Echoes of the Fathers

In the early Church, the highest form of worship was the Eucharist—the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, also known as the Breaking of the Bread and later the Mass. Early Christians understood the Eucharist as far more than symbolic or fellowship; it was the central act of worship in which they participated in Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice and encountered his real presence.

Scripture readings, preaching, prayer, fasting, and acts of charity all flowed from and culminated in this Eucharistic celebration. Participation in the Eucharist also defined unity and orthodoxy in the Church, as communion was inseparable from baptism and fellowship with the bishop. A unified, universal body fully in communion with one another through Christ and his bride, the Church.  

All the Church Fathers, including Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of the Apostle John, early Fathers like Irenaeus and Justin Martyr speak of the Eucharist as the defining act of Christian worship. For the early Christians, the Eucharist was not simply one devotional practice among many—it was the heart of Christian life and the supreme act of worship. Not a preacher or a pulpit, or a choir or a band, but rather the altar was the center of the worship.

That central focus was there in the Bread of Life discourse John 6:22-71, and the institution of the Lord’s Supper Matthew 26:26-30. It was there when their eyes were opened in the breaking of the bread Luke 24:30-32, when they gathered together on the first day of the week Acts 2:42, Acts 20:7. And it was there when Paul negates any symbolic interpretation when he lays out how eating the bread or drinking the cup in an unworthy manner is leading to sickness and death among them 1 Corinthians 11:23-32.

Coming to the table or altar was, is and remains the New Testament version of the holy of holies. We enter in with great reverence, stillness and awe as we approach the altar. An altar with all its simplicity, and at the same time depth, of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ truly present in the consecrated bread and wine.