The central act of worship at St John’s is the Eucharist, the sacrament initiated by Jesus at the Last Supper, saying “Do this in remembrance of me”. The people of God gather around his table, the Altar, sharing bread and wine to celebrate his presence with us and to give thanks for all he has done for us. That is why our main or High Altar has such a prominent place in St John’s.
The Eucharist has always been a subject for hot debate and can sadly be an expression of division amongst Christians, when it is intended to be a source of unity. Ironically, this is because it is so important for us.
The different names we use for this great service express what is important for different Christian traditions – The Lord’s Supper – Holy Communion – Mass – Eucharist – Liturgy – but we can all learn from these insights.
The Lord’s Supper
This reminds us that what we do in this service is a continuation of what Jesus did in his earthly ministry. He used meals as acted-out parables (stories told by Jesus with a moral or spiritual meaning) of his work in the world, sharing his table with outcasts and sinners. This did not make him popular with the religious authorities of his own day.
Holy Communion
This great sacrament grants us the opportunity, in common with the whole church throughout the world, of being in touch with the eternal God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things. A God that is quite unlike anything our minds can conceive, through Jesus, becomes human and identifies with us. He reaches out and shares his table with us, hands us the simple forms of bread and wine and says ‘I am here.’
Mass
People talk about ‘the sacrifice of the Mass’. This is about God given for us, about God emptying himself. It is about Jesus giving up his life for his friends, making us his friends and inviting us to take a seat at his banquet.
It is said that the word Mass itself comes from the dismissal at the end of the service. On Latin ‘Ite, missa est.’ Simply: ‘Go, it is finished.’ So we are told that this is not an end in itself. We come into the church in order to go out into the world.
Eucharist
This is a Greek word which simply means ‘thanksgiving’. We give thanks to God for that for all that is, for all that we are and for all that we have. Above all, we give thanks for the inexpressible gift of Jesus and all that means for us and for the world.
Liturgy
This is another Greek word and means ‘work, public service’. It refers to the form of service used and tells us that this service is the essential work of the Church.