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The Holy Eucharist

May 9, 2021

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Prayer

AND we most humbly beseech thee, O merciful Father, to hear us; and, of thy almighty goodness, vouchsafe to bless and sanctify, with thy Word and Holy Spirit, these thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine; that we, receiving them according to thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ’s holy institution, in remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood.

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Introduction

  1. Last week

    1. Confirmation

  2. Today

    1. Eucharist

  3. Next week

    1. Confession

    2. ​

Eucharist- The source and summit of the Christian Life, the rest of our life flows out of and is informed by this encounter with Christ, hear what John 6:52-56 says:

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

  1. The service that we receive the Sacrament of our Lord’s Body and Blood goes by many different names

    1. The Eucharist

    2. The Great Thanksgiving

    3. The Divine Liturgy

    4. Holy Communion

    5. The Lord’s Supper

    6. The Holy Sacrament

    7. The breaking of Bread

    8. The Mass- Ite Missa Est

  2. Remember though, the service and the sacrament are different, the sacrament is the actual body and blood of our Lord, the service is the context in which we receive them.

    1. What other contexts can someone receive Communion?

      1. Most notably, as last rites communion is placed on the tongue.

      2. Visitation of the sick when someone can’t make it to Church.

  3. Form and matter

    1. Matter:

      1. Bread- In the West we use unleavened bread, in the East they use leavened

      2. Wine- can be white or red (remember we aren’t saying the bread and wine look like His Body and Blood.) The wine can’t have the fermentation process stopped so Welches grape juice is not valid plus it has tons of other stuff added like sugar and preservatives. In fact, grape juice was invented to be an alternative to wine for communion.

    2. Form:

      1. Bread: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

      2. Wine: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

      3. 1 Cor 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

    3. Instructions for the Priest

      1. The priest is directed to touch the bread and wine during each of their respective statements.

  4. Grace conferred

    1. The reception of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, God Himself into us.

    2. Our faith is increased

    3. Our souls are nourished

    4. We are transformed into Christ

    5. Conforms more and more into the mystical Body of Christ

    6. Unites us with each other

  5. The Real Presence

    1. Anglican hold to a doctrine called the Real Presence

    2. This is a broad theological statement that says that when the gifts (bread and wine) are consecrated (to be made holy, to be blessed) they become the Body and Blood of our Lord.

    3. There are many ways of explaining how this happens but we will not go into that, the only view that Anglican expressly deny is the memorialist view. Meaning that we only view it as a memorial or remembrance.

  6. The Sacrifice of Christ

    1. The Eucharist is not a re-sacrifice of Christ on many different Altars as Roman Catholics would teach

    2. The Eucharist is a looking back to and participation in that one sacrifice.

  7. One of the Dominical Sacraments along with Baptism

  8. Who can consecrate the Eucharist?

    1. Bishops and Priests who have apostolic succession so ministers or preachers from other Churches do not consecrate the elements.

  9. Who can administer (give out) the Eucharist?

    1. Bishops, Priests, and Deacons

    2. Lay people- gives the chalice during our service

    3. The practice is always to receive it first before it can be given

    4. The sacrament is always given to you by someone else, only exception is that the celebrate has to receive from himself and Bishop also reserve the right to receive themselves.

  10. What is the frequency of the Eucharist?

    1. The Eucharistic can be celebrated once a day with the exception of Good Friday and Holy Saturday. On Good Friday the sacrament is reserved from the night before so really only on Holy Saturday.

    2. Notable days when a priest can say three Masses is Easter and Christmas, a priest is also allowed two masses on All Souls Day.

    3. The faithful is commented to receive the Eucharist frequently, though as to what this means is up to the individual.

    4. ​

Questions

  1. Who can receive the Eucharist?

    1. Any Baptized Christian, though officially the prayerbook states only confirmed can receive or those desirous of confirmation.

  2. Are their times when I should not take communion?

    1. Yes! Communion is not a given right to be demanded but a gift to worthily receive. If you have sin in your life or if you are at odds with anyone especially with someone else in the Church then you should withhold yourself from communion, you could either not come up or come up and cross your arms and receive a blessing only. If the sin is grievous enough to cause scandal or the fight is well know then the priest can deny a person.

    2. St. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 11:27-32

      1. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

    3. This is why we always have a confession before receiving the Eucharist, so we can get right with God before receiving.

  3. What if some can’t receive either the bread or wine?

    1. If someone has a gluten allergy or is an alcoholic or any other reason, then they can refrain for one or the other. To receive either the bread or wine is to fully receive our Lord. Its not 50/50. For most of Christian history in the west, the laity only received the bread. Anglican restored the wine to its people because there is no good reason to withhold it.

  4. Why do we reserve the sacrament at the Altar?

    1. For use during the week, to allow for visitation of the sick.

    2. To honor and reverence it as Christ being spiritually present.

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