Narrated Eucharist GLOSSARY OF TERMS

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1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS Alb The white garment worn under the more colourful outer garments Aumbry The small cupboard, to the right of the Nave Altar, above which (or tabernacle) there is a constantly burning candle. In this cupboard is kept a small amount of consecrated bread from each Sunday s Eucharist. This is taken to those who receive communion at home. Chasuble The outer garment worn only by priests and bishops when presiding at the Eucharist. Corporal Large white cloth on the altar on which rests the consecrated bread (the Body of Christ). The name corporal is from the Latin Corpus, meaning body. Purificator A small white cloth used to wipe the edge of the chalice clean after each person has received from it. Stole a coloured strip of material worn by priests (hanging straight down from the neck) and deacons (over the left shoulder and tied at the right hip). They are derived from the scarf worn by Roman officials as a mark of rank. Vestments comprise a special set of ceremonial clothing and are, therefore, part of communication. They serve both to express the nature of the occasion and to distinguish the respective role and rank of each participant. For many people, vestments express a sense of historical continuity. Other material decorations, such as the simple fabric cloth over the lectern, are used to beautify and enhance the worship space and are of little or no theological significance. Vestments The origin of Eucharistic vestments (robes) is to be found in the everyday dress of the Roman Empire. Over time their use has become regarded by the Church as symbolic of Our Lord s Passion, of which the Eucharist is a memorial. They are intended to dignify the Eucharist which our Lord himself instituted. + A Prayer before leaving Church Lord, strengthen for service the hands which have held holy things; may the ears which have heard your word be deaf to the noise of disputes; may the tongues which have sung your praise never lie; may the eyes which have seen the signs of your love shine with hope; and may the bodies which have been fed with your body and blood be made new by your risen life. Amen. St Mary s Scottish Episcopal Church is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC Narrated Eucharist also called the Holy Communion, the Mass, and the Lord s Supper This service booklet is our gift to you Please take it with you or hand it on to someone else Why have a narrated Eucharist? Many of us have been coming to communion services for many years. Some have only been attending for a short while. It s often easy to think we know it all about the services we attend, but many people ask from time to time, Why do we do that..? This booklet is designed to be a refresher guide to our worship and as a teaching tool for newcomers. Please take this booklet home with you after the service. It is yours to keep...a gift from the church. On the left hand side of each double-page spread there are more extensive notes about the service. The boxes alongside the text on the right hand side pages provide more succinct notes which will be read out by the Narrator during the service. The structure of the Eucharist itself is taken directly from the Scottish Liturgy (1982) of the Scottish Episcopal Church. The Eucharist is a service that sets aside time as we know it. The Eucharist brings both the past and the future to present reality as we remember Jesus life, death and resurrection and await his coming again. The service is like a drama that we all enter. The first act of the drama is The Liturgy of the Word : based on Jewish worship, which preceded Christianity, focussing on Scripture. God s mighty acts in history are recalled through Scripture and applied to our lives, usually through a sermon. The second act of the drama is the Liturgy of the Sacrament : the focus shifts to the altar. The liturgy is not something that the clergy do and the congregation watches. This can be seen in the word Liturgy itself. Liturgy is another Greek word, like Eucharist (which means give thanks ) that comes from the root words for people and work, so the liturgy is literally the work of the people. The liturgy is something that we all do together. The Scottish Liturgy 1982

2 The Commentary before the service begins, the following is said: When we come to the Eucharist on a Sunday morning we are doing what millions of other Christians all the world over are doing - worshipping God. Use the moments before the service to offer your thanks to God for this new day, the opportunity to worship together, and ask God to help us to be open to His Spirit through Word and Sacrament. We pause at various points throughout the service this morning: sometimes it can be easy to just go through the motions without considering what we are doing. This is our chance to take stock today. We begin with the first hymn in a moment. St Augustine once said that to sing is to pray twice. The procession will enter, with the most senior minister last. The colour of the vestments (robes) reflects the season we are in...purple for Lent, green for Ordinary Time (the season of spiritual growth for us all) and so on. As the hymn ends, the ministers reverence the altar and come to their seats. 1 The Gathering The priest welcomes us and greets us using words taken directly from Scripture it is a formula of greeting used often by letter writers in the New Testament. We then all pray together the prayer for purity to prepare ourselves...to make our hearts ready to receive God s grace. What is the priest wearing? There must always be a priest to lead the celebration of the Eucharist. He or she is called the President or Presiding Priest: he presides over the worship. The Priest is usually dressed as shown on the right. The large poncho-like outer garment is called a chasuble and varies in colour according to the season of the church year. 2 The Confession We pause as we remember the times when we have done wrong and make our corporate confession. After the confession, the priest declares God s forgiveness in words known as the absolution. He makes the sign of the cross, reminding us that forgiveness comes through Christ s sacrificial life and death on the cross. We do this at the beginning of the service so that we can make our peace with God, and then, knowing that when we say we are sorry we are forgiven, we can put the past behind us and worship God. Sometimes forgiveness and healing take time...we may need to reflect on our sins again and again before we are truly able to say we are sorry to each other and to God. It is the true and genuine commitment to this that God honours. Falsehood and denial of our sin makes matters worse, and we do well to be honest with our selves and with God when we are caught in this state. Some people find speaking to a priest or spiritual director helpful. 2 Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace. The priest shows the people the host and says: God s holy gifts for God s holy people Jesus Christ is holy, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Everyone now comes forward to make their communion or receive a blessing. Each communicant replies Amen to the words of distribution. All are welcome to share in communion. If you do not normally receive communion, then please come forward for a blessing, carrying this booklet with you. Hymns/worship songs may be sung as people make their communion. After communion SILENCE is kept by everyone. 10 Prayer after Communion WE STAND Lord Jesus Christ, you have put your life into our hands; now we put our lives into yours. Take us, renew us, and remake us. What we have been is past; what we shall be, through you, still awaits. Lead us on. Take us with you. Amen. The blessing is said, after which all reply Amen. We sing our final HYMN (440 omit * verses) 11 The Dismissal The Eucharist is ended, our service must now begin. Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord. In the name of Christ. Amen. In the sung prayer that follows we hear the words of John the Baptist who proclaimed Jesus to be "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." + The consecrated Bread and Wine (Body and Blood of Christ) is shown to the people. Look and see! The Lord is here! This is the invitation to communion. Those who receive communion are taught to say, Amen before receiving the elements...it indicates that you accept Christ s presence as you follow his command to do this is memory of me. The bread is placed into cupped hands, right on top of left the gift of God (grace) is always humbly received and never taken. If you are anxious about hygiene, you should receive only the bread: receiving in one kind is sufficient. +++ The word Mass comes from the Latin, missa, for being sent. The Eucharist is only the beginning of what we do as Christians. Having received Christ we are to be sacraments (physical signs of heavenly, spiritual grace), in the world in which we live. So it is NOW that our service (serving others) begins. By our fruits we shall we be known. 15

3 In the sung prayer that follows we hear the words of John the Baptist who proclaimed Jesus to be "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." This prayer also recalls the Passover lamb sacrificed at Passover; its blood smeared on the doorposts of the Jews that the angel of death might pass-over. During these powerful words the consecrated bread is broken into many pieces: in Christ s brokenness and sacrifice, we are all able to share as one body. At the entry of the procession we STAND sing the first HYMN (232) We say together the words in Bold Type The table/altar can look different in different churches. Altars with six candles are reminders of the ancient practice of carrying candles in procession on holy days. They were then placed on the altar during the Eucharist. 14 This is the invitation to approach the altar and share in the body and blood of Christ. Everyone now comes forward to the altar. Those who receive communion should hold out their hands to receive the bread, right hand on top of left Those who come forward for a blessing should bring their order of service with them so the Priest or Eucharistic Minister knows that you do not receive communion and would like a blessing prayer instead. If you forget to bring the order of service, always keep your hands behind your back or at your side. Please remember when receiving communion that it is an ancient custom to say Amen before receiving the bread and wine; it is not standard Anglican practice to dip the host in the chalice this is most irreverent several people, as they do this, also dip their fingers into the wine. If you are concerned about either catching something from the chalice, or spreading your own germs to others, then please do not receive from the chalice at all. It is perfectly sufficient to receive in one kind (bread only). As a personal sign of the holy moment of receiving Jesus body and blood, many people find it a useful reminder to sign themselves with the cross before receiving communion. 10 Prayer after Communion Now our service in church draws to its completion. We all join in thanking God for making himself known in bread and wine and we ask that he will inspire us to live and work to his glory and in his strength alone. 11 The Dismissal The Presiding Priest says the blessing, and people may make the sign of the cross as an expression of their willingness to receive God s gifts of redemption and sanctification; but everyone says Amen! It is important to remember that the Mass or Eucharist is not just about what we do in church on Sundays; the whole purpose of celebrating the Holy Meal together is about being spiritually strengthened to go out into the world that is why we say, The Eucharist is ended, our service must now begin. We are to bear witness to God's love in our own words and actions. We are to go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Many people enjoy the fellowship and sharing expressed through meeting more informally over a drink. Please do join us after the service, downstairs in the Hall, if you d like to...it s a good time to catch up with each other. Follow the crowd! 1 The Gathering Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. The priest may briefly introduce the service. Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. 2 The Confession Deacon God is love and we are his children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because he loved us first. Let us confess our sins in penitence & faith: God our Father, we confess to you and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ that we have sinned in thought, word and deed, and in what we have failed to do. We are truly sorry. Forgive us our sins, and deliver us from the power of evil. For the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. We sing: Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy The priest declares the absolution of confessed sins. The people respond by saying, Amen. We begin our worship with the opening greeting. These words are familiar to us - they come from the opening greeting in Paul s letters to the Early Churches. We all then pray the Collect for Purity. A Collect is a particular form of prayer, which names some attribute of God or something God has done, asks for something specific and often closes with praise to God. +++ We ask God s forgiveness for things done and things not done. We do this at the beginning of worship so that we can make our peace with God, put those things we have done wrong behind us, and worship Him. As part of the priestly authority conferred on some men and women, the priest declares the forgiveness of sins. The priest makes the sign of the cross to call to mind the truth that it is Jesus sacrifice of his own life on the cross which makes our fresh start possible. 3

4 3 The Gloria The Gloria (Latin for Glory) is sung as a response to hearing God s words of forgiveness. It is a joyful song which we all sing together. Some people make the sign of the cross at the end of the Gloria, acknowledging Christ s glory through the cross, and the truth that it is only through the cross and suffering that God s glory reigns supreme in our own lives. We then gather our thoughts together, aware that we are in the presence of the living God in the special prayer for the day the Collect or Opening Prayer. It is called a Collect because it collects or draws together some special thoughts and themes for the service. We make the prayer our own by responding Amen. On the night before he died, at supper with his friends, he took bread and offered you thanks. He broke the bread, and gave it to them saying: take, eat. This is my body: it is broken for you. After supper, he took the cup and offered you thanks, and gave it to them saying: drink this, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant; it is poured out for you, and for all, that sins may be forgiven. Do this in remembrance of me. So, as we do what he told us, we open our hearts to him; we remember how he died and rose again to live now in us. Together with him we offer you these gifts: in them we give you ourselves. Send your Holy Spirit on us and on this bread and wine, that they may be the Body and Blood of Christ, and that, sharing your life, we may travel in your company to our journey s end. With all your people we give you thanks and praise through the Son and in the Spirit, now and forever. Amen. 4 The Liturgy of the Word We will hear four readings from the Bible. The first two are usually from the Old Testament, the second one from the Psalms the ancient hymns of the Jews. The psalm usually develops a theme expressed in the Old Testament reading. The third reading, is from the New Testament and is usually from one of the letters known as the Epistles. 4 9 The our Father COMMUNION RITE Jesus taught us to call God, our Father, so in faith we pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Do not bring us to the time of trial but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen. The living bread is broken for the life of the world Lord, unite us in this sign. Before receiving communion, we pray for our daily bread; for strength to forgive just as we have felt God s liberating forgiveness in our worship; and for the strength to resist evil. Then the large wafer (host) is broken so that it may be shared. It is in our brokenness that we are all the same and able to share in Christ s broken body, for in it we are made whole again. 13

5 The next part of the prayer is more focussed on the Last Supper as it is found in Scripture. Jesus four-fold actions (take, bless, break, share) are not only remembered, they are acted out again as we bring the past into the present reality of the holy meal. The priest says the words that Jesus spoke at the Last Supper. We believe that through this prayer Jesus is here with us: not only in his word, or by the power of the Holy Spirit but in the gift to us of his Body and Blood, bread and wine transformed by his touch. We ask God to send his Holy Spirit upon the bread and wine that we have offered and to make them holy; we also ask for that same Holy Spirit to be poured out afresh on each one of us to that we may be set on fire by the passionate flames of the Spirit, and that we may have the strength to continue on our faith journey, with its destination in Christ. In the final part of the prayer, the consecrated bread and wine are elevated for all to see Sometimes during this concluding act of praise the priest may make the sign of the cross with the host (large wafer) five times over the chalice this is to recall the five wounds of Christ, from which flowed His saving blood. 9 The Communion Rite We say together the prayer that unites all God s children, the Our Father, before we are invited to receive Communion. This is our last chance to affirm that we have put our sinful past behind us, and we are now spiritually prepared to receive Christ in this sacrament. Whichever version we use depends on the Liturgy it generally makes little sense to have a Shakespearian language version in the middle of a contemporary English service! Remember, the original spoken by Jesus would have been in Aramaic, so when people say, I think it s high time we said the Lord s prayer in its original form we must be careful what we ask for! The bread is broken and we are reminded that all people throughout history who have ever received Jesus in communion, and all who ever will in the future, are all members of his one body, his family, the Church The Gloria Rejoicing in the all-forgiving power of God s love, we stand to sing, Glory to God : Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest! Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the most high, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. (Refrain) (Refrain) (Refrain) The Presiding Priest says the Opening Prayer (Collect), which is printed on the Church Bulletin, and the people make it their own by responding, Amen. WE SIT THE LITURGY OF THE WORD 4 The Readings Either one or all of the readings may be used: Old Testament (Hebrew Scriptures) Psalm New Testament (Christian Scriptures) At the end of the reading(s): For the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. We stand with a sense of thanksgiving for the pronouncement of sins forgiven, and we sing of God s glory as we rejoice in the freedom of being made new in Christ: for this we praise God, and sing Glory to God in the highest. + The Eucharist is divided into two main parts: the first is the Liturgy of the Word, focused on the lectern for the readings from Scripture. Four readings are provided in the Lectionary, which is the prescribed set of readings throughout the majority of Christendom: they are shared by Anglican, Methodist, URC, Roman Catholic and many other churches. The readings may either be based on a theme, or part of a continuous cycle. Here at St Mary s we use themed readings. 5

6 The last reading stands out from the rest. It is usually heralded by alleluia and is usually read from the Book of the Gospels. This Gospel reading is from one of the four Gospels in the Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. The Gospel Book is, in some churches, carried in procession to the centre of the congregation as a physical reminder that the Gospel must be taken to the people we are sent to do just that when we leave church. The congregation then turn to face the gospel to hear it proclaimed to us. When it is announced some people find it helpful to make the sign of the cross on the forehead, lips and heart, saying inwardly, God be in my thinking, in my speaking and in my heart that I may hear the truth of the Gospel. Having heard the word of God read and its relevance to our daily lives explained to us in the sermon the next part of the service shows our response to it. 5 The Nicene Creed We respond by declaring what we believe in the words of the Creed. This is the core of the Christian faith and these central beliefs have been proclaimed by Christians for hundreds of years. We traditionally face East when we confess our faith. This is because it is from the East that the new dawn breaks a symbol of the dawning of new life in Christ. For many people, the name of Jesus is sacred, and so out of respect people bow at the mention of his name in the Creed. Some people also deeply bow at the phrase, he came down from heaven. This is to acknowledge the Incarnation - God becoming human. The Holy Spirit: who proceeds from the Father [and the Son] - in this version of the Creed and the Son is omitted - this gives the Creed an Orthodox flavour the Orthodox Church believes that the Holy Spirit comes only from God the Father and not the Son. This debate was to split the Church into East and West - here, as a Western Christian Church, we identify with our Orthodox Eastern brothers and sisters. Remember that catholic in this context means universal or world-wide. Apostolic refers to the way in which our faith is passed on. For example, Holy Orders are passed on by ordination; people are confirmed into full membership by Confirmation: both these require the physical laying on of hands by bishops (the successors of the Apostles). This is part of the Apostolic Tradition (traceable back to the first Apostles). 6 Table prayers may be used, to which the response is, Blessed be God for ever. 8 The Eucharistic Prayer (V) STANDING The Lord is here God s Spirit is with us Lift up your hearts We lift them to the Lord Let us give thanks to the Lord our God It is right to give thanks and praise Worship and praise belong to you, Father, in every place and at all times. You made us, all the people of the world, and everything that is. You give us the daylight. Your Word lights up our minds. Jesus was born among us to be light in our darkness. Your Spirit lives in us so that we may look at the world with your eyes. One day we will be with you in heaven, but already we laugh with the saints and angels, and sing their joyful song: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Father, you never forget us or turn away from us, even when we fail you. You sent your Son Jesus who gave his life for us. He healed those who were sick, cared for those who were poor, and cried with those who were sad. He forgave sinners and taught us to forgive. For all your love we give you thanks in the way Jesus showed us. The table prayers are based on a Jewish form of blessing over the Passover meal. This was the meal Jesus celebrated in the Upper Room with his closest friends, and at which he instituted the Lord s Supper which we share today as the Eucharist. The Eucharistic Prayer is the Great Thanksgiving prayer in which Salvation history is recalled, we praise God in fellowship with all the company of heaven, and the Last Supper is recalled. During the prayer the priest uses the four actions of Jesus: Take Bless Break Share After the words of institution (the words which Jesus spoke), the priest holds up the consecrated bread and wine, now Jesus Body and Blood, for everyone to see. 11

7 8 The Eucharistic Prayer The Priest leads us in the Eucharistic prayer: the great Prayer of Thanksgiving. The first part of the Eucharistic prayer gives thanks to God for all his many blessings and reminds us of all the wonderful things he has done for his children. It also reminds us of God s greatest gift of all, his Son Jesus Christ. This part is called the Proper Preface and may change according to the season we are in. In the 1982 Liturgy there are 5 to select from. This part of the prayer finishes when we sing the Sanctus, which begins Holy, Holy. At that moment in our worship we join with all the angels and saints in heaven who are worshipping God. We join our song with theirs. The Benedictus (Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord) is sung after the Sanctus. Many people sign themselves with the cross at this point as we sense our Lord s nearness to us in the sacrament. 10 Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia...a sentence of Scripture may be proclaimed Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.. Glory to Christ our Saviour At the end of the Gospel reading: Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel Praise to Christ our Lord. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. A short sermon is preached WE SIT 5 The Nicene Creed WE STAND We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. In some churches the people turn to face the Gospel as it is processed into the congregation. This is a physical reminder that the Gospel must always be taken to people we will all be sent to do just that at the end of the service today. The Gospel response at the end of the reading has its origins in the Orthodox Church. +++ Having heard the Word of God read, and its relevance to our daily lives explained, we stand to say together a statement of what we believe. The Nicene Creed dates from the 4th century and is the most widely used in both the Eastern and the Western Churches. It makes clear the two natures of Christ: that He was fully human (born of an earthly mother) and fully God (conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit). Jesus is both Son of Mary and God -in-the-flesh. This is central to Christian faith. These beliefs have been proclaimed by Christians for hundreds of years. There are many forms of Creed, ranging from short statements to long, drawn out paragraphs, primarily written not to define what we believe, but more to be clear about what we do not believe! 7

8 Again, some people make the sign of the cross at the declaration of belief in the promise of eternal life. Entry into that life, for Christians, is through the power of the cross, and signing oneself can be a reminder of that. 6 Prayers of Intercession The intercessions or prayers of the people follow. This is where we bring before God, in our prayers, people and situations that are particularly in our thoughts. To intercede is literally to stand between We pray for God s Church, his world, those in particular need, the sick and those who have died. These prayers are usually led by a member of the congregation (after all, they are the PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE, not just the prayers of those who lead us in worship). We try to ensure moments of silence so that our own personal prayers can be offered to God too. The Liturgy of the Sacrament 7 The Peace After the intercessions the first part of the service, the Liturgy of the Word finishes and we now begin the second part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Sacrament. We share with one another the Peace. We shake hands with one another and greet those around us and wish them Peace be with you. Why do we bother? Well there are a number of reasons: Firstly, Jesus commanded a person that before he came and offered his sacrifice he go and make peace with his brother first. Secondly we use it as an opportunity to greet fellow members of our community of faith, both those we know well and those whom we do not. Thirdly it is symbolic of the fact that through our Baptism we are all one in Christ Jesus, and as children of the same Father we greet one another. IT IS NOT SIMPLY A TIME FOR HELLO AND HOW ARE YOU? After the Peace we have the Offertory. A hymn is sung. It is at this point that the collection is taken and the bread and wine that is to be offered and blessed are brought to the altar. When we bring these things to the altar we are bringing our offering to God. We present them before God in thanks for all that we have received from him. The Offertory is NOT about money...it is about the offering of ourselves and all that we have, to God. Anything which places a wrong emphasis on the gifts of money detracts us from this true meaning. 8 We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. 6 Prayers of Intercession WE SIT OR KNEEL We pray for the needs of the Church and the world. The following, or another response may be used: Leader All Holy Spirit of God hear us and help us The prayers conclude with, Leader Merciful Father, All accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. THE LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT 7 The Peace The Apostle Paul said: Aim for perfection, be of one mind, live in peace. Greet one another with a holy kiss. The peace of the Lord be always with you and also with you. Deacon We meet in Christ s name Let us share his peace. Everyone is invited to greet those around them, using the words, Peace be with you. As the altar is prepared we sing the offertory HYMN (373) during which the collection is taken. In most churches, the prayers of intercession are led by lay people, as they are the Prayers of the People. Silence is an important part of this, in which we make our own supplications to God, concentrating perhaps on certain themes, people and situations. +++ We now enter the second part of the service, the Liturgy of the Sacrament, where our focus moves to the altar. The Peace is nothing new! Contrary to popular belief sharing the peace wasn t invented in the 1960s - it was rediscovered. It had always been the practice of the Early Church, as a form of greeting and a welcome. It was usually expressed as a kiss. We share the peace in our worship today for several reasons: Jesus commanded that before we make any offering to God, we must first make our peace with those with whom we worship. Secondly it is an opportunity to greet our fellow worshippers, especially those we do not know so well! The words we use are, Peace be with you, not Pleased to meet you! 9