Behind the Eucharist: Structure, Today and Yesteryear

 


Outline:

This is a look at the structure of our current Eucharist service with a look at both purpose and history. The focus will be on Rite I as it includes more elements.

Early Church:

  • Starting out, Eucharist likely would have been a shared meal
    • Teaching also would have been part of the time together
  • Over time got formalized, shifted from meal to service
  • Start to see traditional Eucharistic formula settle in the 4th Century
Holy Eucharist:
  1. Liturgy of the Word
    • Comes from teaching in early church Eucharist meals
    • Consistently liturgical reforms have culled extraneous elements
      • Middle Ages- see this get larger and larger
        • Partly due to de-emphasis on the Word
      • "Less is More"
        • In liturgy, don't need to prop up key elements
        • Word needs to be focus, other elements can detract
      • Reformation sought to focus on Word again
    1. Opening
      • Begins the service
      • Can also open with Exhortation or Penitential Order
      • Includes:
        1. Acclimation
          • Starts the service
          • Crossing oneself marks our receiving God's blessing
        2. Collect of Purity
          • Inherited by Cranmer from the medieval Sarum Rite
            • Sarum Rite comes from Salisbury Cathedral
        3. Summary of the Law (optional)
          • Also can use Ten Commandments
            • Comes from Cranmer's use
        4. Song of Praise
          • Kyrie is first option
            • Oldest Eucharistic service music
            • Know because it is the only one in Greek
    2. Collect of the Day
      • Collect is a specific type of prayer
      • Specific for each feast in the church calendar year
      • General follows this pattern:
        1. Say something about God
        2. Ask God for something based on what we've said about God
        3. Proclaim the name the prayer is in (one or more aspects of the Trinity)
    3. Lessons
      • Earliest and most important part of this liturgy
      • Eucharist for Cranmer did not include Old Testament
        • This is only because Eucharist followed Morning Prayer 
          • MP had an OT Reading
    4. Psalm
      • Psalter is the first hymnal of the church
      • Were written to be sung
    5. Gospel
      • 4th Century started ceremonies around reading the Gospel
      • Deacon traditionally reads
        • In past, other places had Bishop or Celebrant read
      • Reading of the Gospel represents presence of Christ in liturgy
    6. Sermon
      • Part of teaching in Eucharistic meals for early church
      • Reformation renewed focus
      • Meant to illuminate meaning of Scripture
    7. Creed
      • 1st Century used a creed for Eucharistic Prayer
      • Nicene Creed
        • 325 adopted at Council of Nicaea
        • Amended in 381 at 1st Council of Constantinople
        • Proper name is Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople
        • Some reformers preferred Apostles' Creed
          • Had issue with non-Scriptural language
          • Easy to forget, tradition of church and Canon of Scripture settled at same time in early councils
      • Used in Eucharist as reminder to people what the Faith they professed was
    8. Prayers of the People
      • 2nd Century find after readings
      • Role of the Deacon to lead
      • Prayers "for the whole state of Christ's church and the world" version from Cranmer
    9. Confession of Sin
      • Reformation added this for the whole congregation
      • Before Reformation did have a form of this in the Litany
      • In Middle Ages, priest and assistant would exchange mutual confession at altar
      • Helps emphasize taking Communion in the right spirit
    10. Comfortable Words (Rite I option)
      • BCP tradition
    11. Peace
      • Jesus calls us to be at peace with our neighbor before going to the altar (Matthew 5:24)
    12. Offertory
      • Gifts of wine and money brought up
      • Fun Fact, only thing called for on altar is the white linen
        • Debate on whether Corporal (white square) counts
          • Use both for principle worship
  2. Holy Communion
    1. Sursum Corda
      • Latin for "Lift up your hearts"
      • Call for people to stand
    2. Thanksgiving
      • Have a Proper Preface for each season
        • Only used for feast days
    3. Sanctus (and Benedictus)
      1. Sanctus- Isaiah 6:1-3
      2. Benedictus- Matthew 21:9
        • Added to Sanctus later
        • Optional in BCP
    4. Institution Narrative
      • Jesus' words at the Last Supper: "Do this in remembrance of me"
    5. Anamesis
      • Remember what Jesus did and what it means for us
      • Various versions:
        • Prayer I (BCP 335): "Wherefore, O Lord... we, thy humble servants, do celebrate..."
        • Prayer A (BCP 363): "We celebrate the memorial..."
        • Prayer B (BCP 368): Memorial Acclimation- "We remember his death..."
        • Prayer D (BCP 374): "Father, we now celebrate this memorial of our redemption..."
    6. Oblation
      • Means "offering"
      • Various versions:
        • Prayer I (BCP 335): "which we now offer unto thee..."
        • Prayer A (BCP 363): "we offer you these gifts."
        • Prayer B (BCP 369): "we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving..."
        • Prayer D (BCP 374): "and offering to you..."
    7. Epiclesis
      • Calling the Holy Spirit upon the gifts
      • Also includes a supplication
        • Reminder of the benefits we receive from the Spirit
      • Various versions:
        • Prayer I (BCP 335 with Supplication on 336): "vouchsafe to bless and sanctify, with thy Word and Holy Spirit..." and "here we offer unto thee, O Lord, our selves..."
        • Prayer A (BCP 363): "Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people..." with supplication "Sanctify us also, that we may faithfully..."
        • Prayer B (BCP 369): "We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be..." with supplication "being sanctified by the Holy Spirit..."
        • Prayer D (BCP 375): "Lord, we pray that in your goodness and mercy, your Holy Spirit may descend upon us, and upon these gifts..."
    8. Doxology
      • Ends the prayer
      • "By Him, and with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit..."
    9. Great Amen
      • People give their assent to the prayer
        • Meaning of "Amen"
      • Real Presence believers
        • Many say this is the moment that Jesus is present in the bread and wine
    10. Lord's Prayer
      • Placed in the service around 400 A.D.
    11. Breaking of the Bread
      • Practical liturgical action- need to do to share
    12. Prayer of Humble Access (Rite I option)
      • Based on prayers for worth reception of Communion
      • Constructed from various Biblical sources and other theological writings
        • 1979 BCP took out a portion based on Thomas Aquinas' writings
    13. "The Gifts of God..."
      • Comes from 4th Cent. eastern liturgies
      • Optional addition comes from Cranmer
    14. Post-Communion Prayer
      • Service originally ended after the Communion of the people
      • Prayers added after 4th Cent. to give a sense of closing
    15. Blessing
      • Not present before 4th Cent.
    16. Dismissal
      • Done by Deacon
        • Sending us out into the world
Eucharistic Prayers:
  • Note: above shows the main structure
    • Eucharistic Prayers will often have other components as well
    • Memorial Acclimation is one
      • Call and response about Jesus' death, Resurrection, and coming again
      • Only in Rite II
      • Different for Prayers A-D
  • Most of our prayers follow West Syrian form listed above.
  • Prayer C follows Roman-Alexandrian format
    1. Epiclesis (BCP 371): "Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be..."
      • Gives the sense that Jesus is present from this point on in the prayer
    2. Instituation Narrative (BCP 371)
    3. Anamesis (BCP 371): "Remembering now..."
    4. Oblation (BCP 371): "and offering to you..."
  • Rite I Prayer I comes from the Scottish Episcopal Church
    • Been part of the American Prayer Book Tradition since the beginning
    • Based on Cranmer's prayers
  • Rite Prayer II is a shortened version of Prayer I
  • Prayer A is based on Prayer I
  • Prayer B is based on prayers by Hippolytus and The Most Rev. Frank Griswold
    • Hippolytus is the attributed writer of The Apostolic Tradition
      • Basis for some of the 20th Cent. Liturgical Movement
    • Bishop Griswold is a former presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church
  • Prayer D is based on the Liturgy of St. Basil
    • Lots options to pray for others in this prayer