Easter at Home
Celebrate with and for Jesus
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Luke 22:19
Prepare the Bread and the Wine
The elements we use to celebrate the Last Supper with and for our Lord are bread and wine. The bread represents Christ’s body and the wine represents His blood.
The Bread: you can either prepare special leavened or unleavened bread, or you can use what you have available in your home. You can use typical bread or crackers. Remember, as soon as you establish that this is the bread you will use for communion, it becomes special in your heart. No longer is the bread that of “toast” or a “sandwich.” Now it’s representing the body of your Lord Jesus who gave His life for you so you could enter into a full and abiding relationship with God.
If you are sharing the Last Supper with others, plan for how the bread will be consumed. You can either break the bread into bite-sized pieces or allow each participant to break off the bite of bread from the shared portion.
The Wine: You can use wine or juice to represent the blood of Jesus Christ. Again, remember that as soon as you consecrate the liquid for the use of communion, it become special to your heart. The wine or juice becomes sacred for a holy purpose, which is to acknowledge the priceless sacrifice of Jesus as He shed His blood for anyone who believes in Him.
You can serve the wine in single portions by pouring a small amount into small glasses. Or you can use a common cup and each person can take a sip from the cup or chalice.
The Service
Celebrating the Lord’s Supper is a sacred, sober and deeply spiritual experience. However, it’s also very joyful. During the service we reflect on the suffering and death of Jesus Christ. We think about the the sacrifice He gave so we could be reconciled and allowed to enter into a full and beautiful relationship with our Creator and God.
Begin the service with a heartfelt and sincere prayer. Acknowledge the sacrifice of your Lord. And then speak with encouragement for the immeasurable love God has for people throughout the world, including each member celebrating the service with you.
Readings: You can read the passages or ask others with you to share in the readings. Mark each of the chosen readings in your Bible so you can access them easily. Consider reading 1 Corinthians 10:16. Also, 1 Corinthians 11:23-30 and John 6:32-58.
Eating the Bread
Begin this part of communion with reading Matthew 26:26-30 and 1 Corinthians 10:16-17. Keep in mind that the bread represents the body of Christ, the Bread of Life. Because of His body, broken for us, we live. We can abide in Christ. He lives in us. He makes possible our eternal life with Almighty God.
Give thanks for the bread and ask God to bless it as a symbol of Christ’s body given for us. Thank Christ in your own words and allow others to thank Him in their own ways. Then each person consumes the bread.
Drinking the Wine
Read and invite others to read aloud these passages from God’s Word: Matthew 26:27-28, Hebrews 9:11-15, 1 John 1:7, Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:19-22.
Give thanks for the wine, asking God to bless it as a symbol of Christ’s precious blood, shed for the remission of sins. Thank God the Father for the sacrifice of His only Son. Thank Jesus for becoming sin for us so that we could be reconciled with our Father. After the prayers of thanksgiving, each person can drink from the wine.
As you conclude the service, consider reading John 13:18 through John 17 and 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. Finalize your service by reading Psalm 1:1-3.
Consume the remainder of the bread and wine as it’s been blessed by the Father as the symbols of the body and blood of His Son Jesus. Thank each person for their part and honor one another as God’s precious children.