The Peace

At the Peace the priest says:

“The peace of the Lord be always with you”. (1)

These words remind us of Our Risen Lord’s Easter greeting to his disciples.  And the priest may say:

“Let us offer one another a sign of peace”. (2)

So we turn and greet those near us in the church with a sign of peace and we repeat the words of Jesus, “Peace be with you”.

Peace be with you (Shalom) was an ordinary Jewish form of greeting or farewell.  But before he was crucified, when his enemies were gathering to kill him, Jesus had said to his Apostles “Peace I leave to you; my peace I give to you.  I do not give you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (NRSV, John 14:27).  So the peace which Jesus was talking about was more special than that conveyed by the good wishes of the ordinary Jewish greeting.  His peace was an inward peace which came from his union with God his Father, a lasting peace which is not affected by the troubles and difficulties of life. (3) This is a peace which comes to people who are faithful to Jesus and it assures them of his presence and support throughout their lives. (4)

So when we say “Peace be with you” to other people, it should not be something automatic that we just ‘do’ at that part of the Eucharist.  No, we should look at them and remember that we are saying a prayer for them and are asking God to give them a very special gift.

The Offertory

The Eucharist is something which is done, not said.  It is an action centred on the bread and wine, and that action does not really begin until what is called the Offertory.  This is the point in the service when bread and wine are offered to God by the priest.  The offering is on behalf of the priest and the people.  Everything which has gone before – the Prayers of Penitence, the Gloria, the Collect, the readings before the Gospel and the Gospel itself, the Creed and the Intercessions – forms a preparation for the main action.  In fact, you’ll remember that much of the first part of the service, the Liturgy of the Word, comes from the synagogue service that Jesus used to attend in Palestine.

But, as you will also remember, the Last Supper itself began when Jesus took bread at the table; and it is at the Offertory that the priest, in obedience to Jesus’ command, takes bread at the altar.  What follows now is the continuation of the fellowship meals which Jesus held every week with his disciples, until the last one on Maundy Thursday which he left us as a pattern for the Eucharist.

Bringing the bread and wine

At one time the people used to bring their own offering of bread and wine to church, and at the Offertory they went up in single file to the altar where each one put his or her piece of bread in a dish, and poured wine from a little flask into a larger ewer or jug.  In this way the offering of bread and wine presented to God by the priest was the actual offering brought by the people.  In course of time, however, this custom was given up and instead the server, acting for the whole congregation, brought the bread and wine from the credence table and presented them to the priest.  This still happens in some churches, especially at a Said Eucharist.  But today in many churches, during a Sung Eucharist, the bread and wine are brought up to the altar from the back of the church by two members of the congregation.  They come up in an Offertory procession during the singing of the Offertory hymn.

The significance of bread and wine

The bread which we use is unleavened, that is, made without yeast, because Jesus used unleavened bread at the Last Supper.  It is made in the form of a wafer from the finest flour.  The first reason why Jesus chose bread and wine as the offerings for the Eucharist is that they were the ordinary everyday food of those days.  Wine was the commonest drink at that time because tea was unknown.  As for bread, everyone had that, just as today we all have it in our houses.  As bread and wine could be found everywhere, so the Eucharist could be held in every place where there was a bishop or priest.

And the second reason for Jesus’ choice of bread and wine is this: in a very natural way they represent our life and work, what we are and what we do.  It is food and drink which keep us alive, and so at the Eucharist the bread and wine stand for our lives.  And as food and drink are the chief things we work for, so they also stand for our work.  That is why we offer bread and wine, not corn and grapes.  Corn and grapes grow wild, but bread and wine are the work of human hands. 

At the Offertory, therefore, when we offer the bread and wine to God, we also offer to him ourselves, what we are and what we do, and all our life of the week that is to come.

Wine mixed with water

The priest pours the wine into the chalice – the silver cup – and adds a little water.  This is because Jesus, following the custom of the time, mixed water and wine at the Last Supper.  But it also has a meaning and shows that, when we offer ourselves to God, we desire to be united with him as the water is mixed with the wine.

Incensing

In some churches where incense is used, the offerings of bread and wine are now incensed, and after them the altar itself, the priest, the servers, the choir and lastly the people, so that all are solemnly set apart for the worship of God.

Lavabo

Immediately after the Offertory, the server pours water over the priest’s fingers.  This is called the Lavabo which is the Latin for the first words of a verse in Psalm 26 which the priest says at the same time, “I will wash my hands in innocency, O Lord: and so will I go to thine altar”.  The meaning of the Lavabo is that we must be pure in heart to approach God.

At the Offertory, therefore, with our offering of bread and wine we also offer ourselves to God, in our work and in our play, to belong entirely to him.  When the priest raises in offering, first the paten or silver plate with the wafer bread upon it, and then the chalice containing the wine, we can think of what St Augustine the Great said, “…there you are on the table (altar), there you are in the chalice…” (our emphasis). (5)

SUMMARY

1. The Offertory is that part of the Eucharist when the bread and wine are brought to the altar and offered to God.

2. As food and drink keep us alive, and are the first things we work for, so the bread and wine represent our life and work, what we are and what we do.  With the bread and wine, therefore, we also offer ourselves and our lives to belong to God.

3. St Augustine the Great reminds us that at the Offertory we are on the altar, and we are in the chalice.

References

1. ©The Archbishops’ Council (2000) Common Worship.  The Order for the Celebration of Holy Communion also called The Eucharist and The Lord's Supper. Order One.  Available from:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/commonworship/texts/hc/orderone.html  (Accessed 25 August 2010) (Internet)

2. ©The Archbishops’ Council (2000) Common Worship.  The Order for the Celebration of Holy Communion also called The Eucharist and The Lord's Supper. Order One.  Available from:
http://www.cofe.anglican.org/worship/liturgy/commonworship/texts/hc/orderone.html  (Accessed 25 August 2010) (Internet)

3. Temple, W. (1950) Readings in St John’s Gospel (First and Second Series), London: Macmillan and Co Limited.

4. Wright, T. (2004) John for everyone.  Part 2,  London: SPCK.

5. Augustine the Great (5th century) Sermon 229, cited by Dix. G. (1945) The shape of the liturgy, Westminster: Dacre Press.