The Lord’s Supper

Frequency. Mercy Hill celebrates the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion, every week. We do this because Jesus emphasizes in his instruction on this matter that it ought to be done frequently:

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26 ESV)

Elements. We also celebrate the Lord’s Supper using wine. Wine is not only what Jesus used, but it also has profound theological meaning in the Bible. We also offer grape juice for those who feel it necessary to abstain from wine for some reason.

Open Communion. We celebrate what is called “open communion.” This means people who aren't part of our church are free to partake of the Lord’s Supper with us, provided that they are baptized believers who are members in good standing with another Bible-believing church that teaches the evangelical gospel.

What We Say. When serving the Supper, the pastor practices something called “fencing” the table. This is a warning to those who are about to partake of the Supper not to “eat or drink in an unworthy manner,” which is what the Apostle Paul does:

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” (1 Corinthians 11:27–28)

In addition to self-examination, however, as an extension of our views of church membership, we believe that the pastors and elders must also exercise a godly, shepherding and leadership role in welcoming or refusing persons to this Holy Meal.

Format. Finally, the format we practice for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is that people come forward as groups of friends or family members to partake. The elements are handed to each participant and they return to their seats. The elements are held in a quiet contemplative manner until all are served, at which point we partake together as a church.

This format emphasizes the importance of a family worshipping together and it helps the little children who are not yet communing members to learn about the Lord’s Supper from a young age. That way, when they are old enough to express their own faith (generally around the ages of 9-11 years old) they may profess faith Christ for themselves and become a full communing member of the church.