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Why would anyone undertake to write a new form for the Eucharist? Especially when there is no practical necessity to do so? The answer, for me, seems to be that there is an inner neccessity to do so: The impulse came from within, and was so long ignored, it finally became undeniable.
This cycle of poems is but one personal attempt to analyze and give expression to the inner meaning of the Eucharist. It comes from one who values its story of healing, but who finds much within its traditional language to be out of touch with the simplicity of Jesus' teaching of living in response to his healing Way of direct encounter with the spiritual realm, already available within us. (Lk 17:23)
Much has been written in recent years, by Jungians and others, about the modern cultural problem of starvation of soul. The unconscious self requires acknowledgement through ritual, as nourishment for its work of maintaining the health of the person as a whole. Undoubtedly the soul is fed by good ritual, even when that ritual is expressed in language incomprehensible to the rational mind. Even so, the energy cost is high, for dissonance between the mind and heart gradually hardens the arteries by which soul's heart is nourished, making its work, conscious and unconscious, painfully harder.
The drama within the Eucharist, of the encounter between the human and divine natures, is so extraordinary that it "works" on many levels to the benefit of soul. Losing the great beauty of the liturgical and musical art of the celebration would be a serious soul-wound. Yet failing to respond to Spirit's call for experimentation with new forms and new understandings in harmony with modern knowledge, is but another way to lose it. Many new forms are already being tried in various worshipping communities, within and outside of the established churches. One can already see spirit evolving, seeking its new adaptations for our generation.
Making any change in the Eucharist would be a daunting task. Every aspect of it, and the arrangment and rearrangement of it, and every nuance and interpretation of it have been occasions for deep controversy and division for two thousand years. No change of it can be undertaken without reopening the many wounds of that long history of ecclesiastical strife, or recauterizing those more recent wounds not yet healed.
I hope that the commentary will help make clear my belief that no change in the Eucharist may be made casually, or merely for personal or superficial reasons. Any change must of course be grounded in the whole community's interpretation of the Jesus faith. Yet, if we believe the Jesus Way to be consistent with the Creator's Way, our worship practices should also accord with our knowledge of how creation works. That is, it must accord with what we know of the role of ritual in the psychology of the deep unconscious, for that is the spiritual realm within ourselves in which the Image of God dwells. Only from that depth may the unknown become personally and collectively known.
A New Eucharist presumes a small, probably unorganized, worshipping community of at least "two or three gathered together" in Jesus' name, (Mt 18:20) who take seriously his radically inclusive and nonjudgmental call to a healing encounter with a compassionate and loving God. It presumes that the community may be meeting without the presence of ordained clergy (see below).
Within the community there may be a wide spectrum of previous experience of the Eucharist, ranging from none at all, to some degree of disaffection with hierarchical, theologically rigid, and exclusivist (dare I say, Pharisaic?) churches. They seek instead a supportive, safe, and open community of seekers after Spirit. Many of the community will happily remain members of traditional churches, and will be encouraged and supported in doing so. Others may have come because of the community's desire to understand and share experience across the barriers which have separated the global spiritual traditions.
Evelyn Underhill, in her book Worship, writes that we, "living under the conditions of space and time, yet capable of the conscious worship of a Reality which transcends space and time," [p.20] have four chief means of worship available to us: (1) Ritual, in the sense of liturgic pattern; (2) Symbol, or significant image; (3) Sacrament, meaning the use of visible things and deeds to convey invisible realities; and (4) Sacrifice or voluntary offering, "a practice too far-reaching in its importance and too profound in its significance for brief definition." [p.20] But the word ritual may also be used in a broader sense: the Ritual of the Eucharist includes all of the above elements.
Many who have studied the history of worship, especially Mircea Eliade, have noted a general pattern in the ritual practice of the world traditions. Jungian Analyst Robert L. Moore has characterized ritual practice as a step-wise "pilgrimage" in response to the archetype of initiation, whose meaning has been severely weakened in modern culture, and even in the church. It may also be seen as a response to the unconscious archetype of wholeness, that is, to the homeostatic healing action of the unconscious Self, which is always seeking to bring the ego into wider awareness.
Various authors have suggested classifications of ritual practice. The following is a personal adaptation from several sources, of the "generic ritual process" which relies on all of the four means Underhill mentions:
(1) entering sacred space--separation from the world (often conceptualized
as a "descent")
(2) invocation the call to "the spirit"
(3) purification cleansing, as an act of humility and preparation
for the encounter with spirit
(4) sanctification being "made holy" through sacrifice,
oblation, adoration (glorification of the divine), and transformation or
transfiguration.
(5) communion resting in the presence of the divine
(6) thanksgiving
(7) separation from sacred space--returning to the world (the
"ascent")
All of these actions are present in some way in the Eucharist, which has been the central act of Christian worship for two thousand years. When analyzing any "new Eucharist," the community's interpretation of the Jesus faith will be the prime consideration. The whole tradition of Christian ritual will also be very important. However, one must also analyze whether and how the ritualistic actions blend and function to offer a psychologically authentic experience of worship.
This outline is offered as a guide to a dignified but expressive experience of worship. It should be adapted to the needs of those gathered. It blends forms new and old to express the continuous and continuing flow of spirit in creation. Retention of some fixed elements is intended to give a sense of that continuity of our tradition, and all traditions, from one service to another.
The Eucharist properly connects the community with its long history of worship, and to the experience of worship globally. The blending of new language with old heightens the sense of a continuing yet evolving tradition. Though "new language" is helpful in making the experience understandable and immediately relevant to the lives of the people, "old language" is sacred language to the soul. The two can blend harmoniously in the same worship experience, each taking an effective part.
The people are gathered comfortably and informally in a circle, around a central table. Reading of the various parts of the service is shared among those gathered. Any section, or the whole service, may be read in unison.
The mandala or circle is a powerful and most ancient symbol of wholeness, or "holiness." Worshipping in a circle around the table symbolizes the community of people bound to the central reality, and avoids any connotation of authoritarian hierarchy.
Paragraph breaks in the text may be taken to signal a change of reader, or to indicate a unison response. Effective use of the service will require careful and mindful advance planning.
The service is intended to be relatively short, and preparatory for the period of contemplative prayer, which follows immediately.
The length of the service will of course vary, according to the number of readings and musical selections used. The integral relationship of contemplative prayer and the Eucharist is discussed below.
(1) Entering sacred space--separation from the world
The Bidding
Beloved family, we are one with
all seekers after Spirit.
We have come around this table to evoke with thanksgivings
The memory of the Lord of all creation,
Known by many names throughout the history of our world,
But known in our tradition as the Christ, anointed One,
Person of the Word within creation,
Who enlightens all which heretofore was dark,
Who leads us along the Way of love,
And toward all understanding.
Let us now celebrate in word and
rite
Both new and old,
The memory of the Christic Way
That we might be reborn in mind and heart
That we might live and serve in love,
And that we might be at peace,
In unity with Creator and Creation.
The separation from the world to enter sacred space has already begun by the intention and the act of leaving homes and other places, to come to a designated place for a sacred purpose. The Bidding makes clear from the outset that the sacred space being entered is the same sacred space within which all worship takes place. (To believe otherwise is to believe in more than one God, that is, in more than one realm of Spirit.) This Bidding is a summation of the purpose of the gathering. It immediately introduces into the service the themes of thanksgiving (eucharistia) and remembrance (anamnesis) present in the accounts of the Last Supper; and it sets the tone of catholicity (oecumenia) which includes, as in the ancient meaning of the word, the whole of the inhabitated world, that is, the whole human race.
"Beloved family" links the gathered family to the family gathered with Jesus at the Last Supper (see below). The "Person of the Word within creation" evokes the Logos of John 1. The Bidding also speaks of the "enlightenment" brought by Jesus, who "comes as a light into the world" (Jn 1:4, Jn 12:46) and who is a light whom "darkness cannot overcome," (Jn 1:5) who draws all (Jn 12:32) unto himself, along the Way (Jn 14:6) of love (Jn 13:34). It speaks too of rebirth to spirit (Jn 3:5), and of our unity with Christ and Creator for which Jesus prayed. (Jn 17)
The "enlightenment" is taken as a reference to the deep spiritual consciousness with which the Christos is annointed. Christos in Greek, and Messiah in Hebrew, mean "anointed one".
(2) Invocation--the call to "the spirit"
The Invocation
A brief prayer (said or sung), instrumental intonation, incense, and the lighting of candles are used as desired, to call the people to attend the inner call of spirit. A period of silence is observed. In the evening, the ancient hymn Phos Hilaron (Oh Gracious Light, BCP) is especially appropriate here.
(Oh Gracious Light: Phos Hilaron) (BCP 1979)
O gracious Light
pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven,
O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed!
Now as we come to the setting of
the sun,
and our eyes behold the vesper light,
we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
You are worthy at all times to be
praised by happy voices,
O Son of God, O Giver of life,
and to be glorified through all the worlds.
The invocation portion of the service is left quite flexible, inviting the community to use "sound and light" (and perhaps "water and smoke" and sacred movement) in various ways, according to the theme of the service and resources available. Instruments common in other traditions but less common in Christian liturgy (such as rattle, drum, flute, cymbal, etc.) may be used effectively here, and the mood can be celebratory or contemplative. The period of silence anticipates the longer period of contemplation at the end of the service.
The use of incense traditionally symbolizes both the presence of spirit and cleansing by the spirit. Using it here (and on occasion perhaps the ceremony of sprinkling), provides an appropriate bridge to the next (purification) portion of the liturgy.
(3) Purification--cleansing, as an act of humility and preparation for the encounter with spirit
The Collect for Purity (BCP 1662)
Almighty God,
Unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known,
And from whom no secrets are hid,
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
By the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit,
That we may perfectly love thee
And worthily magnify thy holy name.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen
Using the (only slightly different) older form of the Collect for Purity from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) emphasizes the connection of the liturgy to even more ancient roots.
Throughout, the divine nature is addressed in various ways. Being aware of its use of sacred names can help heighten the liturgy's sense of mystery of the divine. "God," is used only here at the first of the service. It is an especially holy name which in Jewish literature in English is often spelled "G-d". As such, it is a translation of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton ("Four-Letter name"), JHWH (LORD in most Bibles in English), a name considered too sacred to pronounce. The Hebrew name is appropriately "pronounced" only by the aspiration and exhalation of the breath, "Jah- weh." The association with breathing is especially significant, for JHWH is derived from the verb to be. Note that awareness of the breath is common to all practice of contemplative prayer. (Jewish translations of the Hebrew sometimes use Haschem as a substitute for this name of G-d.)
In the New Testament, "Almighty" is the common translation of Pantokrator which has a subtly deeper meaning than the English word. "All Mighty" might suitably describe a deistic Creator, who remains remote from creation. By contrast, Pantokrator connotes one who is now actively ruling over all things. Especially in the Eastern church, the ikon of the Pantokrator identifies Christ as the ever-ruling Logos, "without whom was not anything made that was made," (Jn 1:3) and with the Alpha and the Omega, "who was, and is, and is to come." (Rev. 1:8)
A Hymn or Canticle
The Collect(s)
The form of the service offers considerable flexibility regarding the use of music, prayers, and readings. The service may be long or short. Ideally, use of these elements is carefully planned according to the theme of the service and the season, and all parts of the liturgy will blend into an expressive thematic whole.
A Unison Prayer of Humility and Confession
Oh great Compassionate Spirit,
You ordain the balance of all things large and small,
Here on Earth, and throughout the Universe.
Yet we, Oh gracious One
Focused on ourselves alone
Have missed the point of your creation plan.
In our deeds, our words, our thoughts
And by failing to respond to need,
We have broken the balance
Which in love you have ordained.
Forgive us and heal us, and return
us to your Way
That we might live mindfully
At peace with you, with all creation,
With each other, and within ourselves.
Hear us, Lord, for your compassion is great.
Here, the divine mystery is addressed as Compassionate Spirit: "God is Spirit." (Jn 4:24) "God is Love." (1 Jn 4:16) Jesus scholar Marcus Borg gives us an interesting interpretation of the Jesus teaching in Luke 6:36: "Be merciful, even as your Father in heaven is merciful." Borg points out that merciful is a word which connotes a judge at a trial. However, the word in Aramaic (the language of Jesus) and Hebrew really connotes God's compassion. The word is the plural form of the word for womb. Here, we are confronted with an essentially feminine aspect of the divine nature.
A New Eucharist explicitly departs from the ancient worldview reflected in most liturgical language, and that is especially evident in this prayer of humility and confession. The current worldview understands healing to be the restoration of dynamic balance within a cosmos whose many levels constitute one whole. Physics has now shown that the spacetime cosmos is based in a nonlocal (we would say "eternal") reality not confined by the rules of local space and time.
Such a cosmos is a true unity of physical and psychological realities. Psychological reality, of course, includes the deep, mostly unconscious, realm of spirit, in addition to its cognitive (conscious) aspect of "mind." In this view, the only aspects of cosmos which are out of balance are those aspects under the direct influence of the human ego. The attitude of humility in the presence of the divine is essential to all healing and forgiveness. To forgive means to "let go." We must let go of ego, for we are not forgiven unless we forgive. (Mt 6:14-15)
To say we "have missed the point of your creation plan" is the same as to say that we have sinned. "To sin" translates hamartano , which means to miss the mark or the goal. Both terms indicate missing both a point and a purpose. Note too, that when Jesus told the adulterous woman to "go, and sin no more," (Jn 8:11) the word for go is not the one which means merely to move away. It means to hold to a certain path or course, or way. I paraphrase the saying, "Go on your way, holding to the Way." That is the spirit this prayer is meant to convey.
The word mindful is especially significant here. In both Testaments, the words translated mindful usually refer to remembrance and recollection. However, in the Hebrew Testament, mindfulness may refer to a divine quality: God is mindful of mankind (Ps 8:4), of his mercy (Ps 25:6), and of his covenant. (1 Chr 16:15; Ps 105:8) Buddhism's use of mindfulness as living in spiritual awareness within each moment, can help us to understand that quality in Jesus and to seek it for ourselves. Paul's admonition, "In everything give thanks," (1 Thes 5:18) especially well expresses the link between mindfulness and Eucharist.
The divine response to our spiritual humility is to grant us peace. Jesus taught that Holy Spirit would make us mindful of Jesus teachings (KJV: "bring all things to your remembrance"), and then he said, "My peace I leave with you." (Jn 14:27)
(4) Sanctification--being "made holy"
The Sacred Readings
Several selections, from among the world's sacred literature, are read by various readers, and may be interspersed with music. It is especially appropriate to include a reading from Hebrew scripture (perhaps a psalm sung or said in unison), and to conclude with a reading from the Gospels.
The Liturgy of the Table ("Holy Communion" in the BCP) is the portion of the service most associated with the "sanctification" aspect of ritual, for there we find the great themes of sacrifice, oblation, adoration (or glorification of the divine -- involving both eucharistia and anamnesis), and transformation or transfiguration. (Being present with the divine is also central to the idea of communion.) All of these elements combine to create the great symbolic drama of healing, that is, "being made holy," or whole.
The Liturgy of the Word is preparation for the Holy Communion, so it too fits into the ritual sequence here. Certainly openness to instruction is an important element in our healing.
The point made above about mindfulness illustrates that learning about spiritual experience from other traditions has the potential to enrich our understanding of the Jesus Way, and to help us see better the complexity and depth of the spiritual realm to which he points us. In his farewell discourse to his disciples, Jesus mentions that in his "Father's house" (the spiritual realm) there are many "mansions". (Jn 14:2) Though we have not usually interpreted the passage that way, the other spiritual traditions do constitute "mansions" within the spiritual realm, whose exploration has much to offer us. That reading would also be in accord with the Good Shepherd's having "other sheep not of this fold." (Jn 10:16)
The community is encouraged to include in its worship and study readings (both poetry and prose, ancient and modern) from the world's sacred literature, including of course, non-canonical Christian sources, ancient (such as the Gospel of Thomas) and modern (such as Thomas Merton and Teilhard de Chardin).
The Prayers of the People
Petitions and thanksgivings may be spoken among the group, followed by silence and/or a selected prayer.
A Hymn or Anthem
Beloved family,
We are gathered here in the spirit of the transfigured Jesus
To celebrate his life, his love, his vision
Of the unity of the all in Christ.
We are gathered here in the spirit
of that Oneness,
And as does he, we welcome all who wish to come,
Of whatever faith or understanding.
Let all who will, join in this eucharistic
celebration,
Thanking him for his resurrected life of love
Present to us even now.
The Invitatory signals the transition from the Liturgy of the Word to the Liturgy of the Table. Here again, the community affirms its welcome to all, not merely to be present, but to participate fully in the healing drama.
The liturgy emphasizes a healing relationship to the divine rather than belief in doctrine. It does so by the way it uses significant symbols from the Gospels. Here, at the invitation to communion, the transfiguration and the resurrection are evoked together in a somewhat unusual way.
The Transfiguration tells us that consciousness can (must) incorporate a vision of the unity of the human/physical aspect of the historical person (Jesus) in the divine/spiritual person (Christ) and in ourselves. That realization comes before the Resurrection (Anastasis), and only then does the Resurrection really begin to make spiritual sense. If the transfiguration takes place within consciousness, the divine becomes always present to us and we live above (ana-) the ordinary level (stasis) of static life.
Subtly but significantly, we are invited here to come, like Lazarus, wrapped as we are in the "death" of ordinary life, to have our bindings loosened. We too are called to "come forth" to be reborn to spiritual awareness, to see the light outside our own "tombs," being always conscious of the "resurrected life of love / Present to us even now."
With all that is
We proclaim our infinite and glorious
Creator.
Holy, holy, holy,
Manifold Mystery, all in All
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory.
Glory be to Thee Thou One most high.
The Sanctus is perhaps the oldest intact text within the service, deriving from Isaiah's vision of the holy mystery (Is. 6:3). In the Hebrew, the divine is given a military name: LORD of Hosts (Sabaoth, tsebaoth), meaning literally, God of the Armies. The Greek word describing the "heavenly host" which announced Jesus' birth to the shepherds (Lk 2) carries the same connotation. This reading seems better to reflect the poetic reference in both texts to the mysterious, complex, collective and unaccountable character of the manifestations of the spiritual realm and divine nature. (Another Hebrew name for God, Elohim, being grammatically plural, seems to convey much the same sense of Mystery.)
"All in All" translates panta en pasin (1 Cor 15:28; Eph 1:23) by which Paul describes the fullness of the completion of Christic work in the spiritual realm, which in our modern understanding includes all (physical) creation. Teilhard de Chardin writes that the phrase is the clearest reference we have to "Christian `pantheism'."
The Oblation
Bread and wine are brought to the table and made ready for distibution.
The Oblation is not a prayer, but an act of worship. It is the bringing by the people of their gifts (the bread and the wine) to be a sacrifice to the divine, through which the divine sacrifice (the gift of healing, or salvation) is received. This act is a very expressive part of the service, and should be carried out in a way which signifies that it is an act of all the people together.
It should be noted here that the words for salvation and saviour in Greek both derive from a root word meaning whole or intact, which is the same idea contained within the Old English root for to heal. This idea is made explicit in the prayer which follows.
Oh Holy Spirit
Come upon us
And upon our gifts of bread and wine.
As many grains dwell in the wholeness
of this bread
Which nourishes our own bodies,
And many grapes within this wine,
May we too dwell within the wholeness of Yourself.
Accept ourselves as gifts, and
Bless us now and make us whole.
The Epiclesis, from the Greek for name (surname), in the ancient liturgies refers to the summoning by name of the Holy Spirit, to be present and to bring the spiritual reality into the physical bread and wine. In the Eastern Church this prayer is considered to be the moment of consecration of the elements. Placing it here helps highlight the significance of the Oblation. In the BCP, the Epiclesis seems to survive only in the references to the Holy Spirit.
The first paragraph paraphrases the first portion of an ancient Epiclesis. Underhill [p. 135] quotes from the (West Syrian) Liturgy of Theodore of Mopsuestia: "May there come upon us and upon this oblation the grace of the Holy Spirit; may He dwell and rest upon this Bread and upon this Cup, and may He bless and consecrate and seal them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. By the power of Thy Name, may this Bread become the Holy Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this Cup the Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ."
The second paragraph is entirely new, intended to make the drama even more explicit for modern ears. The reference to "many grains" and "many grapes" is paraphrased from J. N. Grou, who writes, "The bread, made of many grains of wheat united in one whole, the wine made of many grapes dissolved together, these represent the faithful united to form one single body ... ."
Our Teacher, Jesus, nearing the
time of his arrest and crucifixion,
And with his family of friends gathered around him,
Remembered the deliverance of his people from their bondage.
On the very night in which he was betrayed to his own captors,
He gave to us this memory feast of our own liberation.
Gathered here together now,
Let us remember how upon that night,
Our Lord took bread--which signifies his body,
Our Lord took wine--which signifies his pulse of life.
Whenever you do eat this bread,
he said,
Whenever you do drink this wine,
Remember me.
This is the Cup Of the New Relationship
to Spirit
Wherein is healing for ourselves
And for our world.
When they are mentioned, the server shows the bread and wine to the people.
The Celebration of the Memory is a shortened version of the blessing of the elements, distilling to its essence "the Memorial [our Lord] hath commanded us to make." (BCP) Yet our continuing loving relationship with Jesus is that of a disciple and teacher, and it is not a military relationship at all. When Jesus says, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another" (Jn 13:34 KJV) the word can also mean a teaching or precept. In this context, Teacher evokes the deepest possible feeling toward a beloved and respected "spiritual director." And if we are mindful that Jesus taught that we "have only one teacher, the Christ," (paraphrasing Mt. 23:7) a reference to him as "Teacher" acknowledges him as Christ.
Our experiences of spirit are most meaningfully expressed in symbols of the past. Accordingly, the recounting of the story of the Last Supper occurs in all the forms of the Eucharistic Prayer. The Passover feast is quintessentially a family event. Since Mary, the mother of John Mark, had a home in Jerusalem which was a center (at least later) of gathering and prayer, (Acts 12:12) there is a reasonable traditional speculation that the Last Supper took place in her home. In any case (da Vinci's great painting notwithstanding), it is very plausible that the "family of friends gathered around" Jesus that night included women, men, and children.
The "pulse of life" signified by the wine is a reference to the symbolism of blood as life force. Since in our culture of violence "blood" now has more associations with death than life, the significance of the Cup is indicated in a variety of positive ways.
"New Relationship to Spirit" is a paraphrase of New Covenant. Diatheke, as in the title of the New Testament, refers to a new will, testament, covenant, arrangement or dispensation, hence, relationship. This new and direct relationship to the divine ("Spirit") is a healing one. Recall the linguistic connections between the concepts of salvation and healing (see above).
The Lord's Prayer
using the form preferred by those gathered.
Underhill writes, "For the early Church, the whole of this great [Eucharistic] prayer was a single act of worship ..." so there was no attempt to identify the consecration with any one moment: "all was summed up and completed by the Lord's Prayer. ... Here, in the most sacred of all Christian formulas, all the motives and meanings of the Eucharistic act adoration, oblation, self-giving to the Divine purpose and the humble dependence of the creature on the generosity of God are welded into one." [pp. 136-137]
The elements are then carried or passed around the circle, according to local custom, saying:
The Body of the Lord (perhaps adding:)
wherein is healing for ourselves and for the world.
The Blood (or The Wine, or The Cup) of the Christ ... (wherein is healing
... etc.)
or
May the Body of the Lord nourish you to new life.
May the Spirit of this Cup raise you to new life.
or
there is some other appropriate personal exchange between the one serving
and the one receiving.
(5) Communion--resting in the presence of the divine
Contemplative prayer
After receiving the elements, there is an extended period of silence for the people to engage in contemplation (centering prayer).
This period of contemplation may be considered to be central to the idea of Holy Communion. Quiet personal prayer provides the opportunity to deepen awareness of the spiritual realm within, to which the ritual has helped give access, and to receive new spiritual understanding. Fr. Thomas Keating's discussions of "centering prayer" can be helpful in teaching the practice to the people.
Relying on ritual alone risks externalizing and formalizing the communion. By practicing centering prayer together, the community emphasizes that the transformative encounter with the divine nature, though essentially personal, is grounded in the person's relationship to the practicing community, and to the extended global community of seekers after Spirit. Further, grounding the community in contemplative practice helps keep it from becoming political or merely social. It is the primary means of focusing the community on its spiritual purpose.
A General Thanksgiving
We thank you, Compassionate Spirit,
always at work in all creation,
That through the resurrected life of the transfigured Jesus, Christ,
You now do make us whole again,
Lifting us above the death and darkness of our lives,
Ever giving to our body your ecstatic wine of life.
We do remember, and truly do we
thank you
For your presence here and now
Within us and among us, ever Word in all creation.
Be with us now as we go forth to love and serve.
May your Peace be always with us,
Each and every one. Amen.
All acts of worship (in some sense), and especially the Eucharist, are expressions of thanksgiving, so it seems a bit artificial to single out "thanksgiving" as a particular element in the service. Underhill writes, "... the individual worshipper who gives himself without reserve to the total movement of the Eucharist finds himself caught into, and made part of, a spiritual drama in which the deepest impulses and needs of his spiritual life are represented and satisfied." [pp. 139-140; she is writing in 1936, when these pronouns were understood to refer to women and men.]
The General Thanksgiving sums the response to the healing drama. The "ecstatic wine of life" refers to the spiritual joy which comes through the Christic action in creation, keeping us conscious, even in our ordinary lives, of the continuing mysteries of incarnation, transfiguration, and resurrection.
(7) Leaving sacred space--returning to the world
The people then exchange signs of the Peace, according to custom.
A Hymn
A Benediction or Thanksgiving
A teaching session, and/or discussion may follow, and/or a social gathering.
The closing portion of the service properly begins during the General Thanksgiving, with the words, "Be with us now as we go forth to love and serve" and "May your Peace be always with us, / Each and every one. Amen."
In the exchanging of the Peace, the people prepare themselves and support each other to return to the "profane space" of ordinary life, but renewed and in continuing awareness of Jesus' words, "My peace I leave with you." Teaching, discussion, and a social gathering can extend and "cushion" this transition, which ideally will be both gentle and gradual.
As mentioned above, A New Eucharist presumes that the community may be meeting without the presence of ordained clergy. Perhaps a member of clergy is presiding, or acting in unison with the people. If approval of the appropriate liturgical authority is desired, but a member of the clergy is not available, special arrangements would have to be made, including approval for the use of reserved sacrament. In the Episcopal church, portions of the service might be used with "Rite IV" (Order for Eucharist, BCP 1979, p.400), if a priest uses a form of the Eucharistic Prayer prescribed in the BCP.
Or perhaps the community does not require clergy, accepting literally Jesus' teaching that we are all of the same spiritual rank (adelphoi, "brethren", Mt. 23:8) under the Christ. In that case, the people themselves are servants to one another throughout the Eucharist. Though one or more persons within the community may be more interested and more effective in leading the worship, any leadership functions should be shared as widely as possible, hopefully making significant decisions through consensus. In accordance with custom, the person responsible for presiding at a particular service may be referred to as the president for that Eucharist.
Even suggesting that the laity might consecrate the elements would of course be viewed as a most radical challenge to ecclesiastical authority and a serious departure from traditional practice of the Eucharist. Even so, the service dares to presume that all the elements of creation dwell so intimately within the divine nature that nothing a person may do can alter the relationship. The question is really whether, and to what extent, and how, we are made effectively conscious of that reality. Reading "the consecration" in unison would be one way to symbolize that the service is an act of collective consciousness.
A sermon or homily within the Liturgy of the Word presumes that there is an ordained person present with ecclesiastical authority to preach. A community without clergy would instead rely on a shared teaching function for its learning.
The recitation of a (the) Creed is also omitted. The thought here is that all the names of the persons of the Trinity are acknowledged within the liturgy, and the whole service is a recitation of the varied actions among us of the divine nature. Ultimately, however, that divine nature is a Mystery which no human statement can encompass. Where desired, The Nicene Creed may be recited in its usual place before the Prayers of the People, or any of the historical creeds might be read as a selection of the Sacred Readings.
The service makes a distinction between The Oblation (see above) and an Offertory, in which gifts of money are presented. To substitute money as an oblation seems somehow to undermine the significance the two-way sacrifice being enacted in the spiritual drama. Further, if the liturgy is a shared responsibility of a small unorganized community, there is no need for a treasury, and the people will individually support various church agencies and worthy ministries.
A New Eucharist is one among many efforts to find an expression of the spiritual drama of the Jesus Way which will help restore its ancient purpose in the lives of modern people. It is a gift offered especially to those who may be unprepared to believe what traditional "church" requires them to believe, but who nonetheless have a strong longing for spiritual renewal and development. And it is a gift to those who, through this reexamination of its deeper meaning, may find as have I, much greater enrichment and enjoyment through the traditional forms of the Eucharist.
Amen.
The Book of Common Prayer, 1979 is a copyrighted publication of the Church Hymnal Corporation (New York). The Prayer for Purity (1662) is from the BCP of the Church of England, London: Collins Publishers (as amended through 1968).
Borg, Marcus. Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, HarperSanFrancisco, 1994, p. 47
Grou, J. N. La Science Pratique du Crucifix (date not given) is quoted by Underhill, p. 149
Hatchett, Marion J. Seven Pre-Reformation Eucharistic Liturgies: Historic Rites Arranged for Contemporary Celebration, University of the South, 1973 is a helpful reference on early liturgical practice.
Keating, Thomas. Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the Gospel (1986), Continuum, 1991
Moore, Robert L. Jung's Challenge to Contemporary Religion, Chiron Publications, 1987, pp.147- 160
Teilhard de Chardin, Pierre. "Pantheism and Christianity" in his Christianity and Evolution, Harvest/HBJ, 1969, p.75. KJV literally translates panta en pasin in 1 Cor 15:28 and Eph 1:23 as "all in all." RSV uses the same phrasing in Eph. 1:23, but inconsistently (and I believe incorrectly) in 1 Cor 15:28 renders it as "everything to everyone."
Underhill, Evelyn. Worship (1936). Harper Torchbook, 1957
Public domain, Advent 1997.
Address comments to: donibess@aol.com (Donivan Bessinger)