Celebrating Holy Communion: The Working Group on the Place and Practice of Holy Communion

‘Celebrating’ and ‘Holy Communion’ are not always used in the same sentence about what can be a solemn and awe-inspiring ceremony. But it is important to acknowledge that there is joy in believing. Death has been overcome and there is a new creation. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper draws us, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, into a feasting where our sinful past must be laid aside and the life of the reign of God fully anticipated. This book has been written both for ministers and people in the congregations of the Church of Scotland. Its aim is to unpack the riches contained within the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper and offer material that can help to energise and deepen consciousness of how the body of Christ - which is the Church - is an engagement of all playing their respective parts, to the glory of God. Celebrating Holy Communion is a full commentary on one characteristic order for the celebration of Holy Communion in the Church of Scotland. Each section includes material to prompt and encourage discussion among ministers and also among congregations. We may never aspire to comprehend what is at the heart a mystery - the gift of God beyond our understanding. But this book is offered as a practical tool for the Church's mission in which there is a treasured place for the Sacrament. Through its focus on the Lord’s Supper, it enables all to engage with the nature, health and renewal of our local Church communities.