Introduction
First Communion preparation at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Beatrice, Neb., like in many parishes, typically comes when children are entering fifth grade. They and their parent together gather for their class.
The Gifts of God…for the People of God
God blesses his people with gifts
God calls us to gather together for worship.
He promises to meet us there.
He comes to us in many ways.
He washes us with water in Baptism
and makes us his children
in his name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
He speaks to us in Proclamation
as we hear his Word read from the Scriptures
and listen to the preaching of a pastor.
In Confession, when we tell God about our sins,
the ways we are broken and do what is wrong,
he heals us and forgives us.
In Communion, we gather at his Table for his Meal.
There he feeds us and gives us drink
so we may live as his people.
God gathers us for his Meal
The people of Israel remembered the Exodus,
their freedom from slavery in Egypt.
They celebrated the Passover,
a meal with prayers and stories of God’s mighty acts of power and tender touches of love.
Jesus and his followers, his disciples,
gathered together before he was killed to live out their faith as Jews
by holding the Passover meal, or the Last Supper.
St. Paul and the gospels of the apostles Matthew, Mark, and Luke
tell us what Jesus said and did at this Passover meal:
“For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed
took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and said,
‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying,
‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”
—1 Corinthians 11:23-26, New Revised Standard Version
After God our Father raised Jesus, his Son, from death,
by the power of their Spirit,
Jesus’ growing community of followers began to carry out his command.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
—Acts 2:42, New Revised Standard Version
What is Holy Communion?
Holy Communion is the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
given with bread and wine,
instituted by Christ himself for us to eat and drink.
—Martin Luther’s Small Catechism
What benefits do we receive from this sacrament?
The benefits of this sacrament are pointed out by the words
given and shed for you for the remission of sins.
These words assure us that in the sacrament
we receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
For where there is forgiveness of sins,
there is also life and salvation.
—Martin Luther’s Small Catechism
How can eating and drinking do all this?
It is not eating and drinking that does this,
but the words, given and shed for you for the remission of sins.
These words, along with eating and drinking,
are the main thing in the sacrament.
And whoever believes these words
has exactly what they say, the forgiveness of sins.
—Martin Luther’s Small Catechism
When is a person ready to receive this sacrament?
Fasting and other outward preparations serve a good purpose.
However, that person is well prepared and worthy
who believes these words, given and shed for you for the remission of sins.
But anyone who does not believe these words, or doubts them,
is neither prepared nor worthy,
for the words for you require simply a believing heart.
—Martin Luther’s Small Catechism
God blesses us in the Eucharist
When we eat the bread and drink from the cup, Jesus’ body and blood bless us in many ways.
We receive…
+ Forgiveness of sins
+ Healing and wholeness
+ Strength for daily living
+ Encouragement in difficult times
+ Unity in the Church
+ Communion with the saints
+ Promise of eternal life.
The Church uses special words and items
At home, we drink from a cup. In church, this is sometimes called a chalice.
We often eat food from a plate. In worship, we sometimes call this a paten.
For storage, we sometimes use a box. Wafers are stored in a pyx.
The bread for the Lord’s Supper is sometimes offered as a loaf.
Some congregations use small discs of bread called wafers or hosts.
A common cup is one that everyone shares.
Some congregations serve the blood of Christ in individual cups.
In worship, the Eucharist has four parts
Each time Christians celebrate Holy Communion,
there are four actions…
+ Bringing the offerings of bread and wine to the Table
+ Blessing the gifts by praying for God to receive them and use them
to be for us the body and the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ
+ Breaking the bread so that the people may share in the one body of Christ
+ Sharing the body of Christ in the bread and the blood of Christ in the wine.
All Christians pray together
Whenever we gather at God’s Table,
we share the Father’s gift of his Son,
and by the power of their Holy Spirit, we pray together,
“…to live to the praise of God’s glory
and receive our inheritance with all God’s saints in light.
Amen. Come, Holy Spirit.”
—Lutheran Book of Worship, p. 90.
NOTE: Selected passages come from the New Revised Standard Version of the Holy Bible, Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, and the Lutheran Book of Worship.
Other parts were written and photographed by the Rev. David M. Frye.