The Lord’s Supper
This week, I am going to read to you from the Prayer Book. This is not something we often do at our church - except on a Tuesday morning - but there is a richness to its prayers and services that warrants us listening to it from time to time - or indeed regularly.
You may not even know that such a book exists of course, so let me say that the Anglican Church has always had prayers and church service forms published in a Prayer Book to help direct what we do in church towards good theology and practice. There have been numerous prayer books since 1549 with the most recent one published in 2011 and all of them are designed to ensure that the Anglican Church remains true to God and his Word.
The bit I am reading you today is from the Lord’s Supper service and I am doing it because we are sharing the Lord’s Supper this Sunday. In the past it was customary for the minister to read this to their congregation ahead of time to ensure everyone was prepared spiritually for taking the bread and wine. It captures the reality that taking the Lord’s Supper is no small thing and I think, just perhaps, in our tradition, we are in danger of treating it as such. So here is a word in season from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer that might be just right for you this week.
Dearly beloved, this Sunday the team and I purpose, through God’s assistance, to administer to all such as shall be religiously and devoutly disposed the most comfortable sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ; to be by them received, in remembrance of his meritorious Cross and Passion; whereby alone we obtain remission of our sins, and are made partakers of the kingdom of heaven. Wherefore it is our duty to render most humble and hearty thanks to Almighty God our heavenly
Father, for that he hath given his son our saviour Jesus Christ, not only to die for us, but also to be our spiritual food and sustenance in that holy sacrament. Which being so divine and comfortable a thing to them who receive it worthily, and so dangerous to them that will presume to receive it unworthily; my duty is to exhort you, in the mean season, to consider the dignity of that holy mystery, and the great peril of the unworthy receiving thereof; and so to search and examine your own consciences, (and that not lightly, and after the manner of dissemblers with God: but so) that ye may come holy and clean to such a heavenly feast, in the marriage-garment required by God in holy scripture, and be received as worthy partakers of that holy Table.
The way and means thereto is; First, to examine your lives and conversations by the rule of God’s commandments; and whereinsoever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended, either by will, word, or deed, there to bewail your own sinfulness, and to confess yourselves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offences to be such, as are not only against God, but also against your neighbours; then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them, being ready to make restitution and satisfaction, according to the uttermost of your powers, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others who have offended you, as you would have forgiveness of your offences at God’s hand: for otherwise the receiving of the holy Communion doth nothing else but increase your damnation. Therefore, if any of you be a blasphemer of God, an hinderer or slanderer of his Word, an adulterer, or be in malice, or envy, or in any other grievous crime; repent you of your sins, or else come not to that holy Table; lest after taking of that holy sacrament, the devil enter into you, as he entered into Judas, and fill you full of all iniquities, and bring you to destruction both of body and of soul.
And because it is requisite, that no man should come to the holy Communion, but with a full trust in God’s mercy, and with a quiet conscience; therefore, if there be any of you, who by this means cannot quiet his own conscience herein, but requireth further comfort or counsel; let him come to me, or to some other discreet and learned Minister of God’s Word, and open his grief; that by the ministry of God’s holy Word he may receive the benefit of absolution, together with ghostly counsel and advice, to the quieting of his conscience, and avoiding of all scruple and doubtfulness.
I am praying for you. Will you please pray for me?
