The earliest description of Christian worship says of the first believers that
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts of the Apostles 2.42
For as long as Christian communities have existed, they have followed the example of Jesus in breaking bread and drinking wine together to make his presence known among them.
Worship at St Stephen’s is offered with beauty and nobility, with glorious music from our professional choir at the Solemn Mass and the singing of traditional hymns. But at the same time, it is not radically different from the celebrations Christians have conducted from as early as the second and third centuries: We gather together in Christ’s name, we acknowledge our sins and our dependence on God’s mercy, we listen to Scripture and find in it direction and purpose for our lives, we pray for the needs of the world, we receive Christ’s presence into ourselves through the sacrament of his body and blood, we are sent into the world to live as Christ’s disciples.
At the Sunday Solemn Mass here sight, sound and even smell are different, set apart, engaging all our senses and reminding us that in worship we offer our whole selves to God as a living sacrifice of praise.