Every week there are at least two services of Holy Communion in St Laurence’s. For many people these are always special events because they are times when they can remember what Jesus did two thousand years ago. For most of us, however, the Communion Service can often be a confusion of prayers and actions which don’t mean very much!

Over the next few months we’re going to look at some of the important building blocks of the service and try to work out why they’re there...

When the first Christians met together for worship they would normally spend the first half of the service reading from the Bible "for as long as time allowed". The leader of the community would then speak about the readings and try to explain them.

After a while most churches decided that it would be more practical to have just three readings: one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament and one from the Gospels. The address by the leader became a Sermon from a priest or bishop and our standard service was born!

The Ministry of the Word: The first part of the service is often called "The Ministry of the Word" to distinguish it from the second part of the service when we remember Jesus by breaking bread and sharing wine. This part of the service is often called "The Ministry of the Sacrament" (more on this another week!)

The two parts of the service are linked together in an important way. In the first part of the service we listen to the Word of God being read and someone helps us to think about it. In the second we respond with actions which show our thanks and praise. Many of our services are structured in this way with a pattern of Word and Response - watch out for it in future - you’ll be surprised how often it happens!

Standing up: In the earliest churches people usually stood to pray - often for most of the service! In many Orthodox churches today you will often see people standing in services which can sometimes last for hours...

Many years ago in this country people probably stood in church far more than they do now. When St Laurence’s was built there were probably no pews or chairs, but there might have been benches along the walls for the elderly or infirm to sit on. This is the origin of the modern phrase "the weakest go to the wall".

Today we usually sit for a large part of the service, and we normally sit for the readings, with one important exception...

The Gospel Reading: The Gospel reading is an important part of a Communion Service. Other readings may be left out but the Gospel is always read when Communion is to take place. This is because the Gospels are the "good news" about Jesus - that’s what the word Gospel means! In the second part of the service we celebrate that good news with bread and wine. It’s the Gospel reading that links these two parts of the service together.

Because the Gospel reading is so special, many churches mark it with particular actions. In churches like St Mary’s, "the Gospel Book" is usually carried in procession and incense wafted over it. The Gospel is usually read by a priest or deacon rather than by a member of the congregation. Not everyone finds these things helpful - but they are worth seeing if you’ve never experienced them before...

In St Laurence’s, like many Anglican churches, our usual custom is to stand for the Gospel Reading as a mark of our respect.

On special occasions we might introduce it with a "Gospel Acclamation" containing the Hebrew word Alleluia - "Praise the Lord!"