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| The
Holy Communion
The
Offertory and Anthem
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The service of the
word is now concluded and the service of the table
begins. The pulpit symbolizes Christ’s presence in
his Word. The altar symbolizes Christ’s presence in
his sacrament. The Holy Communion typically begins with
an Offertory Sentence in which the Celebrant invites the
people to present their offerings. The people’s
offerings include their money and gifts to support the
church and its mission as well as the bread and wine for
the communion feast. The offertory is how we present the
fruits of our labor to God. |
| The
Great Thanksgiving
The
people remain standing. The Celebrant, whether bishop or
priest,faces them and sings or says
The Lord be with
you.
People
And also with you.
Celebrant
Lift up your hearts.
People
We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant
Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God.
People
It is right to give him
thanks and praise.
Then, facing the Holy
Table, the Celebrant proceeds
It is right, and a
good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give
thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and
earth.
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Every culture shares
some form of a common meal. The common meal is an
opportunity for fellowship, story sharing and
thanksgiving. People eat together, sharing food and
stories with another, and through this sharing they are
bound closer together into family, clan, tribe,
community, or church.
The
Holy Eucharist is the common meal of the Christian
community. It is known as Holy Communion, the Lord’s
Supper, and Eucharist. The word ‘eucharist’ is
from the Greek word for ‘thanksgiving.’
The Great Thanksgiving begins with
prayers similar to the Jewish prayers used at their
sacred meals. The oldest of the common fixed elements of
the prayer come from Jewish liturgical tradition. The
Jewish prayer begins with the bidding to stand,
"Lift up your hearts," and
includes the request to pray in the people’s name
"Let us give thanks to the Lord our God."
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| Here a
Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on
other occasions as appointed. |
One difference between
the Eastern and Western liturgies is the use of proper
prefaces in the West. The proper preface is a means to
emphasize the seasons of the Church year or a particular
occasion without changing the Eucharistic prayer. |
| Therefore
we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and
Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for
ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Celebrant and People
Holy, holy, holy
Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full
of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
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Next, in the praise of
God the congregation shares the song of the angels and
the whole company of heaven. The Sanctus, "Holy, holy, holy," is the song of the seraphim in
Isaiah’s account of his vision of the Lord (Isaiah
6). The Jewish synagogue used the Sanctus and it
became a fixed part of the Christian liturgy as early as
the 4th century. The Apostolic Constitution
(c.380) is the first liturgical work to contain the Benedictus
qui venit, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord." It is
associated with Christ’s entry into Jerusalem on
Palm Sunday. We will now sing the Sanctus and the Benedictus
qui venit. |
| The people
stand or kneel. Then
the Celebrant continues
Holy and gracious
Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself;
and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to
evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ,
your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to
live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the
God and Father of all.
He stretched out his
arms upon the cross, and offered himself in obedience to
your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
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What follows is the
beginning of the prayer of consecration. The celebrant
tells the narrative of Jesus’ saving work on the
cross and his last meal with his disciples.
It was the custom in the early Church and
remains so in the Eastern Church to stand during the
Eucharistic Prayer. In fact, in 325 the Council of Nicea
decided to forbid kneeling on Sundays. In the Middle
Ages, only the priests partook of the Eucharistic meal
and the people began the practice of kneeling during the
Eucharistic prayer in adoration of Christ’s presence
in the sacrament. Prayer Books until 1979 assumed the
people would stand, although they often did not. The 1979
Prayer Book gives the option of standing or kneeling.
Standing symbolizes standing with the risen Lord and
kneeling symbolizes reverence to the present Lord.
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| At the
following words concerning the bread, the Celebrant is to
hold it or lay a hand upon it; and at the words
concerning the cup, to hold or place a hand upon the cup
and any other vessel containing wine to be consecrated.
On the night he was handed
over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took
bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat:
This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the
remembrance of me." After supper he took the cup of
wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them,
and said, "Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood
of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do
this for the remembrance of me."
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The Holy Eucharist
meal consists of bread and wine. Bread is basic to life
and symbolizes the fruit of the earth. It also symbolizes
our labor in the effort it takes to grow and harvest the
grain, to make flour, and to bake bread. We work to put
"bread on the table." Bread is a symbol of
fellowship; the word ‘companion’ means one with
whom you share bread. Bread is essential to human life
and in Hebrew, the words for ‘bread’ and
‘life’ sound almost identical.
Wine also symbolizes the fruit of the earth
and it symbolizes our labor in growing grapes and making
wine. Whereas bread symbolizes survival, a food necessary
to stay alive, wine is associated with joy, fellowship,
laughter, refreshment, and relaxation.
However, it was in the upper room,
on the night that Jesus was betrayed, that he added to
the Jewish blessings these words: "This is my
body" and "This is my blood." This added a
new dimension to the ancient Hebrew rite of table
blessing.
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| Celebrant Therefore we proclaim the
mystery of faith:
Celebrant
and People
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come
again.
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The Memorial
Acclamation – "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again" - gives the people
the opportunity to say what they believe. |
| The
Celebrant continues
We celebrate the memorial of our
redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and
ascension, we offer you these gifts.
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The next prayer
combines the prayers remembrance (Anamnesis) and
offering (Oblation) of our gifts. The prayer of
remembering is basic to Jewish-Christian tradition. It
helps us remember what God has done for us before we even
ask. It helps us to know who we are, to whom we belong,
and where we are headed. A Christian is one for whom the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is remembered and
for whom through Christ’s death and resurrection we
have already entered the Kingdom of God. |
| Sanctify
them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body
and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and
unending life in him. |
The Prayer of
Invocation (Epiclesis) calls upon the Holy Spirit
to sanctify the bread and wine that it may become the
body and blood of everlasting life. |
| Sanctify
us also that we may faithfully receive this holy
Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace;
and at the last day bring us with all your saints into
the joy of your eternal kingdom. |
The Prayer of
Supplication follows and it requests various blessings
and intercessions of the Holy Spirit. Prayers for unity
of the church, peace, and other blessings were in the
earliest Eucharistic rites. |
| All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ. By him, and
with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all
honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for
ever. |
Next is the Doxology.
The Doxology concludes this series of prayers in the name
of the Trinity. |
| AMEN.
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The
"people’s AMEN" or "great AMEN" is first recorded by Justin
Martyr in the 2nd century. In saying the AMEN, the people affirm and assent to the previous
prayers of the Anamnesis, Oblation, Epiclesis,
Supplication, and Doxology. Now let us join
in the AMEN. |
| People and
Celebrant
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 this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the
kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.
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People and
Celebrant
Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom
come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our
daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who
sin against us.
Save us from the
time of trial, and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the
power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
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About A.D. 400 the
Lord’s Prayer was included in the Eucharist as
preparation to receiving the consecrated bread and wine.
The early Church fathers associated "daily
bread" with the Eucharist meal. Jesus taught the
Church the Lord’s Prayer and the Church has said it
ever since. We often think of
the Lord’s Prayer version on the left in our Prayer
Book as the traditional version. However, the version on
the right is actually slightly closer to the original
text of the Greek New Testaments.
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| The
Breaking of the Bread
The Celebrant breaks the
consecrated Bread.
A period of silence is
kept.
Then may be sung or said
Alleluia. Christ our
Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us
keep the feast. Alleluia.
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The practical purpose
of breaking the bread is to prepare it for serving to the
people. Symbolically the bread is broken, as
Christ’s body is broken. During the breaking,
silence is kept. To emphasize the solemn and penitential
character of Lent, the Alleluia is omitted during Lent. |
| Facing the
people, the Celebrant says the following Invitation
The Gifts of God for the
People of God.
and may add
Take them in
remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in
your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
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The ministration of
Communion now begins with the celebrant inviting everyone
to partake in the Gifts of God. Only in the Middle Ages
did the custom of kneeling to receive communion begin. In
the early centuries, apparently those administering the
communion moved among the people. The custom of the
"communion rail" did not become popular until
the 18th century. In the 4th
century, Cyril of Jerusalem taught to "make your
left hand a throne to receive a king." We still
teach that today. The 1979 Prayer Book is the first
Prayer Book to "legalize" receiving by dipping
the bread in the wine (intinction). |
| The Bread
and the Cup are given to the communicants with these
words The
Body (Blood) of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you in
everlasting life. [Amen.]
or with these words
The Body of Christ,
the bread of heaven. [Amen.]
The Blood of Christ,
the cup of salvation. [Amen.]
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From the earliest
times, the words the "Body of Christ" and
"Blood of Christ," are spoken as the communion
meal is distributed. These are called the Words of
Administration and they constitute a confession of faith
to which the recipient answers "Amen" as an
assent. |
| During the
ministration of Communion, hymns, psalms, or anthems may
be sung. |
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| In the
name of the Church of the Resurrection, we send you out
bearing these holy gifts, that those to whom you go may share with us in the communion of Christ’s body and
blood. We who are many are one body, because we share in
one bread, one cup. |
It is the tradition at
the Church of the Resurrection to send forth our
Eucharistic Ministers with prayer. |
| After
Communion, the Celebrant says
Let us pray.
Celebrant and People
Eternal God,
heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as
living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and
you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of
his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace,
and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you
with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
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The post-communion
prayer was included in the liturgy in the 4th
century after Constantine legalized Christianity and
congregations began to gather in larger spaces. Until the
4th century, people would leave the assembly
as soon as they received. The Thanksgiving prayer reminds
people of what they have received. |
| The Bishop
when present, or the Priest, may bless the people.
Celebrant: The peace
of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts
and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his
son Jesus Christ our Lord. And the blessing of God
Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be
among you and remain with you always.
Amen
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In 1548, the people
departed with this blessing: "The peace of God which
passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in
the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord." In 1549, the following was added:
"And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost, be amongst you and remain with
you always." |
| Recessional with hymn |
In contemporary
custom, the choir, those assisting at the altar, and the
priest process from the church with a hymn. |
| The Deacon,
or the Celebrant, dismisses them with these words
Let us go forth in the name
of Christ.
People
Thanks be to God.
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We hope that you have
enjoyed this instructed Eucharist that will enrich your
participation in the central service of our Christian
tradition. The service
concludes with a Dismissal. The
Dismissal dates to the 4th century and sends
us forth, reaching out to our community and the world as
the hands of the Lord. The dismissal will follow the
announcements.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Davies, J.G., edit., The
New Westminster Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship. Philadelphia:
The Westminster Press, 1986
The Episcopal Church, The
Book of Common Prayer, The Seabury Press, 1979.
Galley, Howard E., The
Ceremonies of the Eucharist, A Guide to Celebration, Cambridge,
Mass.: Cowley Publications, 1989.
Haskell, Marilyn L and
Morris, Clayton, As We Gather to Pray, An Episcopal Guide to
Worship. New York: The Church Hymnal Corporation, 1996.
Hatchett, Marion J., Commentary
on the American Prayer Book. San Francisco: Harper Collins,
1995.
Mitchell, Leonel L., Praying
Shapes Believing, A Theological Comentary on the Book of Common
Prayer. Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1985.
Smith, George Wayne, Admirable
Simplicity, Principles of Worship Planning in the Anglican
Tradition. New York: The Church Hymnal Corporation, 1996.
Last Modified on February 6, 2006
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Church
of the Resurrection
