An Instructed Eucharist
Designed to be read aloud at the designated points, 
either by the celebrant or by some other designated person.

[First instruction, after any opening remarks of the celebrant and just before the service begins:]

Typically, when Episcopalians gather for public worship on a Sunday, we have a service of Communion, also known as the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.  We do this because it is the clearest, strongest way we know to tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, to maintain our bond with him and with one another, and to offer thanksgiving to God.  

The structure and patterns of Episcopal worship are derived from the earliest surviving texts of ancient Christian gatherings, updated and expanded as times and circumstances have changed.  The words of the Book of Common Prayer express our most deeply held beliefs and allow us to participate as more than just listeners.  

A Eucharistic service has two main parts.  The first part is known as the “Liturgy of the Word.”  The word liturgy means the work of all the people.  In the Liturgy of the Word we gather in God’s name, proclaim and respond to the Word of God, and pray for the world and the church.  We do this, not as a group of spectators watching a group of performers, but as the people of God enacting a ritual together.  As one commentator has put it, whether we talk or not, “we all make the mass”. 

We begin with the gathering rite.  Now that we are assembled in one place, those people who have designated roles in the service enter in procession while we all sing praise to God.  The procession gathers us from our personal prayers or individual contemplation into a community here to sing and pray together.

When all are ready, the minister in charge of the celebration, known as the celebrant or presider, begins a dialogue of praise with the congregation. This includes the opening sentences, the collect for purity in which we ask God to open our hearts for worship, the hymn of praise called the Gloria (Glory to God in the highest), and the prayer (or collect) of the day, that reflects the themes of this particular Sunday.

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[Second instruction, between the Collect (Prayer) for St. Paul’s and the reading of the first lesson:]

As you’ve probably noticed, it is our custom to stand, sit, or kneel at different parts of the service.  Most of these postures are optional, but we find them useful in helping to worship with our bodies and not just our minds.  Typically, we follow the biblical Jewish and Christian traditions of standing to praise God and to pray, sitting in order to listen to readings, and kneeling in order to express penitence or personal devotion.  If you have a physical condition which makes any of these difficult, you are always welcome to adopt a more comfortable position.  

You may also notice that some people engage in various acts of personal devotion, such as bowing or making the sign of the cross.  These also are optional, used by some in order to enhance their individual experience of worship.  You’ll note that altar servers and other who move about the space during liturgy often bow.  They are bowing to the altar as a sign of reverence for the holiness of that place, a custom with origins in Jewish and Christian history.

Now we come to the Bible Readings.  We use a fixed pattern of scripture readings, called a lectionary, that allows us to hear readings from many parts of the Bible within a three-year period.  It has long been a tradition among Christians that lay people read the first lessons.  We all participate in singing or saying the psalm together.  The Psalms are the ancient hymnal of the Jews, and Christians have always continued to use them in our worship.

The final reading at a eucharistic service is always from one of the four gospels.  Christians have long given special importance to the gospels because that is the part of the Bible where we hear directly the words and actions of Jesus.  We express this importance by having an ordained minister do this reading, by bringing the text into the congregation where it can be better heard, and by standing when we listen to it.
 
After the sermon, which is usually based on at least one of the scripture readings, we conclude our response to God’s Word by standing and saying together the Nicene Creed.  The Creed is a statement of the church’s collective beliefs, dating back to the 4th century.  I could speak for an hour about the Creed.  But I won’t.  Here’s just one thing to keep in mind.  It was not a single person’s faith written down for all of us to personally adopt.  The Creed is a holy, but political document written “by committee” – negotiated by various bishops.  When you pray the creed, I encourage you think of it as a helpful gift from ancient people, not an absolute commandment from God.  Much of that wisdom is probably still useful and meaningful.  Some of it perhaps is not.  

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[Third instruction, after the Nicene Creed:]

In the last portion of the Liturgy of the Word, we pray for the church and for the world, and make our final preparation for the Communion part of the service.  Our prayers always include the entire universal Church, the nation, the welfare of the world, the concerns of the local community, those who suffer or are in trouble, and those who have died.  We usually use a pattern of prayer that allows everyone in the congregation to make responses.  When the prayers are concluded, we often say together a general confession of our sins and listen as the celebrant pronounces God’s forgiveness. You’ll notice that in Eastertide we skip the confession -- this is because Easter’s emphasis is on the joy of our Risen Life with God and each other.  Then we are prepared to exchange God’s Peace, in which we briefly greet those nearby in the name of the God.  The ancient custom of passing the Peace expresses our unity in Christ and our readiness to receive Communion.  It marks the end of the Liturgy of the Word.

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[Fourth instruction, after the exchange of the Peace and after any announcements, but before the Offertory:]

We now begin the Liturgy of the Table, or Holy Communion, by accepting the people’s offerings of bread, wine, money, and other gifts.  Either leavened or unleavened bread may be used.  We use actual wine just as Jesus did and as he instructed us to do.  A little water is generally added to reduce the strength of the wine and to symbolize the water that poured out of Jesus’ side after his crucifixion.  We typically use vessels made from precious metals as a way of honoring the importance of communion.  In Lent we use more simple, cereamic vessels to remind us of the need for simplicity and humility in all things.  We use linen cloths on the altar or holy table in ways which are very similar to the way in which you might use linen or other special napkins and tablecloths at a fancy dinner party.  In fact, both scripture and Christian tradition often compare communion to a great heavenly banquet or feast of all the saints – including, of course, each one of us!

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[Fifth instruction, after the altar is completely ready and just before the celebrant begins:]

The word eucharist means to give thanks.  In every communion service Christians tell the story of God’s creation and God’s saving act of redemption by the sending of Jesus.  We focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus which is the heart of the Christian faith.  We listen to his oldest recorded words at the Last Supper with his disciples, in which he commanded us to continue the tradition he was beginning.  You will find the clearest expression of the meaning of communion by listening carefully to this part of the service.

The one who presides at the altar is a person whose personal ministry to leadership within the church community has been recognized by the wider church, which is why he or she must be ordained.  His or her role is to speak aloud words that help guide the personal prayers of everyone in the room, as together we invoke God’s blessing upon the bread and wine.

As the words and action at the altar unfold, they do so according to a four-fold pattern first used by Jesus when he miraculously fed the multitudes with bread and fish, and also used again at the Last Supper.  First he took the bread.  Then he gave thanks over the bread.  He broke the bread, and finally he gave it to the people.  As we involve ourselves in the drama of communion, together we remember what happened in such a vivid way that this memory is brought right back into the present moment.  We don’t just remember as in “recall” Jesus’ last meal with his disciples; we also re-member, as in, “create again” the experience of intimacy with Jesus right here in our own lives.

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[Sixth instruction, after the celebrant has broken the bread and the fraction anthem has been sung, but before the words of invitation:]

Through all of our prayers, we believe that God has now transformed the bread and wine so that Christ is truly present in them.  Together they are an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace – the traditional definition of a sacrament.  When receiving you may either stand or kneel, as the altar ministers bring the bread and wine to you.  At St. Paul’s we remain in place until our entire side of the altar rail has received the bread and wine, as a sign that this heavenly banquet is a communal meal that satisfies our collective spiritual needs to be one people, rather than a private snack meant to nourish just an individual in isolation from the community.

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[Final instruction, after any communion anthem or music is finished, while the last of the altar is being cleared:]

Now we clear the altar in much the same way as you might clear your own table after dinner, removing the dishes and cloths and eating or storing any leftovers.  When we bless bread and wine in church, we treat them with special reverence.  So if there are leftovers, we either keep them in the ambry, a place of respect near the altar, or we return them to earth from which God brought them forth.

Once communion is over, the service should end as quickly as possible.  Having been nourished here, we are prepared to continue our mission and ministry of reconciliation out into the world.  This is why I prefer the standing posture for the prayer after communion – we’re ready to go into the world, so why sit back down?  However, if you prefer one last private moment of devotion, kneeling is also welcome for this prayer.  Each person can choose for themselves.

Finally, there is one last hymn.  Some people call this the Recessional because we move away from the altar.  I prefer to call it the “Procession into the world” because it keeps the focus on what lies ahead of us – the vital ministry we do out in our lives on the days we don’t come to church!  When the hymn is over there is a dismissal in which we are called out of the church to be God’s people beyond these walls, which makes us thankful and joyful so we respond “Thanks be to God!  Alleluia! Alleluia!” 

Copyright © 1997 & 2009, David Bateman.; edited by Rev. Christopher Wendell for use in 2014.
Permission is hereby granted for free use or adaptation within any worship service of a Christian congregation.
Any republication, sale or other use requires permission from the author.
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