The Worship Service at Charleston Presbyterian Church is intentionally shaped by the deep wisdom of the ancient Church. The worship service is designed to mirror the phases of the Christian spiritual journey. The ancient Church pictured that journey in four phases. First, “recollection”—realizing who we truly are, as made in the image of God. Second, “purification”—the removal of whatever has defaced that beautiful divine image in us. Third, “illumination”—learning to see the self, nature, and history according to God’s perspective. Fourth, “union”—a growing identification with God’s presence and purpose. The elements and sequence of the ancient worship service mirror this journey. A responsive Call to Worship reminds us who we truly are. A Confession of Sin contributes to our purification. Readings from the Word of God, the pastor’s meditations on the Word, and our recitation of the Apostles’ Creed—these all promote our inward illumination in the truth. Lastly, our growing union with God is experienced through the Lord’s Supper, through praying the Lord’s Prayer, and through
receiving God’s grace in the Benediction and the Peace.
At Charleston Presbyterian Church, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the first Sunday of each month. The part of the service where we partake of the bread and wine has its own beautiful miniature liturgy. Indeed, that special liturgy is actually a condensed version of the entire worship service, with all four dimensions mentioned above: recollection, purification, illumination, and unification. In practice, we can often rush through these thoughtlessly; so let us slow down and dwell in each of these dimensions:
1) The Eucharistic Prayer is, in effect, another Call to Worship: “Lift up your hearts . . . Let us give thanks to the Lord our God . . . ”
2) Then comes another Confession of Sin: “We do not presume to come to this thy table trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies.”
3) The distribution of the bread/wine is, in effect, a visual and tactile retelling of the gospel story—therefore, it functions as the Illumination phase. As Paul specifies, “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26—notice the word “proclaim”).
4) The eating and drinking are also a means of Unification with Christ, or participation in his sacrifice. As Paul writes, “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in
the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16—notice the word “participation”).
I hope that these brief reflections will enrich your experience of the Lord’s Supper!