The Eucharist – Church in Wales Modern Language Rite 2004

Eucharist – derives from a Greek word meaning to give thanks or “eulogein” to bless. The Jewish berekah is a blessing of God eg “Blessed are you O Lord our God, King of the universe you bring forth bread from the earth”

Lent 1 - 21/2/10

1 – The Gathering of the People

• Greeting - At every section of the Eucharist the people are greeted (usually by the celebrant) and respond. Here we are first greeted in the name of the Holy Trinity – “In the name of the Father …..” and the response is “Amen”
• Collect for Purity - There then follows what we as Anglicans have known as the Collect for Purity like all collects it has a set form. It is addressed to God the Father and, acknowledging that nothing can be hidden from him, asks that we should be purified “by the fire of your Holy Spirit”. If you think about it this is really powerful stuff - the purpose of which is to enable us to love and worship the Father “faithfully”. The prayer is made “through Jesus Christ our Lord”
• Collect – from Latin “colecta” or “oratio”
• Kyries/Confession “Kyrie Eleison” = Lord have mercy – “Christe Eleison” = Christ have mercy and so on. The first evidence of this in a liturgy (act of worship) in found in C4th Jerusalem and Antioch. In our liturgy there appear to be two acts of penitence (saying sorry) 1 = Kyries; 2 = A formal prayer. For myself I can’t see the point in being doubly penitent. What is important is that we use the opportunity for a period of silence to recall the things that we are asking forgiveness for – to express it in say the Kyries and then to receive assurance of forgiveness.
• “Gloria in excelsis Deo” – Latin – “Glory be to God on high” also known as the Greater Doxology or Angelic Hymn – the latter title reminding us of the song of the angels to the shepherds at the nativity of Jesus. Authorship and age are unknown but in the C4th formed part of morning prayers. The former title also reminds us of the threefold nature of God: Father – Son – Holy Spirit. In the RC Mass it has always come after the Kyries as it did in the first English Prayer Book of 1549. In 1662 it moved towards the end of the service, just before the blessing and in C20th Anglican revisions was restored to its original place.

2          Proclamation of the Word – Bible Readings - Sermon

• On a Sunday it is composed of four elements: Collect – OT reading – Psalm – NT reading (Epistle usually) – Gospel reading
• On Sundays we usually substitute the psalm for a hymn and put the hymn before the Gospel thus making it a convenient point for the Cross – Candles – Gospel Reader to move towards the congregation (gradual – Latin “gradus” – “step” – deriving from the practice of the deacon ascending the ambo [step] to read the Gospel). The Collect and Gospel will have a common theme, and are usually supported by the other readings.
• Now, in common with most other churches, the Church in Wales has adopted a 3 year cycle of Bible Readings – Years A;B;C, thus providing a bigger selection of Bible Readings than in, say, the Green Book.
• YA – features Matthew’s Gospel; YB – Mark; YC (this year Advent 2009+) – Luke; with John putting in an appearance on occasions like Christmas etc
• The Sermon is usually an exposition of the Word – the quality of which may be judged by the consumers!!!
• The Creed is a statement of our Trinitarian Faith and based on the Council of Nicea (325) and the four great councils of the early church. It is in the “We” form because it is based on councils of the Church.  

* The vast majority of this material is gleaned from “A Dictionary of Liturgy and Worship” – SCM & “The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church” - OUP