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The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
September 8, 2013, Year C, Proper 18
St. Dunstan’s Anglican Church, Largo, FL
Jeremiah 18.1-11
Psalm 139.1-5,12-18
Philemon 1-21
Luke 14.25-33
In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Instructed Eucharist series picks up after the Prayers of the People and the collect.
This is followed by the passing of the Peace. The passing of the Peace is not an intermission or a
time to greet people. The passing of the Peace is a part of the liturgy and is a time for the
profound recognition that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Our intent should be that we ask
that the reality of Christ’s healing presence be with each person that we greet and with our parish
community as a sign, a foretaste, and an instrument for experiencing the Kingdom of God.
It should be a time of joyous greeting as it truly is here at St. Dunstan’s. And while its
purpose is not fellowship or a time for general conversation, it does give us an opportunity to
care for one another and show the love of Christ to each other, especially as we meet visitors and
greet newcomers.
“The Peace of the Lord be with you.”
We share announcements after the peace because we are active participants in the life of
our parish, the family of God in this place at this time, not passive observers.
Announcements.
The announcements conclude with the offertory sentence. Like the passing of the Peace,
the offertory is part of our worship liturgy and is more than just a necessary administrative
function. The offertory sentence is next.
“Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into his courts.”
This comes from Psalm 96:8, and it reminds us of what we are doing here. We give financial
offerings to honor God and to show our thanks for his generous provision to meet our needs.
Our offerings are themselves an act of worship, and they show God how serious we are about
worshipping him. What you give makes ministry in the name of Christ possible. Yes, we have
to pay the mortgage and the light bill, but that should not be why we give. We give to honor
God, and our willingness to participate by giving of ourselves, our souls and bodies as well as
our resources, is a true measure of our love for him. Jesus gave his life for our redemption; we
should be willing to give back to him, and do so generously.
(The ushers come forward.)
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In the early Church, each communicant brought bread to be shared in the Eucharist.
Today, the elements are set out on the credence table here in the sanctuary as a matter of
convenience. {10:15: Today, representatives of the congregation bring our offerings of bread
and wine forward as the ushers come forward to take up the offering of financial gifts.}
While the offering is being taken up, a deacon typically sets the table, or if there is no
deacon, this is done by a priest. {10:15: Because this takes time to prepare the table for a large
gathering, the choir may sing an anthem, the congregation may sing a hymn or there may be
special music.}
The Altar Guild has prepared the table and set everything needed in its proper place.
Each of the things in this setting has a purpose and a name.
Burse – a flat, square, fabric-covered case in which a folded corporal is carried to and from the
altar.
Corporal – a linen cloth on which the Eucharistic elements are placed. The root of the word
“corporal” is “corpus” which means “body” in Latin, and its name and use come from the
understanding that the bread of the Eucharist becomes the real presence of the body of Christ.
Veil – a cloth that covers the Eucharistic vessels to reverence their special use. The color of the
burse and veil is green which matches my chasuble and stole. Green is the color for Pentecost
which represents life and growth. We’ll talk more about colors and vestments at another time.
Pall – a piece of stiffened linen used to cover the chalice at the Eucharist.
Paten – is a small plate, usually made of silver or gold, used to hold Eucharistic Bread which is to
be consecrated.
Priest’s Host – a large, thin wafer placed on the paten to represent the body of Christ. The word
“host” comes from the Latin word “hostia,” which means “sacrificial victim.”
Chalice – a goblet or footed cup to hold the wine in the Eucharist. The word comes from Latin
and Greek words for cups used at banquets and other special events.
This is the corporal. The Altar Guild sets it down for me before worship begins. It has an
embroidered cross on the side facing the priest. It is ironed and folded in thirds in both directions
so that when it is taken up after worship none of the crumbs of the bread representing the body of
Christ are dropped.
Now the table is set. The bread is first. Communion host is placed in a vessel called a
ciborium, a Greek word referring to a covered cup. The ushers count how many communicants
are present and bring the count forward with them at the offertory. The priest and server place
the proper amount of bread in the ciborium.
The server then brings the wine to the table for the priest to pour into the chalice. The
server also brings water, and the priest adds water to the wine. Water is added to the wine for
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two reasons. First, it is a sign that we, with Jesus, have in our own humanity a share in God’s
divinity. Before I take the cruet of holy water from the server, I ask this blessing over it:
“By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who
humbled himself to share in our humanity.”
Second, Scripture tells us that when the soldiers found Jesus had already died on the
cross, one of them pierced his side with a spear, “bringing a sudden flow of blood and water,”
which is recorded for us in John 19:34. Our sins are covered by the shed blood of Jesus Christ,
and Scripture tells us that his blood was mixed with water.
When the table has been prepared, the priest washes his hands. The server brings the
cruet of holy water, a lavabo, and a towel. The lavabo is a bowl, and the word comes from the
Latin meaning, “I shall wash.” The tradition of washing signifies a ritual of purification before
the priest leads the assembly in the prayer of consecration. In the earliest years of the Church
when the gifts of the people included fresh fish and live chickens in addition to the bread and
wine it also served a very practical role. When many of us were sick with flu last year, we added
disinfectant to this part of the ritual for a few weeks.
As I wash my hands, I pray this prayer:
“Lord, wash me with this water and I shall be clean; wash me with your grace and I shall
be clean indeed.”
The foundation for the prayer comes from Psalm 26:6-12.
As the offerings are brought forward, we say or sing a doxology of praise. The word
“doxology” is a combination of two Greek words, “doxa” meaning “glory”, and “logia” meaning
“saying of singing.” We bring glory to God through our offerings.
(The doxology is said of sung.)
We will pick up at this point next Sunday with further instruction.