when they see some who make a high profession of godliness dressing as worldlings dress, enjoying frivolous society, they decide that there can be no wrong in such a course.” Testimonies for the Church 4:641.

Let us learn a lesson from government leaders, premieres, presidents, and the like. When they attend any function or speak on behalf of their countries, it is in dark clothing with men wearing white shirts for the most part. Dark clothing could consist of navy blue or even brown in some places.

With this understanding, in the church, the deacons are dressed in black suits and black ties, wearing white gloves, and deaconesses in white wearing white gloves.

The dress of the Pastor could be a dark robe, or black suit, and black or white tie like the elders.

Remember, whether out of the pulpit or in, your appearance matters. “The work in which we are engaged is a responsible and exalted work. Those who minister in Word and doctrine should themselves be patterns of good works. They should be examples in holiness, cleanliness, and order. The appearance of the servant of God, out of the pulpit and in, should be that of a living preacher. He can accomplish far more by his godly example than by merely preaching in the desk, while his influence out of the desk is not worthy of imitation. Those who labor in this cause are bearing to the world the most elevated truth that was ever committed to mortals.” Testimonies for the Church 1:446.

Did you know that your clothes preach to people? “Carefulness in dress is an important item. There has been a lack here with ministers who believe present truth. The dress of some has been even untidy. Not only has there been a lack of taste and order in arranging the dress in a becoming manner upon the person, and in having the color suitable and becoming for a minister of Christ, but the apparel of some has been even slovenly. Some ministers wear a vest of a light color, while their pants are dark, or a dark vest and light pants, with no taste or orderly arrangement of the dress upon the person when they come before the people. These things are preaching to the people. The minister gives them an example of order, and sets before them the propriety of neatness and taste in their apparel, or he gives them lessons in slackness and lack of taste which they will be in danger of following.” Testimonies for the Church 2:610.

Did you know that ministers who negligent their apparel wound those of refined sensibilities? “A minister who is negligent in his apparel often wounds those of good taste and refined sensibilities. Those who are faulty in this respect should correct their errors and be more circumspect. The loss of some souls at last will be traced to the untidiness of the minister. The first appearance affected the people unfavorably because they could not in any way link his appearance with the truths he presented. His dress was against him; and the impression given was that the people whom he represented were a careless set who cared nothing about their dress, and his hearers did not want anything to do with such a class of people.” Selected Messages 3:251.

 

Inappropriate dress can destroy the influence of those who minister, be they pastor or elder: “Some who minister in sacred things so arrange their dress upon their persons that, to some extent at least, it destroys the influence of their labor. There is an apparent lack of taste in color and neatness of fit. What is the impression given by such a manner of dress? It is that the work in which they are engaged is considered no more sacred or elevated than common labor, as plowing in the field. The minister by his example brings down sacred things upon a level with common things. The influence of such preachers is not pleasing to God.” Selected Messages 3:251.

 

MUSIC AND THE COMMUNION SERVICE:

The music selected for this service should reflect the occasion for this day. This is not a regular service, or a praise and worship service, but the Communion Service.

 

CONDUCTING THE COMMUNION SERVICE AND THE LENGTH OF THE SERVICE:

Time is not the most significant factor in the communion service. However, attendance can be improved and the spiritual impact increased by (1) eliminating extraneous items from the worship service on this high day, (2) avoiding delays before and after foot-washing, and (3) having the deaconesses arrange the emblems on the communion table well beforehand.

 

PRELIMINARIES AND THE SERVICE:

The introductory portion of the service should be brief, including only short announcements, a hymn, prayer, offering, and a short sermon.

After the sermonette, the pastor will dismiss the congregation for the foot-washing service (ordinance of humility).

Foot-washing takes place in the fellowship hall, which is divided separately for males and females participation (a woman washes the feet of another woman and a man washes the feet of another man). During the foot washing, two individuals will partner and serve each other by the washing each other’s feet, following the example of Jesus when He stooped to wash His disciple’s feet.

Once all partners have completed the foot-washing, the men and women, separately, will gather in a circle for a short moment of encouragement and prayer thereafter, they leave to re-enter the sanctuary. Quiet decorum is encouraged during this time as each person contemplates the meaning of Christ’s example.

 

ODER OF THE COMMUNION SERVICE:

1.    The worship resumes in the sanctuary after the foot-washing. The pastor often makes several remarks related to the homily prior to inviting the congregation to partake in the emblems of communion.

2.   The pastor and elders rise from their seats and a scripture is read.

3.   A prayer is offered by either the pastor or an elder for God's blessing on the bread.

4.   The pastor or elder calls the deacons.

5.   The deacons distribute the emblem to the congregation and then return to the front.

6.   The pastor indicates for the deacons to sit.

7.    A prayer is offered by either a pastor or an elder for God's blessing on the wine.

8.   The pastor or elder calls the deacons.

9.   The deacons distribute the emblem to the congregation and then return to the front.

10.                   The pastor indicates for the deacons to sit.

 

Note, the elders participating will distribute the bread and juice, at separate moments to deacons and deaconesses only, or anyone who has been overlooked.

After partaking of the emblems, the empty cups are placed in the slots provided in the pew directly ahead of the congregant. All cups are collected and disposed of at the end of the service by deacons.

A welfare offering is collected at this point in the communion service. This is a special offering taken only at Communion used to assist those who suffer financial emergencies due to loss of work, illness, or other unexpected economic setbacks.

The congregation will sing a hymn just as Jesus did with His disciples.

Thereafter the closing prayer is offered and the congregation will then be ushered out.

MAKING OF THE COMMUNION BREAD:

Only the finest ingredients should be used. Scriptures tell us that the bread used in the feast of the Passover and that used in the Lord's Supper was unleavened. The grain was ground entire, white bread now in common use being but a modern invention. Christ is the great Life-giver, but white bread, depended upon exclusively for food, cannot sustain life. Exodus 29:40 and Leviticus 2:1 give special directions as to the ingredients that are used in the making of bread for sacramental purposes "fine flour," "mingled with . . . beaten oil."

A good recipe for making communion bread is given below:

1 cup fine-ground flour (preferably whole grain)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cold water

1/4 cup olive or other vegetable oil

“Sift the flour and salt together. Pour the water into the oil, but do not stir. Add to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until all the flour is dampened. Roll out between two sheets of waxed paper to the thickness of thick pie pastry. Place on an ungreased, floured baking sheet, and mark off with a sharp knife into bite-sized squares, being careful to prick each square to prevent blistering. Bake at 450 for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch carefully during the last five minutes so that the bread will not burn. This recipe will be sufficient to serve about fifty persons.” --Manual for Ministers (1964 ed.), p. 95.

 

COMMUNION WINE:

Wine used for communion services must be the best quality grape juice. The juice of raisins may be used if it is impossible to obtain grape juice.

Lastly, any communion service that is not done in according to God’s will, is not blessed by Him. Because it has been hi-jacked by evil men and Satan!

“Angels declare that Jesus, the Redeemer of this world, is holy. Likewise, the symbols representing His body and His blood are holy. Since the Lord Himself selected the deeply meaningful symbols of the unleavened bread and unfermented fruit of the vine and used the simplest of means for washing the disciples’ feet, there should be great reluctance to introduce alternative symbols and means, except under emergency conditions, lest the original significance of the service be lost. Likewise in the order of service and the traditional roles played by the pastor, elders, deacons, and deaconesses, there should be caution lest substitution and innovation tend to make common that which is sacred. The service of the Lord’s Supper is just as holy today as it was when instituted by Jesus Christ. Jesus is still present when this sacred ordinance is celebrated. “It is at these, His own appointments, that Christ meets His people, and energizes them by His presence.”—DA 656.

 

A PROCLAMATION OF THE SECOND COMING:

“The Communion service points to Christ’s second coming. It was designed to keep this hope vivid in the minds of the disciples. Whenever they met together to commemorate His death, they recounted how ‘he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ In their tribulation they found comfort in the hope of their Lord’s return. Unspeakably precious to them was the thought, ‘As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.’ 1 Cor. 11:26.”—DA 659.