An Instructional Commentary for the Order of Holy Communion

By Bishop Ray R. Sutton, Ph.D.

Dear Visitor:

Welcome to the service of Holy Communion.

If our worship is new to you, we hope that this brief commentary will make it a little easier to follow. It is our additional desire for you to understand this beautiful, biblical and reverent approach to worship. And then by reaching a basic level of comprehension, we want you to be able to enjoy the richness of this ancient form of worship utilized by millions of Christians. To this end a few brief introductory comments are in order.

First, the service of Holy Communion is biblical. Nearly 85% of the words, phrases and language of this worship service is directly from the Bible. The other 15% is based on it. Large sections of Scripture will be read, prayed and sung. The words of the consecration of the bread and wine are the very ones used by Jesus when He established Holy Communion at the Last Supper before His Crucifixion. They are also the words He spoke when He shared the same Holy Communion with the disciples when He first appeared to them after He was raised from the dead. These words continued to be used in the early Church. Holy Scripture permeates every facet of this worship service.

Second, the service of Holy Communion is heavenly. The origin of everything said, seen and done in this service is the worship of heaven described at various places in the Bible (Ezekiel 1, Revelation 4-5). Jesus told His first disciples that heaven is the model of earth, when He instructed them to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Heaven is the pattern for earth. True biblical worship is supposed to emulate heaven, leading us to where Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. This worship, therefore, takes us to heaven, nourishes our souls, and equips us to serve as witnesses of Christ’s presence in the world.

Third, the service of Holy Communion is liturgical. The word liturgy comes from a Greek word in the Bible, since the New Testament was originally written in the Greek of the first-century Roman Empire. It is actually a compound word, “work” and “people.” Liturgy is therefore a service involving the congregation in responses and ordered participation. For example, the minister will sometimes introduce prayer, “The Lord be with you,” and the congregation responds, “And with thy Spirit.” This pattern of one person speaking and the congregation responding has been described as antiphonal, literally “answering back.” In a liturgical service a reverent conversation with heaven occurs as the minister speaks Scripture and the people are given opportunity to answer back with equally biblical responses. Since the responses are usually straight out of Holy Scripture, reverence, beauty and a level of familiarity to all Christians takes place. This heavenly conversation also means that biblical liturgy is not for the purpose of entertainment, stimulation or the manipulation of the many by the few. Rather the liturgy is to draw all of God’s people literally into an ordered, reverent and organized conversation with the Lord Almighty.

Fourth, the service of Holy Communion is historical. The particular liturgy before us was first used in its original form in the ancient Church of Ephesus at the end of the first century. It was carried through France, Europe and England as missionaries took Christianity westward. It was slightly modified to become the primary liturgy of England at Salisbury Cathedral, being called the Sarum Rite. At the time of the English Reformation in the sixteenth century, it became the basis of reforming (correcting) corruptions in worship at the end of the Middle Ages. This important liturgical return to a biblical and ancient approach to worship was compiled by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, authorized by the Church of England, and published as the Book of Common Prayer.

Fifth, the service of Holy Communion is universal. The Book of Common Prayer was carried around the world in the northern and southern hemispheres under the influence of England and the missionaries of the Church of England. As these colonies gained their own indigenous existence, such as in America, the churches left behind continued to use the prayer book as the best example of biblical, Christian worship. Today the Anglican Communion, eighty million strong, still uses this basic communion service found in the Book of Common Prayer. It has been translated into virtually every language of old, new and third world cultures.

Thus, by means of this powerful service of Holy Communion, we join with countless millions in heaven and on earth to worship Christ as He intended from the very beginning. Those first Christians of the first century followed His command to “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Holy Communion was the central way of communing with Christ and one another. It has been always a frequent mainstay for Christians in their faith. May it be the same for you. Thank you for joining us and may God bless your communion with Him.