Welcome to the Church of the Holy Comforter. We offer the following notes to acquaint
you with our ways of worship and enable you to participate.

Our principle act of worship when we gather as the Church is the Holy Eucharist.
Eucharist is a New Testament word meaning “thanksgiving” and has since ancient times referred
to the sacred meal Jesus gave his followers as a special sign of his continuing presence. This
service is known variously among Christians as: The Divine Liturgy, The Mass, Holy
Communion, and the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Eucharist has two major parts:

The Word of God – consists of readings from the Holy Scripture interspersed with
prayers, hymns, psalms, a sermon and the Creed.

This part of the service, derived from the synagogue worship in which our Lord shared,
focuses on the recounting of God’s mighty acts among his people. The New Testament church
added its own readings to the Old Testament accounts, crowning them with a reading from the
Gospels. Since the Gospels contain the most vivid pictures of Jesus’ words and acts, readings
from them at the Eucharist are always attended with special ceremony and reverence. The
sermon connects the Scripture and our present experiences. The Creed sums up salvation history
in a testimony of commitment. Our prayers hold before God our day-to-day concerns and
culminate in the Peace – the ancient Christian greeting that expresses our reconciliation with God
and neighbor.

Scriptures at the Eucharist are read in a three-year cycle following the sequence of Our
Lord’s life and covering all the major biblical themes. Each Sunday and holy day highlights a
particular theme.

The Holy Communion – comprising the later half of the service, centers on the
sacramental meal Jesus instituted the night before his crucifixion.

Bread and wine (signs of food and drink basic to our life on earth) and money (the
modern symbol of our livelihood) are presented by the people. In offering these gifts, we are
signifying the offering of ourselves in union with Christ’s perfect once-for-all offering on the
cross.

In “the breaking of the bread” the action of the Holy Spirit transforms our gifts of bread
and wine and through them communicates to us the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We are
thereby renewed and nourished by the Divine Presence and empowered to move back into our
life of ministry and mission as the people of God.

Our worship is a corporate act involving all – clergy and people. To help us participate,
we use the Book of Common Prayer 2019 and The Hymnal. We worship God with our total
selves. Hearing, speaking, seeing, touching, the sense of smell – all have a part. Even our body
posture and gestures give expression to our beliefs and attitudes.

     Standing – expresses praise and homage.
     Sitting – allows attentiveness and reflection.
     Kneeling – denotes humility and penitence.
     Bowing the head – befits honoring the Name of Jesus, the altar, and the cross.
     Bowing the knee – (called genuflection) is a traditional way of reverencing our Lord’s Presence.

     The Sign of the Cross – marks certain points in the service which especially call to mind God’s saving acts.

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