In this post I further explain the sacramental doctrine of the 1552 Prayer Book and provide an example of the form of prayer that might be used before the communion of the people in a modern service of the Lord’s Supper embodying its sacramental doctrine.
By Robin G. Jordan
As I wrote in yesterday’s article the form of prayer that precedes the communion of the people in the 1552 Communion service is not a consecratory formula. Implicit in the form is the assumption that when Jesus took bread and a cup of wine at the Last Supper and gave them a new purpose as symbols and tokens of his suffering and death on the cross, he consecrated, or set apart, bread and wine for this purpose until his coming again in glory. Since Jesus has dedicated bread and wine to this purpose when he instituted the Lord’s Supper, we do not need to rededicate them to this purpose with prayer when we use them for this purpose as he commanded. Indeed a priest saying a prayer of consecration over bread and a cup of wine is redundant. It serves no purpose other than to infer that God cannot use bread and a cup of wine as an expression of his grace without assistance from ourselves. Such an assumption is a denial of the sovereignty and omnipotence of God. While God may choose to act through human beings, he is not bound to do so. While pastor and teacher are listed among the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, consecrator of sacraments and dispenser of sacramental grace is not on any of the lists of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Yet a whole system of thought and practice has been built on the idea that a priest is a consecrator of sacraments and dispenser of sacramental grace, an idea which is not found in Scripture even in a rudimentary form. In fact the idea is contrary to what Scripture teaches. The recognition of this fact accounts for Archbishop Cranmer’s rejection of the medieval Catholic sacramental system and for the particular forms of prayer that he uses before the communion of the people in the 1552 Communion service and the baptism of an infant in the 1552 Baptism service.
The form of prayer that Archbishop Cranmer used before the communion of the people in the 1552 Communion service contains an element of praise and thanksgiving in the form of the Sursum Corda, the preface, the proper prefaces and the Sanctus, an intercessory element in the form of the prayer for worthy reception and the prayer for the inward grace of the sacrament, and a commemorative-didactic element in the form of the commemoration of Christ’s salvific work and the institution narrative (or words of institution). The institution narrative doubles as the biblical warrant for what follows—the communion of the people.
When compared with the prayers before the communion of the people in the early Lutheran and Reformed rites the form of prayer before the communion in the 1552 Communion service is relatively short. As in the prayers in these rites, it contains no reference to any sacrifice other than Christ’s. The prayer for the inward grace of the sacrament makes clear that bread and wine undergo no change but remain bread and wine.
Any form of prayer for use before the communion of the people in a modern service of the Lord’s Supper embodying the 1552 Prayer Book’s sacramental doctrine should incorporate these elements.
To the aforementioned elements, I have added a participatory element in this example of such a form of prayer. I believe that the participatory element is compatible with the 1552 sacramental doctrine.
The minister standing at the table, facing the people across the table says
Lift up your hearts,
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Always and everywhere, it is right for us to praise you, Lord, holy Father, mighty Creator and eternal God.
On certain days a special preface (see A Service of Holy Communion for the North American Mission Field ) is said here.
Therefore, with all those gathered around your throne in heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, in words of never-ending praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Glory to you, Lord most high.
or
Holy, holy, hold Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
We give you thanks, heavenly Father, for your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, who by his death on the cross and rising to new life offered the one true sacrifice for sin, and obtained an eternal deliverance for his people.
Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive praise and honor, and glory and power, for ever and ever!
Hear us, merciful Father, and grant that we who receive these gifts of your creation, this bread and this wine, according to our Savior’s command in remembrance of his suffering and death, may share his body and blood.
Renew us in your service, Father, and help us to love one another as members of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As Jesus’ words of institution are said, the minister breaks the bread and takes hold of the cup before all the people.
On the night before he died, Jesus took bread, and when he had given you thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat. This is my body given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
After the meal, he took the cup, and again giving you thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Drink from this, all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’
The minister may say
Come let us eat and drink in remembrance that Christ died for us, and feed on him in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
The minister and those assisting give the bread to each person, saying within the hearing of each person,
The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for you, preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.
or
Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.
The minister and those assisting give the cup to each person, saying within the hearing of each person,
The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was shed for you, preserve your body and soul to everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.
or
Drink this in remembrance that Christ’s blood was shed for you, and be thankful.
If the Lord’s Prayer has not been said earlier in the service, it may be said here.
The minister leads the people in this prayer of thanksgiving and dedication.
Lord and heavenly Father, in your loving kindness, accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Grant that by the merits and death of your Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we and your whole church may receive forgiveness of our sins and all other benefits of his passion. With gratitude for all your mercies, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.
All of the textual material used in this example and the accompanying rite and post-communion thanksgiving is adapted from Common Prayer: Resources for Gospel-Shaped Gatherings. I would appreciate feedback from anyone who gives this form of prayer a trial.
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