About
Communion, Communion Supplies & Protestant Holy Communion
What is
Communion?
Communion
celebrations in Protestant churches are most often held weekly or monthly. The
most common Communion
supplies used for the remembrance of Jesus’ Last Supper with the disciples
are grape juice or wine and unleavened bread. Christian Communion is the sharing
of a meal that remembers Jesus’ sacrifice and celebrates the redemption He gave
to the world through His life, death and resurrection.
Why do we
celebrate Communion?
Christians
believe Christ instructed them to celebrate Communion with these words: "This is
my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." 1 Corinthians
11:24
Sharing juice
or wine in a chalice or in individual Communion cups and breaking unleavened bread
together is a core expression of Christian faith.
Why Unleavened
Bread ?
Unleavened
bread has traditionally been used as part of Christian Holy Communion
celebrations since Christ’s Last Supper with the Apostles. As part of the Jewish
Passover, unleavened bread was a central part of the traditional Jewish holiday
celebrating the liberation of the people of Israel from slavery in
Egypt.
Exodus 12:1-76
describes how, after the Israelites were spared from the tenth plague which
killed all first born in Egypt, they were told to journey to the Promised Land.
In their haste, they took dough with them before it had been leavened. In
commemorating the fact that their first born were spared, or passed over,
unleavened bread became a traditional part of the Passover meal or
“Seder.”
It was Passover
when Jesus sat down with His disciples to share the Last Supper. Unleavened
bread was most certainly part of this meal.
How do
we celebrate Communion?
Communion is
celebrated in many different ways. Many Protestant churches use Communion cups
filled with grape juice, passed or served in round Communion trays made out of brass or silver
metals. A relatively new product, the Prefilled Communion Cup with Wafer is an all in one Communion cup and wafer kit that has
gained favor in recent years thanks to its convenience and healthier qualities.
Prefilled Communion cups
with wafers are an all in one Communion cup with bread-wafer set that keeps the elements safely sealed until it is time to partake,
eliminating extra handling. Still, use of a common Communion cup is the
preference of some churches. In this case a cup or chalice of grape juice or
wine is passed from church member to church member. Is the new all in one Communion cup with bread concept appealing to you and your church? For a limited time you can order free samples from Celebrate Communion!
When a common
Communion cup is used, the faithful either take the bread or Communion wafers
separately, or may dip the bread or wafer into the cup prior to partaking. This
act of dipping unleavened Communion bread or wafers into a
Communion cup is called “intinction.”
What
else is Communion called?
While the
frequency and manner in which Communion is celebrated might vary from church to
church or denomination to denomination, the other terms synonymous with
Communion are generally the same for all Christians. Other terms for Communion
include:
• Holy
Communion
• The Lord’s Supper
• The Eucharist
• Breaking of the
Bread
• Sacrament of the Table
What
does the Bible say about Communion?
While they
were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his
disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave
thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my
blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins." Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV)
While
they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his
disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks
and offered it to them, and they all drank from it. "This is my blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many." Mark 14:22-24 (NIV)
And he took
bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body
given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper
he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is
poured out for you." Luke 22:19-20 (NIV)
Is not the
cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of
Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of
Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all
partake of the one loaf. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (NIV)
And when he
had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do
this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup,
saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink
it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:24-26
(NIV)
Jesus said
to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and
drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John
6:53-54 (NIV)
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