The Flyfords Family

Worship

The Eucharistic Action

One of the fruits of renewal in worship in recent generations has been the rediscovery of the Eucharist as a sacred drama, not simply a set of prayers and readings to be said by the priest with minimal participation by the congregation, but an act of worship in which all participate, in which physical actions play their part a well as more active participation in the sharing of the texts.

The role of the celebrant is a leadership role and is there as a focal point of the service of the Eucharist. The manual acts [hand actions] assist the celebrant in acting in a reverential manner, which does not detract from the act of Holy Communion. The manual acts also help the celebrant to conduct the Eucharist in an orderly manner.

Each priest will develop his or her own personal style to best do this.

The celebrant may genuflect [kneel] when first arriving at the altar, after he or she raises the chalice at the end of the Eucharistic prayer and after he/she has taken communion.

In the Liturgy of the Sacrament the priest and congregation recall and re-enact the events of the Last Supper, not just in word but in deed. The Anglican liturgical scholar, Gregory Dix, in an influential book, The Shape of the Liturgy, suggested that at the heart of the Eucharist was a four-fold action:

• taking bread and wine
• giving thanks over them
• breaking the bread and
• giving the consecrated bread and wine in communion

Taking of the Bread and Wine

In many parishes at the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine are brought to the holy table or altar by representatives of the congregation. At the same time or a little later the financial offerings [the collection] of the people are brought up too. The priest then takes the bread and wine and places them on the altar and may say some prayers at this point, and bless the gifts of money These actions remind us that the bread and wine are symbols of all the gifts of creation that we enjoy, and for which we give thanks to God. With these gifts we also offer our lives to God, in thanksgiving for his graciousness to us, in penitence of our sins and in the hope that they will be transformed by his Holy Spirit.

The priest on our behalf takes these ordinary things [as Jesus did at the Last Supper] so that God may bless them, and make them signs and symbols of the reality of his presence among us.

On reaching the altar the celebrant places the chalice to one side, removes the corporal from the burse and spreads it on the altar. Puts the burse to one side, flat on the altar. The chalice is then placed on the corporal, the veil is removed, folded in thirds and put to one side, then the pall is removed. [A description of these items can be found in the section Altar Linen].

The celebrant receives and prepares enough bread for communion and places them on the paten.

The paten is raised slightly and the bread offered [a silent prayer or one with a response by the people may be said]. The paten is then placed on the corporal.

The wine is received [this may be presented by a deacon or collected by the celebrant]. Wine is poured into the chalice, a little water is received, [or collected] and added to the chalice. Water is added to the wine as it represents the outpouring, suffering and humanity of Christ.

The chalice is raised slightly and the wine offered [a silent prayer or one with a response by the people may be said]. The chalice is then placed on the corporal.

The deacon then washes the celebrant’s hands as a sign of the celebrant asking for forgiveness/cleansing of sins before the Eucharist. The celebrant asks in prayer for forgiveness of sins.

The Eucharistic Prayer

The word Eucharist comes from ancient Greek, the language of the New Testament and many of the early Christian liturgies, and means thanksgiving. The prayer in which the priest and people share is primarily one of thanksgiving to God, though of course it also reminds us of the events of the Last Supper and the words Jesus used, often along with prayer for the needs of the world and those taking part in the celebration of the Eucharist.

The prayer recalls God’s mighty acts in creating the world, redeeming humanity through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the continuing sanctification of his people, as well as remembering the events of the Last Supper.

Having recalled the events of the Last Supper all join in saying the prayer Christ taught his disciples. In the Lord’s Prayer we pray ‘give us this day our daily bread’ anticipating the moment of communion, which gives us deep spiritual nourishment. It also reminds us that we are dependent of God for all our bodily needs. The petition ‘thy kingdom come’ encapsulates the nature of the Eucharist as an event which not only looks back, but looks forward to the consummation of Christ’s saving work.

The Great Thanksgiving Prayer

The great Thanksgiving Prayer stands at the heart of the Eucharist praising God for his mighty acts and recalling the events of the Last Supper. Common Worship Order One provides eight eucharistic prayers. The prayers can be chosen to suit particular occasions, seasons and congregations.

Traditionally the prayer consists of a number of elements, some of which are omitted in certain prayers, or can be placed in a different position.

The priest hold his or her hands in the Orans position when saying a collect or prayer on behalf of the congregation.

Greeting and ‘Sursum Corda’

The eucharistic prayer is a responsive prayer with the celebrant and congregation both involved. It begins with an exchange proclaiming the presence of God:

The Lord be with you
And also with you.
or
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.

Next comes an invitation to let our hearts be lifted to God in praise and adoration and then to give God thanks for his wonderful deeds.

Preface or Proclamation

The prayer continues with a section praising God for his mighty acts. In some prayers this is a general description of his action in creation, redemption and sanctification. In others the standard preface can be replaced with one which is appropriate to the season of the church’s year. There is also, in some prayers, provision for a shorter ‘proper preface’ to be added to the general one provided for the prayer.

Sanctus and Benedictus

In all the prayers, [with one exception when it comes at the end] the Sanctus [Holy, Holy, Holy Lord …] follows, and usually the Benedictus [Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord . . .] though its use is optional. The Sanctus is an ancient hymn of praise derived from Isaiah 6:3 and it unites our worship with that in heaven.

Institution Narrative

This recalls the actions of Christ at the Last Supper and reminds us too that we do all this at his express command, ‘Do this in remembrance of me’. At times in Christian history this narrative has been seen as effecting the consecration of the bread and wine, but more recent thinking based on examination of the practice of the early church sees the whole eucharistic prayer as a unity with no particular moment of consecration.

Anamnesis or Remembrance

Remembrance and making present the reality of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection are at the heart of the eucharistic celebration. After the words of the institution, the blessing of the bread and wine is linked with the saving acts of Christ. The events of the Last Supper and the days that followed are both recalled and their effects made a present reality in the lives of those present at the Eucharist.

Acclamations

In Common Worship, there is a choice of four acclamations in some of the prayers which can be used by the whole congregation, proclaiming the mystery of faith.

Epiclesis or Invocation of the Holy Spirit

Here there is a calling on God, in particular the Holy Spirit, to sanctify both the gifts and those assembled to receive them. Different traditions in the church have placed this invocation either before or after the words of institution, and sometimes the prayers for the outpouring of the Spirit on the elements and the people are separated. The prayers in Order One provide a variety of positions for the epiclesis.

Prayer for fruitful reception

In early traditions this section of the prayer could contain intercessions at some length for various needs, other prayers focus more on the gathering of the communicants into the heavenly kingdom or banquet.

Doxology

The climax of several of the prayers is a prayer relating to the teaching/doctrine of the holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) act of praise ending in an ‘Amen’ in which all are encouraged to join heartily.

Breaking of the Bread

After the Lord’s Prayer has been said or sung the bread is then broken. In some churches this may be a symbolic fraction [or breaking] of one small wafer [a circle of unleavened bread]; in others where a large wafer is used, or an ordinary loaf, the fraction is more extensive. It has a practical purpose in order that people may receive communion, but it also deeply symbolic. The words which are commonly used at this point in the service remind us that ‘we break this bread to share in the Body of Christ’. As Christ’s body was broken on the cross for the life of the world, so the bread which is now the body of Christ is broken so that all may share in the new life he gives.

Giving of Communion

Finally the consecrated bread and wine are shared in holy communion, in imitation of the actions of Jesus and his disciples at the last supper, so that those who receive may draw near in faith to the living Christ who draws them closer to himself.

Rightly many people prepare carefully for this moment of intimacy with the Lord in his sacramental presence, and prepare to receive communion with outward and inward acts of devotion. It is an intensely personal moment but not a private or individual act, for the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup express the truth that our communion is with God, but also through his grace and forgiveness, with each other.

When you come to the communion rail it is customary to kneel. If you are unable to kneel, then please remain standing at the rail to receive communion. If you would like to receive communion but are unable to come to the altar rail, please make this known to the person on the door as you come in. The celebrant will then bring communion to you in the pew. If you wish to receive a blessing but not partake of communion, please come to the communion rail and bring with you your service booklet. This will save you any embarrassment.

That deep sense of communion and the presence of God is then to be expressed as we are sent out into the world, fed and sustained by God, ‘to live and work to his praise and glory’.

Pause for thought

What happens to you when you go up to take communion?
Do you ask Christ for anything when you receive communion
What happens to our community when we have all received communion?