The congregation now reaches the climax of the worship experience in the celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. The following parts of the liturgy help worshipers partake of the Holy Meal thoughtfully, thankfully, and joyfully.

The Offertory begins The Holy Eucharist section of our service. When our Lord instituted this sacrament, He said, "This do," and expected us to follow the example of his own action.
He did four things:
He
(1) took bread and wine;
(2) gave thanks over both;
(3) broke the bread;
(4) gave it to the disciples.

Our liturgy is designed to see to it that we, too, do the four actions of our Lord as often as we come together in His name.
The Offertory is the first of these four actions. Here we "take bread and wine" by bringing them to the altar. In the early church the people brought bread and wine to the service and took it to the altar themselves. Some would be used for Holy Communion, some given to the poor.
We still bring our gifts to God in the offering. The gifts of God's people are a response to God's blessings and instructed so to do (1 Corinthians 16:2). Our offerings are for the support of the church. They enable the church to provide the written and spoken Word of God, Christian education and Pastoral care, food, clothing, shelter, and a helping hand to those in need.
In the chants, "Let the vineyards be fruitful. . .", "What shall I render to the Lord. . ." and "Create in Me. . .", we offer ourselves to God to be filled with His Spirit as the bread and wine will soon be filled with the flesh and blood of Christ.

As the Pastor places our offering on the altar, he raises them symbolically to the Christ on the Cross. They are offered to Him. (At the time the offerings are being received, the organist plays a musical offering.)

Now we give thanks to God, doing again the second of our Lord's own actions. The Preface, meaning "introduction," is a general thanksgiving where the Pastor and people get ready to celebrate the Holy Meal by greeting each other and with an exhortation as to how to celebrate the meal. There is also a Proper Preface, one that varies with the season of the Church Year. These words state why we should give thanks, using words and ideas appropriate for the season of the Church Year.

We conclude our thanksgiving with the Sanctus, a Latin word meaning holy, by joining the angels in Isaiah's vision (Isaiah 6:3) to sing, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Sabbath. . ." or "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, Lord God of power and might. . ." and join the crowds by ushering the Savior into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Matthew 21:9), "Hosanna, blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord." Obviously in all this we are looking toward the Christ who is about to come to us under the elements of bread and wine to be truly present for us in the Sacrament.

At a moment like this, as we are about to receive Christ's body and blood, we want nothing in our hearts or on our lips but prayer. The prayer of our Lord or The Lord's Prayer begins with Our Father. These words remind us that we are in the family of God, the Christian Church. We do not commune as individuals, but as the group of people who together call God their Father. We are brothers and sisters around the family table and we think of one another as we pray.

The Words of Institution are the words of God which, connected with the elements of bread and wine, make this a Sacrament and not just ordinary eating and drinking. The Pastor speaks the words which Jesus spoke when He instituted His Supper with His disciples in the upper room (Matthew 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). By the saying of these words over the bread and wine, the Pastor performs the Consecration, or the setting-aside, of these humble elements to become vehicles for the body and blood of Christ.

The Pax Domini or simply The Peace. The greeting of peace, which Jesus spoke on the first Easter, is shared before we approach the altar to receive Him. In the Lord's Supper, the body and blood of Christ are truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine.
The Agnus Dei is a Latin phrase meaning "Lamb of God." John the Baptist spoke these words as he pointed to Jesus (John 1:29). As Christ comes to us in the Holy supper, we recognize Him as the Lamb of God sacrificed for us to free us from the bondage of sin and death. The congregation now swells into that grand communion hymn, "O Christ Though Lamb of God."

The Pastor and the Elder who assists him receive the body and blood of Christ. Thereafter, they offer their private prayers of thanksgiving. We who have been baptized and instructed in the meaning of Holy Communion now gather at the Lord's Table to receive Christ's body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins. When we come to the altar, we bow our heads in reverence before we kneel. We keep our heads erect while we receive communion. You may make the sign of the cross before receiving each element and at the dismissal when the Pastor does so. After our communion and the blessing, we rise and bow our heads again, this time in thanksgiving for the Sacrament. (Helpful prayers before and after communion will be found on page 128 in the front of your hymnal.)
As soon as the last table has communed, we rise and sing the Nunc Dimittis or the Post-Communion Canticle. We praise God for His mercy and grace and remind one another of His goodness. No longer do we wait for coming of the Light.

The Light of salvation has come. We can now depart in peace. Christ is ours. But he is not ours to have and to hold and to hoard. Our task is to reflect His light to all people. Therefore, we sing the Nunc Dimittis/Post-Communion Canticle.

During Lent, we do not use "Thank the Lord. . ."; instead, we use Simeon's song of praise, "Lord Now Let Us Depart in Peace."
After the Communion our worship service draws rapidly to a close. We permit no long and wordy conclusion to detract from the splendid climax of the Sacrament. Yes, the second great climax is over. We have seen and touched and eaten and drunk the Lord. In the Prayer of the Thanksgiving we speak as a grateful congregation, asking God that His blessing rest upon this gift of His grace to us all. The Pastor and congregation bless one another.

The final assurance that we do indeed possess God's blessings is given in the Benediction. The words of the benediction are the Aaronic benediction, and were those given by God directly to Moses to be used by Aaron and the other priests to bless the people of Israel (Numbers 23-27). They are spoken upon God's people in His name as an assurance of grace and peace. The sign of the Cross is the Pastor's last act as the leader of our worship and reminds us that these blessings are ours only through the death and resurrection of Christ. We are confident of His blessing and respond: "Amen," it shall be so. A silent prayer of thanksgiving follows the closing hymn. Now we leave to live His will guided and strengthened by the renewed presence of His Spirit within us.

If anyone still has a question or would like further clarification on any aspect of these our worship traditions, please see the Pastor and/or any of the Elders.