Liturgy of the Eucharist (Holy Communion)

Before we offer to God the fruit of his creation at the Altar, we make our peace with one another, reconciling ourselves to one another as God has reconciled us to himself in Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross. The Ministers and the People may greet one another in the name of the Lord. A simple handshake and the words, “Peace be with you” is traditional. Following The Peace, the congregation makes its offering. With the offertory sentence, begins the second part of the liturgy, the Holy Communion. Here, a hymn may be sung as ushers pass the collection plates. The offertory is not just “taking up the collection.” It is a time when we prepare to offer our whole lives up to God. During the hymn, the priest and servers prepare the altar. When the collection has been taken, the offerings are presented by members of the congregation to the priest to be offered to God as we sing the “Doxology”, our hymn of praise to God. The priest, then, begins the Eucharistic Prayer, also called “the Great Thanksgiving.” This prayer is the most important and the most ancient prayer with Jesus’ own words of institution at the heart of it. Its origin dates back to the times of the Apostles. The Eucharistic Prayer recalls once more the story of the salvation of God, who has created us in his image, who has redeemed us by the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ his Son, and has sanctified us with his Holy Spirit, calling us to become the children of God. As we approach the moment of Holy Communion, we pray in the words that Jesus himself taught us, the Lord’s Prayer. We, then, sing the Agnus Dei, the words with which John the Baptist acclaimed Jesus as the sacrificial Lamb of God. Then, we approach the Altar with reverence. The Episcopal Church encourages people to receive their communion in both kinds (bread and wine), although you may wish to receive just the host.

Our First Communion class will be receiving the body of Christ for the first time today. Although we allow communion to all who are baptized, at St. John’s we continue the tradition of teaching our kids what communion means. The bread that you will eat today was baked by our communion class.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus goes to the disciples and says, “Peace be with you.” The cornerstone of everything we believe is Jesus Christ, because he came back after dying on a cross to let us know that death has no dominion over us. In other words, God is telling us that even though things looked bad on Easter morning, “It is well.” God’s peace is that feeling that although we struggle, we have hope. What Mary and the disciples have seen and heard enables us to be in fellowship with God and one another. The peace of God is relationship with Jesus Christ and one another. At St. John’s we witness our fellowship through our hospitality to others. We share the light of Christ to others by inviting them to church and then to our coffee hour. We could also invite them to help in our thrift shop or by sending a link to our morning prayer or bible study.

People come to us with their children and ask us to baptize them in Easter. Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ's Body, the Church. The World Council of Churches defined Baptism as “the sign of new life through Jesus Christ” and described baptism as the “entry into the New Covenant between God and God’s people.” St. John’s is the living faith that has been passed down to every generation since Mary, Peter, John and the disciples. It is our responsibility to teach the Word of God and Baptize the next generation. This is a more difficult task than it once was. We need every member of our congregation to proclaim that Christ is Risen! By looking outward to others instead of inward toward ourselves, we can become the Easter people that God created us to be.

In Christ's love,

Rev. Duncan Burns                          

St. John's Episcopal Church

12 Prospect Street

Huntington, New York 11743

(631) 427-1752

stjohns1745.org

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