Notes on our Order of Worship
I. Introduction. Holy Eucharist is the central event in historic Christian worship, and the pattern for all Christian life. But there can be times for all of us when the Eucharist is not an inspring worship experience, but boring and repetitious, merely a confusing ritual. Therefore, these notes are intended to clarify what is taking place. The goal is to learn a little more deeply to wait for the One who promised to be with use whenever we gather in his name.
Our service of Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion is the same service that Roman Catholics call the Mass, Protestants call the Lord's Supper, and Eastern Orthodox call the Divine Liturgy. Christians of all traditions follow our Lord's command to gather for this perpetual representation and renewal of his New Covenenat "until he comes again."
This act of worship had its beginnings in the common meals Jesus ate with his disciples, culminating in that Last Supper on the night of his betrayal, when he instituted the Sacrament as a New Passover for his disciples to remember the mighty acts of God that were to take place through him. The service itself falls into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word of God, followed by the Liturgy of Holy Communion. This two-fold division of the service reflects out Christian understanding of how God communicates with us, both through Word and Action. God's Word to us expresses his will for his people, but it is his Action that the Word is sealed and made sure. St. John's Gospel says, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" - this Word of God is not a book, but it is Jesus Christ himself, perfect God incarnate as perfect man. Here and now in our Eucharist, Christ continues to act for his people as he did then, healing and teaching, forgiving sin, setting us free from whatever oppresses us, and reconciling us to the Father, to make us whole and bring us peace.
The Greek word we translate as church (ecclesia) means literally "assembly". The church is a particular assembly of a particular people. As we assemble, we need to establish who we are and why we are here. The gathering ceremonies actually began as we greeted one another out in the parking lot, in the hallways, in the Narthex, and as we took our places in the assembly hall. Now we will formally open our Liturgy.
Our service of Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion is the same service that Roman Catholics call the Mass, Protestants call the Lord's Supper, and Eastern Orthodox call the Divine Liturgy. Christians of all traditions follow our Lord's command to gather for this perpetual representation and renewal of his New Covenenat "until he comes again."
This act of worship had its beginnings in the common meals Jesus ate with his disciples, culminating in that Last Supper on the night of his betrayal, when he instituted the Sacrament as a New Passover for his disciples to remember the mighty acts of God that were to take place through him. The service itself falls into two parts: the Liturgy of the Word of God, followed by the Liturgy of Holy Communion. This two-fold division of the service reflects out Christian understanding of how God communicates with us, both through Word and Action. God's Word to us expresses his will for his people, but it is his Action that the Word is sealed and made sure. St. John's Gospel says, "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" - this Word of God is not a book, but it is Jesus Christ himself, perfect God incarnate as perfect man. Here and now in our Eucharist, Christ continues to act for his people as he did then, healing and teaching, forgiving sin, setting us free from whatever oppresses us, and reconciling us to the Father, to make us whole and bring us peace.
The Greek word we translate as church (ecclesia) means literally "assembly". The church is a particular assembly of a particular people. As we assemble, we need to establish who we are and why we are here. The gathering ceremonies actually began as we greeted one another out in the parking lot, in the hallways, in the Narthex, and as we took our places in the assembly hall. Now we will formally open our Liturgy.
Processional Hymn. A number of things happen during the processional hymn. It is a way for all of the people who will help with the service tome to their places in the church. They process from the back of the building while we all sing a hymn. The text of the hymn is based on upon the theme for the day: the season of the year, a feast day, orf from the scripture lesson that will be read. Thus, the opening hymn sets the tone and the mood of our celebration.
Greeting or The Opening Salutation. The priest takes his place behind the altar. He then gives a greeting to the congregation, who answer his greeting. The greeting changes during the church year, reflecting our purpose in this gathering.
During the salutation the Celebrant leads the people in making the sign of the cross. This signing symbolizes two beliefs central to Christianity: God is one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and we are his people, saved in, with and through Christ. Our signing ourselves with the cross proclaims our belonging to Christ and our faith in Christ as the way to share in the life of God and the way to establish a true human community in earth, the kingdmn of God.
During the salutation the Celebrant leads the people in making the sign of the cross. This signing symbolizes two beliefs central to Christianity: God is one, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and we are his people, saved in, with and through Christ. Our signing ourselves with the cross proclaims our belonging to Christ and our faith in Christ as the way to share in the life of God and the way to establish a true human community in earth, the kingdmn of God.
The Collect For Purity. This opening prayer "collects" and expresses our desire to properly offer out worship to God.
The Gloria. Based upon an ancient hymn of praise from the 4th century, the Gloria is full of joy and life. It's theme is the reconciliation of God and humankind in peace and love.
II. The Liturgy of the Word. Having completed the first part of our worship, we are ready to move into the Liturgy of the Word, readings from the scriptures and our responses to them. The collection of books called "scripture" is not merely a book of past facts, but the focal point of an event: God entering our lives today. The aim of the Liturgy of the Word is to proclaim the word of God and to elicit a response of faith from the people, for by responding to the spoken word we respond to Christ.
The Collect of the Day. The fist part of the Liturgy of the Word is this prayer, which focuses on the content of the scripture lessons we shall hear. Different collects are appointed for each Sunday and Holy Day.
The Reading from the Old Testament. From the earliest days, the Church has believed in the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. Both focus on the kingdom of God - the reign of God active in the world which will be fully realized at the end of time. The connection between the Old and New Testaments is so close that we cannot fully understand the New Testament presentation of Jesus unless we reflect first upon the Old. The Old Testament reading is an essential component of the Liturgy of the Word.
The Reading from the Psalms. The Book of Psalms is one of the more important books in the Old Testament and was quoted often by Jesus. Probably the first Christian congregations sang hymns from the Psalter in their public services. Psalms were sung also for private religious edification. This practice follows the example given by the services in the Jerusalem temple, where the Levites sang every week from the Book of Psalms. Traditionally interpreted, the Psalms are held to cover the whole range of relations between God and man.
The Reading from the New Testament. This reading is often from a part of a letter written to the early Christian communities, or to individual persons, in order to strengthen their faith, to instruct, to guide, to admnish. or correct errors. This reading perfoms a similar function today, moving us to deepen our appreciation of the mystery of Christ.
The Gradual Hymn. Sung before and after the Gospel reading, those in the Gospel procession are accompanied by our voices as we prepare for this reading through music.
The Reading from the Gospel. At this point in the service we stand, as we do when an important person comes into a room. In this way we acknowledge the precence of Christ in his Holy Word. The Bible is carried to the middle of the church as a symbol of the centrality of the life and teachings of Jesus to our gathering. Three signs of the cross are made as the Gospel is announced, traced upon the forehead, lips and heart by everyone in the assembly, so that the words we are about to hear may be found "in our minds, on our lips, and in our hearts". The Gospel, a reading from one of the four accounts of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, is the focal point of the Liturgy of the Word. Here is the Good News of Jesus Christ - the incredible story upon which we base our lives. It's reading attended by all the solemnity we can bring to bear.
The Sermon. Central to Christian tradition is the idea that "faith comes through preaching" (Rom 3:13-15), a belief with roots in the Jewish faith, and a belief that God's word has power to transform human life. In the Jewish synagogue service, scriptures were read followed by instruction. The first Christians were Jewish converts who, familiar with this practice, continued it in their Eucharistic gatherings. The sermon is a response to the scripture lessons.
The Creed. In response, we stand and recite the ancient articles of faith set forth in the Nicene Creed, a statement of faith to which the holy catholic church has subscribed since the fourth century.
Prayers of the People. Through our prayers, we bring the needs of the Church, society, our parish, persons in need, the sick and suffering, and those who have died, before God. Our prayers also include thanksgiving for out joy and for opportunities for ministry. Our response to the Word of God is made in an attitude of eagerness to do the Church's business: to serve the world, to offer ourselves, and to glofiry God's name.
The Confession of Sin and Absolution. The Eucharist celebrates the love and forgiveness by which Jesus destroyed the power of sin and death and united all people to himself. In an act of thanksgiving for love, and as admission of our for continual conversion, we all join in the General Confession of our sins, asking God for mercy, forgiveness and healing. The priest declares the absolution.
The Peace. The Peace concludes the Liturgy of the Word with a positive, emphatic act of the community. It expresses and celebrates the reconciliation we experience after hearing God's Word, praying and confessing our sins. The Peace also helps us prepare for the Holy Communion - unless our relationship with one another is right, our relationship with God is not right. And so we act out, in the liturgy, that reconciliation with one another by reaching out in love and acceptance our hand with the age-old Christian greeting: "The Peace of the Lord be with you!".
III. The Holy Communion. Now we move into the second half of the liturgy, a part of our worship service which originated with the religious meals of the Jewish people. Jesus gave such meals a new meaning through meals he ate with his disciples.
The Offertory. The Offertory is the congregation's presentation of the alms and offerings. Our offering of bread and wine involves the entire structure of our society: the agricultural enterprise, industry (in the manufacturing of what is used to harvest and process wheat and grapes), and the system of transportation and distribution. In giving our money, we present to God our very life and work. In addition to our material offerings, we also offer beauty to God in the form of music. The choir sings an anthem, and then the entire congregation "lifts its voice to heaven." These are all attempts to offer God what is pleasing and suitable. During the Offertory, the altar is prepared for the Holy Communion. Mingling water with wine symbolizes mystery of Christ: water signifies Christ's humanity, and the wine his divinity.
The Great Thanksgiving. With our offerings on the altar, we join in the great prayer of thanksgiving. The Celebrant begins the prayer by greeting the congregation and inviting them to participate in the offering and the prayer. This invitation is called the Sursum corda ("The Lord be with you"). Words and phrases as old as the Church itself are fresh and immediate as we "lift up our hearts" and acclaim God's glory in the ancient hymn of the seraphim ("Holy, holy, holy") called the Santus. The basic elements of the Eucharistic prayer are as follows: praise and thanksgiving; recalling the saving work of Christ; Jesus' words at the Last Supper; the offering of ourselves; and invoking the blessing of the Holy Spirit unon bread, wine and congregation.
The Lord's Prayer. This prayer summarizes the purpose of the life and ministry of Jesus: to share the special relationship he has with God, a relationship so intimate that we can now also address God as "Abba" or "Father". We say this most important Christian prayer in the Eucharist at a climatic point, emphasizing the petitions for daily bread in the expectation of the coming kingdom of God, for forgiveness and deliverance from evil.
The Communion of the People. Receiving Christ through the sacramental elements of bread and wine is both a personal and a corporate(all together as one) action of the church.
Prayer of Thanksgiving. This final prayer expresses out appreciation and thanks for God's gracious acceptance of us, and asks for his help to serve him in the world.
The Blessing. The entire service has been a blessing -- an act of faithful gratitude to God for the gift of himself to humankind in and through Jesus. Now this blessing is repeated as the priest says the Blessing, as a pastoral concern for his people. We once again sign ourselves with the sign of the cross and conclude the celebration as we began, that is, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
The Recessional. This is the final hymn by which the ministers helping with the worship service can leave the places they took during the Processional or Entrance Hymn. We sing because we need to "make a joyful noise unto the Lord", having been a participant in the resurrected life of Christ!
The Dismissal. The service ends with a dismissal, with the people sent forth to do God's work in God's world. The dismissal marks the Eucharist as a missionary service, commissioning and empowering us to be missionaries and ministers of the Gospel of Christ.