Covenant Memorial
A Fresh Perspective on Real Prescence
A Suggested Covenant Memorial Communion Liturgy
that:
- is evangelical in theological framing (grace-first, cross-centered, Scripture-governed)
- expresses a covenantal memorial / Real Presence theology without metaphysical claims
- borrows structurally (not slavishly) from Anglican liturgy
- incorporates direct Scripture
- includes prayers shaped by the early Church Fathers (especially thanksgiving, participation, and transformation)
- remains pastorally usable in a normal evangelical service
- is a complete service order, with optional notes in italics that may be removed
A Service of Holy Communion
A Covenant Memorial of Christ’s Once-for-All Sacrifice
1. Call to Worship
Leader:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
People:
Amen.
Leader:
Brothers and sisters, we are gathered in the presence of God to remember his mighty acts of salvation, to give thanks for the gift of his Son, and to share together in the Table Christ has given to his Church.
2. Scripture of Invitation
(read slowly)
“The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”
– Psalm 103:8
or
“Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”
– 1 Corinthians 5:7-8
3. Prayer of Adoration and Thanksgiving
Leader:
Let us pray.
All:
Almighty God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we bless You for Your goodness and mercy.
You are the God who remembers his covenant,
who hears the cry of his people,
and who acts to save.
You delivered Israel from bondage
by Your mighty hand and outstretched arm;
and in the fullness of time
You sent Your Son for our salvation,
not because of our righteousness,
but because of Your great love.
We give You thanks, O Lord,
for the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ upon the cross,
by which You have forgiven our sins,
defeated death,
and reconciled us to Yourself.
To You be glory,
with the Son and the Holy Spirit,
now and forever.
Amen.
4. Confession and Assurance
Leader:
As those who have been redeemed by grace, let us come before God with humble hearts, confessing our sins and seeking his mercy.
All:
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against You
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we turn to You in repentance.
For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us and rose again,
forgive us all our sins,
cleanse us by Your Spirit,
and renew us in Your love,
that we may walk in faithfulness before You,
to the glory of Your Name.
Amen.
Leader (Assurance of Grace):
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” – 1 John 1:9
In Christ, our sins are forgiven.
People:
Thanks be to God.
5. Confession of Faith (The Creed)
Leader:
Let us confess together the faith of the Church, into which we have been baptised and by which we come to this Table.
Either: The Apostles’ Creed
All:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
He descended to the dead.
On the third day He rose again;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
Or: The Nicene Creed
All:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through Him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
He came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered death and was buried.
On the third day He rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
6. The Peace
Leader:
Christ has reconciled us to God and to one another.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:
And also with you.
7. The Great Thanksgiving
Leader:
The Lord be with you.
People:
And also with you.
Leader:
Lift up your hearts.
People:
We lift them up to the Lord.
Leader:
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People:
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Leader:
It is truly right and our great joy to give You thanks and praise, holy Father, maker of heaven and earth.
For You are the God who remembers his promises:
You remembered Your covenant with Abraham,
You heard the cry of Your people in Egypt,
and You brought them out by Your mighty power.
Above all, we bless You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ, the true Passover Lamb, who offered himself freely for us, once for all, upon the cross.
By his death he destroyed death,
by his resurrection he brought us eternal life,
and by his Spirit he gathers us into one body.
Therefore, with the saints of every age and the whole company of heaven, we join their song of praise:
All:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of Your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
8. The Lord’s Prayer
Leader:
As those who have been forgiven, reconciled, and gathered into one body, let us pray together the prayer our Lord taught us.
All:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.
9. Prayer of Memorial and Participation
Leader:
Father, as we come to this Table, we remember before You the perfect sacrifice of Your Son, his suffering and death, his glorious resurrection and ascension, and his promise to come again.
We do not repeat his sacrifice, for it was offered once for all; but we remember it in faith, and proclaim it in hope, until he comes.
As we receive this bread and this cup, we ask You to be faithful to Your promise: that as we remember Christ, You would remember Your covenant, and by Your Holy Spirit make us participants in all the benefits of his saving work.
Unite us to Christ and to one another; renew us in love; strengthen us for obedience; and form us more and more into the likeness of Your Son.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
10. The Words of Institution
Leader:
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, 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 also he took the cup, 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
11. Invitation to the Table
Leader:
This is the Table of the Lord. It is not for the perfect, but for those who know their need of grace.
Come, not trusting in your own righteousness, but in Christ alone; come in repentance and faith, to receive what he has promised to give.
12. The Distribution
(during distribution, Scripture may be read softly, e.g. John 6:35; Psalm 34:8)
13. Prayer after Communion
All:
We thank You, heavenly Father, that You have fed us with these holy gifts, and by them assured us of Your love and faithfulness.
Strengthen us by Your Spirit to live as Christ’s body in the world: loving one another, serving the poor, bearing witness to the gospel, and walking in holiness and hope.
May the grace we have received at this Table bear fruit in lives of obedience and joy, to the praise of Your glorious Name.
Amen.
14. Final Blessing
Leader:
“Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will.” – Hebrews 13:20-21
Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
The Liturgy’s Inner Logic
The order has a very strong covenantal arc:
- God acts and invites (Call, Scripture)
- God is praised for covenant faithfulness (Adoration)
- The covenant breach is named and healed (Confession / Assurance)
- The people publicly re-own the covenant faith (Creed)
- Reconciliation is enacted (Peace)
- Thanksgiving and heavenly orientation (Great Thanksgiving)
- Covenant prayer for provision, forgiveness, and deliverance (Lord’s Prayer)
- Memorial appeal + divine remembering (Prayer of Memorial)
- Christ’s own words establish the covenant sign (Institution)
- Gift is received (Distribution)
- Life is sent outward in obedience (Post-Communion Prayer, Blessing)
That sequence is not accidental – it mirrors Exodus to Sinai to covenant renewal, early Christian catechumenal logic, and patristic Eucharistic structure.