Worship

Going Out After Communion

The final part of the Eucharist, from after receiving holy communion to everyone going their separate ways, has very little text, and yet is hugely important in shaping the community of faith and enabling worshipers as witnesses for Christ in the world.

After Reception of Holy Communion

There is potential for this part of worship to be a time deeply valued by those present, help yourself and others by remaining quiet and prayerful until the ministers are ready to conclude the service.

The Ablutions and the Celebrant

At the end of the distribution we need to clear away the vessels and any unconsumed bread and wine. It is not necessary for this to be done immediately, or in full view of everybody, or by the celebrant. There is after all little dignity, and can be significant disruption to the flow of the service, if it take place at a nave altar. Some other possibilities might be:

  • to remove the communion vessels to a side table, for consumption of the elements either immediately or after the service;
  • to cover the remaining elements with a white linen cloth for consumption after the service;
  • to delegate the ablutions to someone other than the celebrant;

Whatever is done, the celebrant can be freed to return to the celebrant’s chair, sit and ‘lead’ a period of quiet devotion.

Prayer after Communion

The prayer after communion enables us to say ‘thank you’, to offer ourselves, and to seek empowerment by the Holy Spirit. There can be one or two prayers, said by the celebrant or by the whole assembly. This is our response to God’s gift in communion.

The Order of the Dismissal

Order One provides the following order: hymn, blessing, dismissal, depart. While this order works well, it is not the only possibility. The hymn is of course optional, as is the blessing, though the occasions for omitting the latter may be rare. Other optional possibilities and the notices may need a place here as well. An alternative might be: Blessing, notices, hymn, dismissal, depart.

The milling about, the things to be done, and the leaving

A church which has a buzz about it will have, at its principal Sunday gathering, a lot more happening than is contained in the liturgical celebration itself. These other elements of the meeting of the church on Sunday are worth careful consideration, from the point of view of how they relate to the liturgical celebration and where and how they happen in the context of the premises.

This consideration will take account of the perspective of the visitor, the person who has come alone and may be shy, as well as the perspective of the key and confident members of the church.