Songs for Communion

[WorshipCity]

So I know depending on your denomination or location you may do communion/Lord's Supper/Eucharist/etc. a bit differently. We just made a move to doing communion from monthly to weekly.

So I'm curious, what songs do you play before communion, during communion, after communion, special songs to set it up, congregational songs to sing together?

Some I've done:
Tasting Forgiveness - RSB - "special" song played and sung lightly as congregation is partaking communion
Nothing but the blood - Redman - congregational song before or after
Mighty to Save - Hillsong - congregational song afterwards
Remember Me - Ginny Owens? - "special" song

[Klampert]

I am very excited to hear you are doing communion weekly. I think churches who dont are really missing out...but thats a side note...anyway..
here are a few.

DURING COMMUNION
May the words of my mouth - Tim Hughes
Communion Song - ME. lol...its on the VIRB site
Center - Charlie Hall
Offering - Baloche
How deep the fathers love for us - Townened
We Fall Down - Tomlin
Enough - Tomlin
Above all- Baloche/Leblanc
Amazing Love - Billy Foote
Above all else - Vicky Beeching

AFTER COMMUNION
The Wonder of the Cross - Beeching
In Christ alone -Getty
Everlasting God - Brenton Brown
Shine Jesus Shine - Kendrick (i do this song really slow way up on the neck with a cut capo in G...really revives this one)

[lytesource]

Hey, great topic. The communion service is something our church has been rethinking lately. I don't want to give the impression that the depth of the death of Christ isn't important but sometimes a communion service can feel like a funeral. If you know what I mean. This thought has brought up the question, "shouldn't we also be rejoicing?" And with that question in mind our song choice has changed some. Not necessarily in topic but for sure in mood and attitude. We might use the same songs but the whole perspective has become lighter and with more joy attached to the gratefulness we have toward God for sending His Son.

Here's a short list of songs we have used during various parts of the communion service, apart from the usual suspects.

On the Third Day - Matt Maher
Communion - Todd Agnew
Yes I Will- Bebo Norman
Grace Like Rain - Todd Agnew
King of Glory - Chris Tomlin, Jesse Reeves
Beautiful Wounds - Jan L'Ecuyer
Arms Open Wide - Rita Baloche
The Bread Has Been Broken - Jeff Deyo & Anadara Arnold
Lead Me to Calvary- Don Chapman
Jesus the Righteous One - Danny Donnelly

[Mike Darley]

I recently found an old hymn called Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted. Our last communtion service (we still do our's monthly :(), we did the first three verses, which focus on Christ's death, before we distributed the elements, then the last verse, which discusses what His death accomplished, after we've taken the elements. It actually worked out pretty nicely. If you read the verses online you'll see what I mean. I'd recommend 2 verses, bread, another verse, wine (or juice);), then the last verse.

[Darren]

Here are some of the songs that we've done during communion (which we do weekly):

God and Man at Table Are Sat Down - Rev. R.J. Stamps
Come to the Table - Claire Cloninger
Let Us Break Bread Together on our Knees - Traditional Spiritual
I Am the Bread of Life - Sr. Suzanne Toolan
Remember Me - Gerrit Gustafson
Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross - Fanny Crosby
O Mighty Cross - David Baroni

My favorite song to do, though, is "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence," which is actually a translation of a Communion prayer from about 1700 years ago.

Note: there are some people who have a theological problem with singing songs that are written as if God is the one singing; if anyone in your church has difficulty with that, you might want to avoid "I Am the Bread of Life."

To tell the truth, if it were up to me, I'd opt for either silence or choir songs during communion, so as to give people an opportunity to pray and meditate without being bothered with having to sing. I think I'm in a distinct minority though :)

[Jimmy Purchase]

My church has doesnt really do the regular song and prayer before the bread and juice thing, useually i just strum a little, but sometimes i sing:

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus (traditional style)
Jesus Blood (Delirious)

[El Ben]

At my old church, if anyone even THOUGHT that they saw a communion thingy, they would bust out into the old Hillsong Classic "Jesus, You're All I need."

[fmckinnon]

Darren -

Hey - your last line is great, and maybe you're onto something. Why do we always feel like we "have" to be doing "singing songs". I'm a Worship Leader, but I'm also a very passionate about instrumental music, have recorded 3 albums (instrumental) and only 1 album (live worship) ... and I'm working on instrumental #4.

I think Darren was right on ... maybe sometimes instead of singing ... we should allow folks to receive the elements in silence, or with soft, flowing instrumental music. Encourage our people to come, prepare, receive, and reflect ... with the soft music in the background.

I suspect God would speak to us and reveal Himself to us in ways we couldn't appreciate or hear if we're always communicating back in singing ... and not listening.

[WorshipCity]

Yeah, right on, singing songs doesn't have to happen before/during communion. I'm all for changing things up! Which is why I started this thread. I can do the silent thing and instrumental thing pretty easy but it the times now that I need to play that need some things to change up.

Although the choir thing won't happen! HAHAHAHA. I don't use a choir :)

These ideas have been great everyone! Thanks!

[El Ben]

Fred, I think next time we have communion, I'll just have Quiet Times vol II spinning in the background, lol. I found about fifty of those things in the youth closet the other day.

[fmckinnon]

Ben, that's hilarious! Actually, if they are the real CD .. I need'em! They are out of print.

We had communion today ... during communion we sang:
Knowing You (All I Once Held Dear)
Draw Me Close
Consuming Fire

[El Ben]

I looked again just to make sure. THere's one Quiet Times vol. II and about five "Men of Faith" CDs and another five or six of Kim Marshall's first worship CD.

Okay, so I exaggerated. Sue me. Actually, don't. I've got enough going on right now.

[WorshipCity]

I'm intrigued...what are these "Quiet Times" cds???

[chrismoncus]

I suggest "thank you for loving me", the David Crowder version. Maybe not during communion but as a lead up to it.

[Pjeffro]

I've used Communion by Third Day a few times.

[fmckinnon]

I'm intrigued...what are these "Quiet Times" cds???

Hey -
Way back in the early days, I recorded two albums called "QuietTimes" Keyboard Instrumental and "QuietTimes" Volume 2 (which is keyboard and soprano sax).

They are free-flowing, spontaneous instrumental themes - we literally just sat down and started playing. Granted, I put a good bit of time adding, editing, and post-production, but all-in-all ... thousands of these have been sold and used over the world ...

People play them in their churches for prayer time, meditation, altar ministry. People play them in labor/delivery rooms (no kidding, I get those emails a lot) while they have their children.

many people play them for their kids ... to help them sleep, etc.

The producer in me trembles to ever even copy the master (both are out of print, and all orders these days are either mp3 download or I burn the master onto CD-R) because it was the first 2 albums I'd ever produced. However, I lay my own reputation down (haha) and let them stay around because so many people seem to be blessed by them.

You can hear many of the themes, etc,. on my IndieHeaven (http://www.indieheaven.com/ct/?ad=3&ref_id=72397) site - just click the banner (or this link (http://www.indieheaven.com/ct/?ad=3&ref_id=72397)) below.

Just a few days ago, someone called my office asking for permission to use tracks of "QuietTimes" Volume 4 ... so apparently, although I have copyrights on that name, it doesn't matter - someone else has already ripped it off!

For the Kingdom,
Fred

[Alison]

'Broken Bread and Poured Out Wine' - Drew Cline.

Beautiful Song.

Our church is thinking of making a shift in the area of communion as well...we are making plans to set up communion stations around the auditorium that people can go to any time during the worship on any Sunday and take communion...I know there are a few churches out there that do this, anybody here in one? Would love to hear your experiences and thoughts on it.

[Songbird29]

In our church, I've found if we use recordings, people feel the need to talk over them during the communion. If there is a "live" person singing quietly in front, everyone is much more contemplative.

Songs recently done for communion
Jesus Paid It All
Surrender
Sacred Romance (Micheal W. Smith)
Draw Me Lord (Selah)

[Soli Deo Gloria]

This is great timing 'cause we're planning our Communion Service right now. My list so far includes:

Hallelujah to the Lamb
Shine Jesus Shine
Before The Throne of God Above
There Is Power In The Blood (The old Hymn)
I Come With Joy
Wonderful, Merciful, Savior
The Wonderful Cross

Our Pastor is leading us through the book of Exodus and we're up to the Passover. He thought this would be a great time to have a Communion service. Maybe this is another thread but does anyone have experience with combining items from a Passover or 'Seder' service into communion?? I think it would be a different way of looking at Communion and understand better the roots from which we have come.

Blessings
D J Sebens
Lynden, Wa.

[Mike Darley]

I don't have any experience per se, but I've had some of it explain by a Messianic Jew and it's pretty powerful. From what I remember (and I could be off on some of the details) when Jesus said "this is my body" it was the time of the meal when one of three pieces of bread that were under a napkin was taken out, broken, hidden (apparently it was a game for the kids to find the broken piece) then put back. The symbolism is that Jesus was revealed from the Godhead, broken for us, buried, raised, then returned to the Godhead. The cup was the third of four cups, which was the cup of wrath. This symbolized Christ taking upon Himself the wrath that was to be ours. I would recommend that you should do your reseach so you get all your facts right, then maybe have whoever is overseeing the meal explain it. It can be pretty powerful.

[Soli Deo Gloria]

Steve,
Thanks for your reply,
From what I've researched so far the Seder service is aimed at helping the children understand what is going on and to pass the tradition along. I think maybe we'll use this as a 'children's message' as it was originally conceived.
DJ

[uh-oh16]

Carried to the Table by Leeland is a powerful communion song. The lyrics are based out of 2 Samuel 9...the story about Davids kindness shown to Mephibosheth. It ties in lovely with communion.