Category Archives: +The Breaking of Bread

Holy Communion

An "Egyptian" Eucharistic Prayer

Here is another sample Eucharistic prayer, this time based on ancient Egyptian sources. Opening Dialogue The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give thanks to … Continue reading

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A "Hippolytan" Eucharistic Prayer

Here is a sample Eucharistic prayer based on the Apostolic Tradition and its later adaptations. Opening Dialogue The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them up to the Lord. Let us give … Continue reading

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Can the Blood of Jesus Make You Sick?

I don’t mean this to sound snarky, but I’m seriously confused by stories coming out of places like Palm Beach, Peoria, and Austin that their respective Catholic archdioceses are recommending worshipers not receive the precious Blood of Christ from a … Continue reading

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A Rock and a Roll

I am fairly comfortable with the historic Baptist position on the Lord’s Supper. In other words, I find the way it is observed and talked about in most Baptist churches today to be dismally inadequate. I may not agree with … Continue reading

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Sacramental Journey 4

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? (1 Cor 10:16) It was a shock to … Continue reading

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Sacramental Journey 3

Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial. (Lk 11:2-4) … Continue reading

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On Liturgy and "Relevance"

Do check out this article by Mark Galli at Christianity Today. Galli has recently written a book about the growing attraction some evangelicals feel for traditional Christian liturgy. Here, he summarizes some of why that attraction exists. Some of my … Continue reading

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Christian Worship and the Unbaptized

So far we have seen that the earliest forms of distinctively Christian worship have their origins at the dinner table where a few baptized and committed believers gathered to share a common meal. Furthermore, the evidence strongly suggests this form … Continue reading

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Why Did Eucharist and Agape Diverge?

As yet we have not addressed the most vexing question of all: why did Christians see fit to separate the Eucharist from the agape? Abuses As early as the New Testament itself evidence surfaces that there were abuses connected with … Continue reading

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The Earliest Liturgy: Developments

Patterns of Christian Meals In my previous post, I only discussed Christian meals that have an explicit Eucharistic element. Other sources are ambiguous, and scholars have debated for some time whether certain texts (e.g., the Didache) are describing the Eucharist … Continue reading

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