Episcopal Worship

The eucharistic liturgy, refined by twenty centuries of usage, has two distinct parts which form a unity. The first consists of gathering, listening, and responding to God's written Word. The second is making Eucharist or thanksgiving. This involves receiving bread and wine, praying over these gifts, thanking the Father for the work of Jesus, and receiving back the consecrated elements of bread and wine. Participation by the community of the baptized at the eucharistic celebration is essential. In fact, liturgy, a word derived from Greek, means "the work of the people. " On the Lord's Day, the "work" of the covenant community is to listen afresh to God's mighty and saving work and to give him thanks. The eucharistic assembly is more than an aggregate of individuals. It is to be understood as a representative gathering of the body of Christ, the church universal. There is an orderly flow to eucharistic liturgy which is both spiritually and psychologically satisfying: Gathering in t…