The bread, the cup, the covenant · 27 verses
Communion Scriptures: Verses for the Lord's Table
“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
1 Corinthians 11:26
The Table is not a ritual we perform; it is a covenant we remember. Every time the bread is broken and the cup is lifted, heaven and earth agree again on what Calvary settled. These scriptures walk through the whole of it — how the Supper was given, what the bread means, what the cup means, how to examine yourself before you come, and what to declare when you rise from the Table.
Scriptures on the institution of the Lord's Supper
The night it was given. Read these first — they are the ground everything else stands on.
“The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, after supper he took the cup, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.'”
1 Corinthians 11:23-25
“Take and eat; this is my body... Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Matthew 26:26-28
“This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
Luke 22:19-20
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples.”
Mark 14:22-24
“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?”
1 Corinthians 10:16
Scriptures for the bread
His body, broken. Say these as you hold the bread, before you eat.
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 6:35
“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
John 6:51
“He was pierced for our transgressions... and by his wounds we are healed.”
Isaiah 53:5
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.”
1 Peter 2:24
“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10:10
Scriptures for the cup
His blood, poured out. Say these as you lift the cup, before you drink.
“Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”
Hebrews 9:22
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.”
Ephesians 1:7
“The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
1 John 1:7
“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.”
Revelation 12:11
“The God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus.”
Hebrews 13:20-21
“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!”
Romans 5:9
Scriptures for self-examination before communion
Not to make you afraid of the Table, but to bring you to it clean and unhurried.
“Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup.”
1 Corinthians 11:28
“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
“First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.”
Matthew 5:23-24
“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.”
2 Corinthians 13:5
“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings.”
Hebrews 10:22
Scriptures for after the Table
You do not leave the Table the way you came. These are for the rising.
“For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.”
1 Corinthians 11:26
“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him.”
Luke 24:30-31
“They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 2:42
“Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”
Revelation 19:9
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.”
Psalm 23:5
A prayer to pray
Lord Jesus, I come to Your Table not because I am worthy, but because You made me welcome. Thank You for a body broken so that mine could be whole, and for blood poured out so that mine could be clean. Search me now — every hidden thing, every unforgiven grudge, every quiet compromise. I confess it, and I receive Your cleansing. As I take this bread, I take the healing You purchased. As I lift this cup, I take the covenant You sealed. Let me never eat casually or drink carelessly. Let this Table make me tender toward You and toward every person You have placed near me. And until You come, I will keep proclaiming what happened on that hill. In the Mighty Name of Jesus! Amen.
Declarations to speak aloud
- ✦This bread is His body broken for me — I am whole. (1 Corinthians 11:24)
- ✦This cup is the new covenant in His blood — I am forgiven and I am kept. (Luke 22:20)
- ✦The blood of Jesus purifies me from all sin, and no accusation stands. (1 John 1:7)
- ✦I overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony. (Revelation 12:11)
- ✦Every time I come to this Table I proclaim His death until He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:26)
- ✦He prepares a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (Psalm 23:5)
- ✦I am invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. (Revelation 19:9)
How to pray these scriptures
Prepare before you sit
Set out the bread and the cup before you begin, so the moment is not rushed. Silence your phone. Communion asks for a slow room.
Examine, then come
Read the self-examination scriptures first and let the Spirit name anything that needs confessing. Examination is meant to bring you to the Table clean, not to keep you away from it.
Take it weekly
The early church broke bread often, not rarely. The Burning Altar keeps a weekly Lord's Table with a rotating scripture and a guided liturgy — you can set your own Saturday vigil and Sunday hour.