If Baptism happens once in a lifetime, the Eucharist is in the practice of a lifetime. It has been said Baptism is the entrance into the Church and the Eucharist is food that forms and sustains us as we seek to live out our baptism.
Eucharist is from a Greek word meaning “great thanksgiving.” It is a meal of thanksgiving, given freely to us by Jesus. The Eucharist is the sacrament instituted by Jesus the night before he died. He offered bread and wine to his disciples and said, “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood.” He commanded them to do this in his memory.
The Church of the Redeemer follows Jesus’ command by celebrating the Eucharist twice each Sunday (8 am and 10 am) and on Wednesday evenings at 6 pm. The Eucharist is also celebrated most Holy Days.
In the Eucharist the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Jesus, and we are transformed into the Body of Christ. We become what we eat. Nourished with Christ’s Body and Blood, we are sent forth to the world, to be his body. In the world we are his hands and feet, doing his work of love and justice.
It is the practice of the Episcopal Church that all who are baptized (no matter in what tradition or church) are welcome to receive the Eucharist.