CHAPTER VIII.B

B. The Sacrament of The Lord's Supper

1. General
Having given His children eternal life based upon the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, God offers continual spiritual nourishment to them and sustains them in the fellowship of the body of Christ in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
The session shall determine how often the opportunity to partake of this Sacrament may be provided in each congregation. It is fitting that it be observed frequently and regularly enough that it is seen as a proper part of, and not an addition to, the worship of God by His people.
The Table is none other than Christ's Table. He invites those who put their trust in Him to share in the feast which He has prepared.
The Words of Institution set forth the Sacrament as originating in Christ's command, and make plain that those worshipping do so in obedience to His will. Hereby they participate in the continuing history of the people of God until Christ comes again.
The participation of the entire congregation in the service - in the singing of Psalms and hymns, the offering of prayers, and the reception of the elements - demonstrates that God has redeemed a people, and that individuals come to the Table as members of a corporate fellowship. Although it is not essential to the Lord's Supper, there is a solemnity and sweetness and sacredness in gathering around the table as our Lord and His disciples did and as our fathers did.
The prayers and responses witnessing to the communion of saints testify that this fellowship includes all the faithful everywhere, both in heaven and on earth, and not simply those visibly assembled.
The invoking of the Holy Spirit signifies that what takes place in the Sacrament is not of man's doing, but is done by the grace of God.
The breaking of the bread and the pouring of the cup show forth that Christ gave His own body to be broken and His life's blood to be poured out on man's behalf, in His offering of Himself on the cross.
The distribution and partaking of the elements show forth the reality of the believers' union with Christ through faith, and their willingness that His presence should abide in them.
The promise of Christ's presence in the midst of those who receive this Sacrament witnesses to the reality of His resurrection from the dead and is a foretaste of eternal fellowship with Him.
The prayers of thanksgiving, the singing of Psalms and hymns, and the believers' offering of themselves show forth the response in praise and self-giving which is required of those who receive such gifts as are here set forth.
Let no one presume that words can exhaust the meaning of the Sacrament, but let each one search in the light of the Word of God for such further truth as God may be pleased to reveal to him.
Since the Sacrament is an action in which the whole Church participates and is part of the public witness of the Church to the power of the Word, it is normally to be celebrated as the culmination of the public worship of God, and shall not be isolated from the acts of worship which precede and follow it.
While the Sacrament witnesses primarily to the power of God's love for the sinner in the death and resurrection of His Son and the promise of His grace to all who believe, it provides also a means whereby His children, in public reception of the elements and in response to the great gifts of God conveyed by them, can show forth their faith in God by offering themselves to Him in love and praise.
Since no one can come to the Lord's Table as a worthy recipient of God's gifts, but must trust utterly that God in His graciousness will welcome those who acknowledge and repent their unworthiness, participation in the Sacrament is to be understood as a privilege given to the repentant undeserving rather than a right conferred upon the worthy. Since this Sacrament is offered out of the fullness of God's love, it is to be received in joyful gratitude that the power of the Gospel extends to God's undeserving children, and thereby unites them all in a common dependence upon Him.

2. The Nature of the Sacrament
The Sacrament is more than a memorial or reminder of God's love in Christ. It is a means of grace, appointed by Christ, in which believers are united with their crucified and risen Lord, whose spiritual presence is found in and conveyed through this sacrament, when it is received in faith.

3. Administering the Sacrament
The Sacrament of the Lord's Supper should be administered as part of the public worship of God, that it may show forth and convey to all the people of the congregation the graciousness and power of God. It should be preceded by the reading and preaching of the Word, during which the people may prepare themselves to receive and appropriate the Word of God offered to them in the Sacrament, that the sacramental Word may be shown forth in full unity with the written and preached Word.
An invitation to partake shall be extended to all who confess their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. The service shall follow the New Testament pattern in which appropriate Words of Institution are read after the Table has been prepared.
a. "The Lord Jesus...took bread...in the same manner also the cup." Recalling that the Lord Jesus took bread and later the cup, the minister and those assisting him, shall proceed to make ready the Lord's Table.
b. "When He had given thanks..." After the Table has been prepared and the Words of the Institution have been read, the minister shall duly consecrate the elements in both kinds and shall lead the people in a prayer of thanksgiving, which shall include a solemn and joyous remembrance of Christ ("This do in remembrance of Me"), and a petition invoking the Holy Spirit that this Sacrament be no less than an act of God Himself, Who in His freedom chooses this manner of ministering to believers beyond all that they can ask or think.
c. "He broke it..." The breaking of bread signifies the cost of man's redemption; that is, the breaking of the Body of the Son of God upon the cross. The cup signifies the shedding of Christ's blood on man's behalf.
d. "Eat this bread and drink this cup..." The minister and such persons as are assisting him, who will themselves partake, shall distribute the elements to all assembled, who respond to the invitation.
After the distribution and partaking of the elements, the service may continue with prayers which include thanks to God for his great gifts received in the Sacrament. Reverent disposition shall be made of the unused elements.

The Sacrament, being an act of the whole Church, is ordinarily to be celebrated with the participation of the full congregation. There may be occasions, however, when the session or other judicatory is persuaded of sufficient reason for its celebration at other times or places. Such celebration should be understood, not as a private ceremony, but as a part of the public worship of the whole people of God, and if possible, there should be present at the celebration officers and other members of the congregation in addition to the minister, to show forth the communal nature of the Sacrament.