What is the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion?

What is the Lord’s Supper or Holy Communion?

Holy Communion (or simply ‘Communion’, meaning “sharing in common”) or the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Jesus Christ during his Last Supper. Giving his disciples bread and wine during the Passover meal, Jesus commanded his followers to “do this in memory of me” while referring to the bread as “my body” and the wine as “my blood”. Christians remember Christ’s sacrifice of himself on the cross. The Last Supper appears in all three Synoptic Gospels: Mark 14:22-25, Matthew 26:26-29 and Luke 22:13-20. It also is found in 1 Cor. 11:17-34, where Paul the Apostle calls it the Lord’s Supper.

Can I Participate?

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) practice open communion. The invitation to receive communion is an invitation to Christ’s table. It is open to all who believe in Jesus Christ.

What Can I Expect?

In Disciples churches, The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is celebrated in weekly worship, preferring to have the elements distributed throughout the congregation by the elders and deacons and more in the style of a shared meal. It is also becoming common to receive the elements by intinction (receiving a piece of consecrated bread or wafer, dipping it in the blessed wine, and consuming it). Wine and grape juice are both used, depending on the congregation.