Pastor Darryl

Holy Communion / The Lord’s Supper

Why do we celebrate Holy Communion weekly? A communion service is normal Christian worship. Holy Communion is not “an add on.” From the original Lord’s Supper in the New Testament, and from the earliest church period, the Divine Service or Service of Word and Sacrament, constitutes the normal worship of the church on the Lord’s Day. However, this does not mean that everyone must receive the Sacrament each Sunday.

Even if only a few people attend the table, the liturgy of the sacrament constitutes the church’s great sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving: “Let us give thanks to the Lord: it is right to give Him thanks and praise.” Nevertheless, it is the Lord himself who provides the greatest motivation: his invitation to sinners, his giving of himself, his gracious command to ”Do this remembrance of me” – all of these draw us to His table.

As with any shared meal, part of that meal includes the surroundings and conversation that goes with it. Likewise, while the Words of Institution and the reception of Christ’s body and blood are central and always effective, they are not the only things that constitute Holy Communion.

In our liturgical tradition, the celebration of the sacrament begins with the Preface, includes the Sanctus (Holy, Holy), the Eucharist (Thanksgiving) Prayer, the Lord’s Prayer, the Lamb of God, and conclude with a Post-Communion thanksgiving and prayer. All these together make up the church’s table conversation around our Lord’s meal, a conversation which we share with Christians of all ages, (and with the angels and all creation), while at the same time anticipating our Lord’s return to share with us the eternal feast of heaven. Amen, come, Lord Jesus.

Pastor Darryl

‘Glory to God in the Highest’

In our service this week we sing “Glory to God in the highest” which is the English translation of the Latin Gloria in Excelsis, a very ancient hymn originating in the church of the third or fourth century. If the “Lord, have mercy” is our cry as beggars before God, the Gloria in Excelsis lifts us up to heaven. In its very first lines we join with the angels by singing with them the song they sang at the birth of Christ: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, among those with whom he is pleased.”

The Trinitarian structure of the Gloria in Excelsis recalls the Apostles Creed, reminding us that praise of God is more than just our personal expression of worship – but it’s always a confession of true faith.

God the Father is praised, thanked and blessed because of his great glory and saving work. Christ the Son is worshipped for taking the sins of the world away and now praying for us at God’s right hand. The Holy Spirit who teaches and leads people to faith is also acknowledged.

The hymn then concludes in praise where it started: with “the glory of God the Father.” Ought we not glorify God simply for his glory?

Pastor Darryl

Why we worship as we do

The original meaning of the Greek word (leitourgia) “liturgy” means “public service”. Liturgy was any public work by concerned citizens on behalf of society and for the well-being of society. That meaning applies to our church’s ‘liturgy’ also. An ancient church father put it: ‘The world is ruled by the prayers of saints.’

As we gather for our divine service, it may be important not only in order to understand the divine service, but also to appreciate our divine service better, to ask ourselves the question: for whose sake do we worship? There are several possible answers, but these are some to consider:

We worship for our own sake – to be forgiven, taught, nourished and
blessed through the means of grace The means of grace being God’s word
(read and preached) and the sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion). We worship for our congregation’s sake – to support our brothers and
sisters in Christ in their worship.

We worship for the sake of visitors – and those who are just asking
questions or inquiring about the faith and for those searching for faith.
We worship for the sake of the world – by our prayer, praise and proclamation we serve the community and those around us in seen and unseen ways.

Ultimately we worship for God’s sake – to give him the glory he is worthy of, to ‘keep his name holy’, and to ‘sanctify the Sabbath.’ All these aspects are part of the “why” of worship.

Question: For whose sake are you worshipping today?

Pastor Darryl

There are different ways people greet each other daily. A greeting enables a relationship.

The liturgy of the church also provides God’s people with a greeting. The Lord be with you: And also with you. This ‘salutation’ is more than an every day greeting. It recognises that God really is with us – expressing the name given to Jesus, “Immanuel’, God with us. (Judges 6:12, Luke 1:28, 2 Thess. 3:16, 2 Timothy 4:22).

So, the words, ‘The Lord be with you: And also with you’, are especially appropriate where the Lord has promised his presence, especially the reading of the word and the administration of holy communion. Therefore, it comes before the Prayer of the Day, the prayer to prepare us to hear God’s word, and it begins the liturgy of the Lord’s Supper. It is also important leading up to the final blessing, sending us into the world. The Salutation expresses the bond between minister and congregation, expressing our common faith, common purpose and common desire to assist each other in worship. The pastor is really saying, “May the Lord be with you to help you in your worship.” And the people respond “And may he be with you as you lead us in worship.’ However, the greeting can also be part of the every day Christian speech when we say ‘God bless you.’

The Lord be with you: And also with you is an encouragement for Christians in daily life. In the older liturgies the people responded with ‘And with your Spirit.’ This is an even more fitting response as it affirms that we are worshipping in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God who testifies with our spirit that we are children of God (Rom.8:16)

Pastor Darryl

Photo by Erika Giraud on Unsplash

In the early years of Christianity many martyrs died for their faith. In order to preserve the memory of the faith of these Christians, the church set aside special days to honour them. By the late fourth century, this common feast was celebrated in Antioch.

However, Pope Boniface IV is officially credited with the establishment of All Saints’ Day in order to honour all the Saints at one time , consecrating the Pantheon at Rome to the Virgin Mary and all the martyrs on 13 May in 609AD. This day was originally called the feast of all Holy Martyrs. Later, in 837AD, Pope Gregory III changed the name to the Feast of All Saints, also the date of the celebration to 1 November. In English the traditional name for All Saints’ Day was All Hallows Day. (A Hallow was a hoppy person). The eve of the feast, 31 October, is still commonly known as All Hallows Eve, or Halloween.

There are two definitions of Saint. The first relates to Christians, whose lives we remember because it encourages us in our own faithfulness. The second, a saint is anyone whose life is washed clean by the righteousness
of Christ, received as an undeserved gift. For Luther, we are “simil justis et peccator” (which means ”simultaneously saint and sinner”)

The Bible doesn’t tell us to pray to the saints or through the saints. Rather, we can find inspiration in their stories of God’s faithfulness.

“God is faithful” “The Lord is good, trust Him”
“His grace is sufficient in their trials and sufficient for you today.”

Pastor Darryl

Photo by Mark Pan4ratte on Unsplash