Public Celebration:

 The public celebration of the Holy Communion Service begins by remembering both the birth and baptism of our Lord through which God manifested Himself to the world. The priest burns incense and censes the Table of Life. The veil is drawn. The bells are rung. The deacons (altar boys) representing the angels holding the sacramental fans representing the six – winged seraphim, proclaiming, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy” chant with the whole congregation. The priest goes around the altar censing.

 The unveiling of the curtain at the beginning of the public celebration signifies the revelation of our Lord through incarnation. At this time sanctuary is the manger; altar is the lap of Mother St. Mary; servers are shepherds; and the congregation represents the whole world.

Another interpretation is that the altar is then the manger, the priest censes and kisses the corners of the altar going around in procession is the coming of the shepherds and the wise men; the deacon (altar server) going in front with a lighted candle is John the Baptist, the forerunner to our Lord; and the whole congregation singing the hymn represents the angels.

The Trisagion:

The Trisagion (Holy art thou O God!) that follows is addressed to our Lord , not to the Trinity.

The tradition is that at the time of the burial of our Lord in the newly erected sepulcher, angels and arch – angels descended from heaven and held the body of the Christ, our Lord one group after another, praising the Lord saying , “Holy art thou, o God ; Hole art thou O Almighty; holy art thou Immortal;” when Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea, and all other followers witnessing the solemn scene , praised along with the angels, saying, “Crucified for us have mercy upon us.” This particular event is recorded and repeated at the very beginning of the holy communion service, and the whole congregation makes the sign of the cross when it recites the prayer. “Crucified for us have mercy upon us.”

Epistles and Gospel Reading:

 Then follows the reading from the Epistles and Gospel where the teaching anf the healing ministry of our Lord is remembered. Reading from the Acts of the Apostles while standing on the right side (north) of the sanctuary, represents, the mission to the Jews and from the Pauline Epistles standing on the left side  (south ) reminds us the mission to the gentiles. The hymn before the Pauline Epistle refers to the Galatians 1:8 ff.

Lectern (Reading Desk):

It is placed at the center to read the days lessons from the Word of Life, the Gospel. This means that the words and deeds of the Lord are continuing all the time, and the Lord is always with us. It also tells us that the Gospel is for all the Jews and the Gentiles alike.

The need for a believing attitude of the congregation is emphasized here in the words of the priest and the response of the congregation before the Gospel reading. The hymn that follows emphasizes the urgency for doing valiant work in the vine yard of the Lord as a result of listening to the Gospel. (Lk. 12:37).

Absolution and Prayers and the Blessing of the Censer :

 After the Gospel reading is the special prayers of absolution for the living and the departed along with offering of incense. Then follows the blessing of the censer which is really the adoration of the Trinity.

 The blessings of the censer stand for service. The altar the divine elements and the people who are present are here honored with the incense. The congregation accepts this by signing the cross and bowing the heads. We believe that as the incense from the censer is going upward, our petitions shall be well – pleasing to God like fragrant incense.

The Creed:

Then the Creed is said emphasizing the need for faith when we celebrate Holy Communion. The creed contains the following fundamental faith and doctrines  of the Church:

1. Faith in one, true, Almighty God.
2. Faith in the Trinity Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
3. Faith in the incarnation of our Lord : his birth, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, second coming and judgment;
4. Faith in the Holy Spirit.
5. Faith in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
6. Faith in the absolution.
7. Faith in the baptism and all other sacraments.
8. Faith in the communion with and intercession of the saints.
9. Faith in the resurrection of the departed; and
10. Faith in the eternal life of the coming world.

 (N.B.: As a matter of principle, a service or a prayer is incomplete without the recitation of the creed).

 The deacon coming all the way down to the other side of the church censing the congregation at the time of the recital of the creed is an old custom to point out the end of the “service for the catechumens”  thereby announcing for their departure , thus preparing the rest of the service entirely for the actual members of the church. Our Lord only selected just the twelve apostles to the Upper Chamber. Thus the whole congregation is being prepared for the sacrificial feast.

( This also reminds us of the coming down of our Lord from heaven to the Earth to save the human kind from the sin.)

 Washing of Hands:

 During this  time , as a symbol of the washing of the feet of the disciples in the Upper room, the priest washes his hands as a final touch of cleansing before the days Holy Eucharist. After this , the priest turns towards the congregation and asks the people to pray for him to accept his oblation. Thereafter he kneels down and prays for him and for the congregation, living and the dead, especially for those whose names are given to be remembered.

 Anaphora of the Faithful:

The service for the faithful begins hereafter. The priest ascends the altar-step, the stepping ladder to heaven (the sacrifice is being done in heaven where angels ascend and descend. ) and says special prayers, that follows the kiss of peace.

 Kiss of Peace:

In the Holy Communion service, there are six special occasions when the priest turns to the congregation and wishes peace to the people by saying, “ Peace be to you all”. This ceremony  corresponds to the sum and substance of the themes explained in verses Mt. 5:24, Jn. 13:34; 14:27; and 2 Cori. 3:12. The priest first kisses the altar and the chain of the censer. Then the deacon kisses the hand of the priest, the altar at both sides of the priest and passes the peace to everybody in the sanctuary and to the congregation with both hands. The whole congregation joins in this action of  “Kiss of Peace” by passing one after another. Thus the peace that comes from God through the priest is distributed. The congregation in response to the announcement of the deacon bows down their heads to receive the blessings of God.

 Celebration of the Shushafo:

 The next ceremony is the celebration of the anaphora veil ( Shushafo). It signifies the revelation of the Lord as the son of God at the time of his public ministry. As the Holy Spirit descends upon our Lord, the same Holy Spirit comes down on the Holy Mysteries at this time when the priest lifts and waves the Shushafo over the holy mysteries.

The Apostolic Benediction ( 2 Corinthians. 13:14) that follows reminds the voice from heaven on the Mount of Transfiguration, and also at the river Jordan ( Mt. 3: 16-17)

Lifting up of Prayers:

When the priest lifts up his hands for prayers, he is offering the needs of the congregation and requesting for God’s grace to be handed down. Here he is also identifying himself with the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, where His hands were outstretched. Now the heaven is opened and is about time for our Lord to come down upon the Holy Mysteries when the priest asks the congregation to lift up their hearts to heaven. This reminds the occasion of the blessing of the bread by our Lord. (Mt. 14:19; Mk. 6:14; Luke. 9:16) We see our Lord on the right hand of the father when we raise up our eyes to heaven (Acts 7: 55 -56).

The waving of hands over the bread and the wine signifies the coming down of the Holy Spirit in the for of a dove.(Lk. 3:22). Thus the priest and the congregation along with the angels praise and worship the Lord at the same time.

Institution:

After this, the priest narrates what ever our Lord did, and blesses the bread and wine by signing cross over them thus they becoming the Body and the Blood of our Lord.

There are theories like Capharnaism, Transsubstantiation ( Roman Catholics), the Theory of Mystery  ( Orthodox Church) Con – substantiation ( Martin Luther). Figurative ( Swingly), Receptionism ( Martin Bucer), Spiritual Presence ( Calvin), and Virtualism ( Cranmer) to explain the real presence of the Lord in the holy communion.We believe in the special presence of the Lord in the altar and in the Holy Communion.

The Invocation of the Holy Spirit:

 This invocation is to transform the offering into the Body and the Blood of our Lord. For this the priest earnestly prays to god three times to answer his prayers by sending the Holy Spirit. ( 1 Kings 18: 36-39).