	Companion to Communion
	I was recently asked to write a short explanation of what the Holy Communion service is all about. As a result I wrote a leaflet, entitled Companion to Communion. Here is the text of the leaflet, particularly for those who have not had a chance to read it, interspersed with my comments. The Holy Communion service is central to Christian worship. Different Christian traditions have celebrated Communion throughout the Christian centuries, because Jesus said to his followers, Do this in remembrance of me. This leaflet is designed for those who are new to the Communion service and those who have come for many years. These brief notes might make you want to find out more, for example by reading a book about Communion. In the third paragraph I have tried to explain how the Communion service is a vital part of God’s total purpose for us—from the beginning to the end of time. The Holy Communion reminds us of what God, through Jesus, has done, is doing now and will do in the future. God prepared people for the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament; he worked through the teaching and healing power of Jesus the man; and he assures us that when we put our trust in Jesus, evil is being destroyed and will one day be no more. A time is coming, and is already partially here, when all who believe in him will enjoy true and eternal fellowship in God’s love and light and peace. In the middle of that last paragraph there are the words when we put our trust in Jesus. I added those words to the original leaflet because someone asked me, What evidence is there that evil is being destroyed? People seem to be getting more greedy and selfish, not less. I can only respond that when we put our trust in Jesus, we know that evil is being destroyed in us. We find ourselves wanting to seek peace, to seek hopeful solutions to problems and so on. The first half of this worship centres on the Bible and preaching; the second half centres on the blessing and sharing of the bread and wine. This is an act of worship which we all do together. I have been struck by the number of people who have said to me that this was the first time they realised that the Communion service has this structure. The colours for worship—for example on the top altar table in the church—change according to the time of the Church’s year. The ministers usually wear stoles (like scarves) of the same colour. At Christmas and Easter and at other times of rejoicing, we have white and gold; at the times leading up to them—Advent and Lent—we have purple; for times connected with the Holy Spirit—for example, Pentecost—we have red; we also have red when we remember Christians who have died for their faith (known as martyrs). For all other times we have green. These colours brighten our worship and link us to centuries of Christian tradition. They are also used by churches throughout the world, so they link us globally. I often get asked why we have different colours for different times of the Church’s year. I hope that the explanation I have just given will help. I now go on to focus on the actual words we use in the Communion service. The following is the normal pattern for our Sunday 10.15am Holy Communion services. We get into the mood to worship God by singing a hymn, and then we greet each other. Then we pray: Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open … As we do so, we remember that God is always with us, and cares for us more than we can imagine. We now admit to God the things we have done wrong, or the opportunities we have failed to grasp, for example to help someone or to witness to our faith, with the prayer that begins, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you … As we do so, we can confidently accept God’s forgiveness, experience peace and seek to serve him more effectively. The minister says the words of forgiveness, reminding us that it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that we find true forgiveness and peace.	We sing Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people in earth. These words connect us with the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:14) and the hymn develops into a wonderful outburst of praise, reminding us of God’s great glory and love, of Jesus’ unique self-giving humanity and holiness, and the power of the Holy Spirit. This very ancient hymn connects us with the first Christians. Now comes the part that—after the choice of hymns—gets the most comment: The preacher during the sermon generally explains aspects of the Bible readings, gives us insights as to how the Bible readings are important for us in our daily living, and suggests guidelines about responding to what God is saying to us. When we come to the Creed, I explain in the leaflet two words that are often misunderstood. People have told me that it is helpful to have these words explained. We stand to say the Creed—in other words, what we believe as Christians. It makes clear, for example, that Jesus was fully God and fully human; that we are part of a worldwide (catholic) Church, that gets its teaching and authority from the first followers of Jesus (apostolic). The notices come now as a kind of commercial break before the second half of the worship begins. Before the second half of the service starts, we have the prayers and the sharing of the peace. In the prayers we mention events and people that concern us, and pray in faith for God’s healing power to work. We then share the Peace by greeting each other and offering a handshake or a hug to those around us. During the next hymn the bread and wine and our offering of money are brought to the Communion table. We believe that giving is a vital part of our response to God. In fact, as the prayer after the hymn states, everything we have comes from God, so that we are simply giving back to him what is already his, for the good of his Church and the world. The Communion is based on four actions: We take bread and wine. (During the hymn we have just sung, they are taken to the Communion table.) We give thanks over the bread and wine, asking God to make them special for us in this worship. (The prayer in which we do this is also known as the eucharistic—or thanksgiving—prayer.) As we do so, we also thank God for his greatest gift—that of his Son, Jesus, who gave up his life on the Cross. We break the bread. This reminds us that, although we are many Christians, we are one body of people; it also reminds us that Jesus’ body was broken for our sakes on the Cross. We share the bread and wine. During the Communion we use other prayers—either said or sung—which help to emphasise that we do all this because our great and holy God invites us to. The receiving of the bread and wine helps us to know God’s love, power and forgiveness. We are joined by the children of our church and their leaders, and are reminded that they too have been learning about God and worshipping him in other parts of the building. (All are welcome to come up for Communion. If you don’t want to receive the bread and wine, you are welcome simply to have a blessing.) In the prayer that follows we commit ourselves to work for God after we have gone out of the church building. Our fellowship, for those who can stay, continues over refreshments. As we meet together in this way, we can help to make our Christian faith real to each other. I would like to thank people for their comments on the original leaflet, and invite you to read it if you have not done so already. Martin Collins
	Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. Telephone: 0161-483 6325

Companion to Communion

I was recently asked to write a short explanation of what the Holy Communion service is all about. As a result I wrote a leaflet, entitled Companion to Communion.

Here is the text of the leaflet, particularly for those who have not had a chance to read it, interspersed with my comments.

The Holy Communion service is central to Christian worship. Different Christian traditions have celebrated Communion throughout the Christian centuries, because Jesus said to his followers, Do this in remembrance of me.

This leaflet is designed for those who are new to the Communion service and those who have come for many years. These brief notes might make you want to find out more, for example by reading a book about Communion.

In the third paragraph I have tried to explain how the Communion service is a vital part of God’s total purpose for us—from the beginning to the end of time.

The Holy Communion reminds us of what God, through Jesus, has done, is doing now and will do in the future. God prepared people for the coming of Jesus in the Old Testament; he worked through the teaching and healing power of Jesus the man; and he assures us that when we put our trust in Jesus, evil is being destroyed and will one day be no more. A time is coming, and is already partially here, when all who believe in him will enjoy true and eternal fellowship in God’s love and light and peace.

In the middle of that last paragraph there are the words when we put our trust in Jesus. I added those words to the original leaflet because someone asked me, What evidence is there that evil is being destroyed? People seem to be getting more greedy and selfish, not less. I can only respond that when we put our trust in Jesus, we know that evil is being destroyed in us. We find ourselves wanting to seek peace, to seek hopeful solutions to problems and so on.

The first half of this worship centres on the Bible and preaching; the second half centres on the blessing and sharing of the bread and wine. This is an act of worship which we all do together.

I have been struck by the number of people who have said to me that this was the first time they realised that the Communion service has this structure.

The colours for worship—for example on the top altar table in the church—change according to the time of the Church’s year. The ministers usually wear stoles (like scarves) of the same colour. At Christmas and Easter and at other times of rejoicing, we have white and gold; at the times leading up to them—Advent and Lent—we have purple; for times connected with the Holy Spirit—for example, Pentecost—we have red; we also have red when we remember Christians who have died for their faith (known as martyrs). For all other times we have green. These colours brighten our worship and link us to centuries of Christian tradition. They are also used by churches throughout the world, so they link us globally.

I often get asked why we have different colours for different times of the Church’s year. I hope that the explanation I have just given will help.

I now go on to focus on the actual words we use in the Communion service.

The following is the normal pattern for our Sunday 10.15am Holy Communion services. We get into the mood to worship God by singing a hymn, and then we greet each other. Then we pray: Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open … As we do so, we remember that God is always with us, and cares for us more than we can imagine.

We now admit to God the things we have done wrong, or the opportunities we have failed to grasp, for example to help someone or to witness to our faith, with the prayer that begins, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against you … As we do so, we can confidently accept God’s forgiveness, experience peace and seek to serve him more effectively. The minister says the words of forgiveness, reminding us that it is through the death and resurrection of Jesus that we find true forgiveness and peace.

We sing Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people in earth. These words connect us with the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:14) and the hymn develops into a wonderful outburst of praise, reminding us of God’s great glory and love, of Jesus’ unique self-giving humanity and holiness, and the power of the Holy Spirit. This very ancient hymn connects us with the first Christians.

Now comes the part that—after the choice of hymns—gets the most comment:

The preacher during the sermon generally explains aspects of the Bible readings, gives us insights as to how the Bible readings are important for us in our daily living, and suggests guidelines about responding to what God is saying to us.

When we come to the Creed, I explain in the leaflet two words that are often misunderstood. People have told me that it is helpful to have these words explained.

We stand to say the Creed—in other words, what we believe as Christians. It makes clear, for example, that Jesus was fully God and fully human; that we are part of a worldwide (catholic) Church, that gets its teaching and authority from the first followers of Jesus (apostolic).

The notices come now as a kind of commercial break before the second half of the worship begins.

Before the second half of the service starts, we have the prayers and the sharing of the peace.

In the prayers we mention events and people that concern us, and pray in faith for God’s healing power to work. We then share the Peace by greeting each other and offering a handshake or a hug to those around us.

During the next hymn the bread and wine and our offering of money are brought to the Communion table. We believe that giving is a vital part of our response to God. In fact, as the prayer after the hymn states, everything we have comes from God, so that we are simply giving back to him what is already his, for the good of his Church and the world.

The Communion is based on four actions:

We take bread and wine. (During the hymn we have just sung, they are taken to the Communion table.)

We give thanks over the bread and wine, asking God to make them special for us in this worship. (The prayer in which we do this is also known as the eucharistic—or thanksgiving—prayer.) As we do so, we also thank God for his greatest gift—that of his Son, Jesus, who gave up his life on the Cross.

We break the bread. This reminds us that, although we are many Christians, we are one body of people; it also reminds us that Jesus’ body was broken for our sakes on the Cross.

We share the bread and wine.

During the Communion we use other prayers—either said or sung—which help to emphasise that we do all this because our great and holy God invites us to.

The receiving of the bread and wine helps us to know God’s love, power and forgiveness. We are joined by the children of our church and their leaders, and are reminded that they too have been learning about God and worshipping him in other parts of the building. (All are welcome to come up for Communion. If you don’t want to receive the bread and wine, you are welcome simply to have a blessing.)

In the prayer that follows we commit ourselves to work for God after we have gone out of the church building.

Our fellowship, for those who can stay, continues over refreshments. As we meet together in this way, we can help to make our Christian faith real to each other.

I would like to thank people for their comments on the original leaflet, and invite you to read it if you have not done so already.

Martin Collins

Companion to Communion

Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire. Telephone: 0161-483 6325