Sending Out Prayer

Near the end of every Communion service, we say a prayer that has become so familiar to me that I often forget how significant it is: “Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ…” I bet many of you also know that prayer by heart. If you prefer the early service or grew up with the 1928 prayer book, you may have the Rite I version committed to memory. Regardless, I think the post-communion prayer is a rich and important theological statement, and I want to spend some time this summer thinking about it.

One way I want to do that is by changing it up. If you came to the 8:45 a.m. service either of the last two Sundays or came to the 11:00 a.m. service last Sunday, you noticed that we are saying a different post-communion prayer: “Almighty and everliving God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ…” Although its unfamiliarity is part of my strategy, this is not an effort in change for change’s sake. It is an invitation to us to bring renewed intention to the words we say after Holy Communion.

In the 1979 prayer book, we have two choices for the Rite II post-communion prayer. Every church I have ever been a part of has used the first option almost exclusively. Occasionally, when visiting another church, I stumble through the words of the second option, shocked to find that there are churches out there which make that version their preferred prayer. At St. Paul’s, I have a vague recollection that we have used the other prayer a few times since I have been your Rector, but it has only been occasional. Yet, when I read the words of that version, I find in them a focus and clarity that speaks directly to my heart’s desire in that moment of worship. Here are both versions in their entirety:

Here are both versions in their entirety:

Eternal God, heavenly Father
you have graciously accepted us as living members
of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ,
and you have fed us with spiritual food
in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.
Send us now into the world in peace,
and grant us strength and courage
to love and serve you
with gladness and singleness of heart;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everliving God,
we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food
of the most precious Body and Blood
of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ;
and for assuring us in these holy mysteries
that we are living members of the Body of your Son,
and heirs of your eternal kingdom.
And now, Father, send us out
to do the work you have given us to do,
to love and serve you
as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.
To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Both prayers more or less say the same thing. They are a statement of gratitude for what God has done and a request that God will help us with what lies ahead. As such, the post-communion prayer is a pivotal moment in our liturgy. It takes all that we have experienced in the Holy Eucharist—reconciliation, reunion, peace, oneness—and asks God to channel it into the work that we are sent forth to do—to love, to serve, to bear witness, to remain faithful. It would be a shame for us to say those words every Sunday and not feel them animating us for the week ahead.

I think the second version, which is closer to the post-communion prayer from Rite I, makes explicit some of what the first version implies. For example, although both mention that we are “living members” of Jesus Christ, the second states that it is through “these holy mysteries” that we are assured of that union. The first gives thanks to God for accepting us in that way, but, in the second, the physical, sacramental connection between our receiving of the Body and Blood of Jesus and our becoming one with him is more clearly expressed.

Similarly, both prayers envision that God’s people are being sent out to do faithful work and to stay in right relationship with God, but the second prayer adds a layer of evangelism to that work: “to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ.” That may be understood in the first prayer’s line about loving and serving God “with singleness of heart” (a phrase I love!), but I appreciate the clarity of the commission that we receive every time we share Communion.

In a sense, the sending out is always the focus of our eucharistic worship. In the Roman Catholic tradition, the common name for the liturgy is “the Mass,” which comes from the Latin word missio, or “the sending.” Although I prefer to call our liturgy the “Holy Eucharist” or “Holy Communion,” many Episcopalians still call it “the Mass,” and I appreciate that verbal connection with the outward-looking focus of our worship. Communion with God and each other in the bread and wine made holy is never about staying put. We come to church to be nourished in our union with Christ as Christ’s Body in order that we might go forth and carry out the work of Christ’s hands and feet in the world. When we pay attention to it, the post-communion prayer helps us remember that.

In our eucharistic liturgy, there are many components which are optional, but the post-communion prayer is not one of them. If you look through the pages of the prayer book and pay attention to the rubrics (i.e the italicized text), you will see that things like the Collect for Purity, the Psalm, the Confession, and even the Blessing may be omitted, but not the post-communion prayer (or the dismissal). Every time we receive Holy Communion, we are asked to remember why, and the prayer we say helps us do that. 

I must confess that I have a hard time saying the words of the “Almighty and everliving God” version of the post-communion prayer. I do not have them committed to memory, and I stumble through them every time. For those of who normally say the entire liturgy without looking at a bulletin or a prayer book, being forced to read the words is like being asked to start all over as an Episcopalian. Maybe that is the point. Maybe I need to hear these words and say them as if they were brand new to me. Maybe you do, too.

Yours faithfully,

Evan D. Garner