The Practice or Use of the Supper, Remembrance, or Thanksgiving of Christ as it is instituted at Easter in Zurich in the year 1525.

The bishop or pastor turns to the people and prays the following prayer with a loud, distinctive voice: O’ almighty, eternal God, whom all creatures rightly honor, worship, and praise as their maker, creator, and father, grant us poor sinners that we praise you and give you thanks as you have commanded us believers to do with true sincerity and faith in remembrance of your only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through the same Lord Jesus Christ, your son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God eternal. Amen!

The assistant or lector speaks with a loud voice thusly: What we now read is written in the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 11 [1 Corinthians 11:20-29]: “When you come together in one place, you do not eat the Lord’s Supper, for each one eats his own supper beforehand; and one is hungry and another is drunk. Do you not have houses in which you may eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you in this? I do not praise you in this matter. For I received and learned from the Lord that which I also reported to you, namely, that the Lord Jesus, in the same night in which he was betrayed and given into death, took bread; and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same manner he also took the cup after supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, ‘Drink from this all of you. This drink is the new covenant in my blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you should proclaim and highly praise the Lord’s death. Now, whoever eats this bread or drinks from this cup of the Lord but does so in an unworthy manner, that is, not as it is fitting and as one should,becomes guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. Therefore a person should first investigate, admonish, and examine himself, and then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For the one who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, that is, not as is fitting and as one should, eats and drinks judgment and condemnation to himself, because he does not discern the Lord’s body.”

Then the assistants together with the whole congregation say: God be praised.

Now the pastor begins the first verse of the following hymn of praise, and then the people, both men and women, say each verse in the form of a litany: The Pastor: Glory to God in the highest!

The Men: And peace on earth!

The Women: And a right spirit among the people! [Luke 2:14]

The Men: We praise you; we glorify you.

The Women: We beseech you; we worship you.

The Men: We give you thanks for the sake of your great glory and blessing, O’ Lord God, heavenly King, almighty a!

The Women: O’ Lord, you, the only begotten son Jesus Christ; and the Holy Spirit.

The Men: O’ Lord God; you, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who takes away the sin of the world [John 1:29], have mercy on us!

The Women: You who take away the sin of world, hear our prayer!

The Men: You who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

The Women: For you alone are the Holy One.

The Men: You alone are the Lord.

The Women: You are the Most High, O’ Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father.

Men and women: Amen.

Now the Deacon or Lector says: The Lord be with you.

The people answer: And with your spirit.

Then the Lector says: What is hereafter read from the Gospel is written in the sixth chapter of John [John 6:47-63].

The people respond: Thanks be to God.

Then the Lector begins thusly [John 6:47-63]: Truly I say to you, “He who believes and trusts in me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that everyone who eats of it does not die. I am the living bread who came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” However, Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and do not drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. My flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As my living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father’s will, so he who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna and are dead. Whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. However, many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” However, when Jesus knew himself that his disciples complained about this, he said to them, “Does this offend you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

Then the lector kisses the book and says: God be praised and thanked, because according to his holy word he desires to forgive all of our sin.

The people say: Amen!

Then the Pastor begins the Creed: I believe in one God,

The Men: In the Father almighty.

The Women: And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord.

The Men: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

The Women: Was born of the Virgin Mary.

The Men: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

The Women: He descended into hell.

The Men: On the third day he rose from the dead.

The Women: Has ascended into heaven.

The Men: He sits at the right hand of God, the Father almighty.

The Women: Whence he is coming to judge the living and the dead.

The Men: I believe in the Holy Spirit.

The Women: The holy catholic Christian Church, the communion of saints.

The Men: The forgiveness of sins.

The Women: The resurrection of the body.

The Men: And everlasting life.

The Men and Women: Amen.

Then the minister says: Dear brothers, according to the order and institution of our Lord, we want to eat the bread and drink the cup which he has commanded us to use in such a way as a remembrance, praise, and thanksgiving of this, namely, that he has suffered death for us and has shed his blood for the washing away of our sin. Therefore, everyone should remind herself or himself according to the word of Paul, what comfort, faith, and certainty each has in our Lord Jesus Christ so that no one passes herself or himself off as a believer, when she or he is not, and thereby becomes guilty of the death of the Lord. One should also not become guilty of sin against the whole Christian community (which is a body of Christ).

Therefore, kneel and pray: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us our daily bread. Forgive us our debt, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

The people shall say: Amen!

Now the minister continues to pray: O’ Lord, almighty God, through your Holy Spirit you have made us into your united body in the unity of faith, and you have commanded this body to give you praise and thanks for your kindness and for the free gift of giving your only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, into death for our sin. We pray, grant that we do this so faithfully so that we do not provoke the sincere truth to anger with any kind of hypocrisy and deceit. Grant also that we live so innocently and properly as your body, your servants, and your children that unbelievers also learn to know your name and honor. Lord, protect us so that your name and honor are never slandered because of our lives. Lord, everywhere and always increase our faith, that is, our trust in you, who lives and reigns, God eternally! Amen!

How Christ instituted this remembrance. The minister reads the following [cf. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26]: Jesus, in the night in which he was betrayed and given into death, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is my body; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same manner he also took the cup (after supper), gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from this, all of you. This cup is the new covenant in my blood. As often as you do this, do it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you should proclaim and highly praise the Lord’s death.”

Then the ordained ministers carry around the unleavened bread, and each believer takes a bite or a mouthful with his own hand or allows it to be offered by the minister who carries the bread around. And after those with the bread have distributed it so that everyone has eaten a piece, the other ministers follow with the cup and in the same way give each one a drink. All of this happens with such reverence and propriety as is, indeed, proper in the community of God and in Christ’s supper.

After everyone has eaten and drunk, one should give thanks after the example of Christ with Psalm 112 [Psalm 113:1-9], and the shepherd or pastor begins as follows: The Pastor: Give praise, you servants of the Lord; praise the name of the Lord.

The Men: Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time on and forevermore!

The Women: From the rising of the sun to its setting, the Lord’s name is to be praised.

The Men: The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

The Women: Who is like the Lord our God, who dwells on high and can be seen below in heaven and on earth?

The Men: Who raises the simple one out of the mud,

The Women: So that he seats him with the princes, the princes of his people.

The Men: He appoints the barren one of the house to be a mother who experiences joy with children.

Then the pastor says: Lord, we give you thanks for all of your gifts and blessings, who lives and reigns, God forever!

The people answer: Amen!

The Pastor should say: Go in peace!