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HOUSE
CHURCH....
what is it, how does it work and is it for me?
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A church gathering in a house is as old as Christianity itself. In the beginning
there were no custom built churches, Christians met together in each others’ homes. Only later,
much later, were special buildings put aside for the worship of God through the Reading of the Word and for the Celebration
of the Eucharistic Liturgy. Over the centuries there has been much change in the shape of church
buildings. There are great buildings, cathedrals and basilicas, all over Europe and Asia minor which
have been embellished according to the local culture. Some have remained as working places of worship
and some have fallen into ruin. There are also much smaller buildings and we have all come to know
and love our particular church building, as is the case at St James’, Holburn Junction. In
more recent years local churches like ours are known only to the few who attend regularly. In today’s
world, church buildings have become strange and mysterious places to the many who pass by. Our
doors are often securely shut for most of the week. The windows are high up and filled with stained
glass so that the passer-by cannot see in. The seating is wooden pews that are not particularly inviting
and somewhere in the distance is an altar and candle sticks and a large musical instrument called an organ.
The music used during the services is also remote from most people’s experience and some of it is difficult to
sing unless you are very musical.
What we offer now as ‘church’ has come a long way from those early gatherings in each others’
homes to read the word of God, celebrate a simple meal of bread and wine, say prayers together and have
friendly fellowship around a table. But at St James’ in recent months we have tried
to get back to those early origins, not in place of our Sunday worship in ‘the church’, but alongside that style
of worship to recover a sense of how it all began.We gather on a weekday evening around
a table, usually in the kitchen. We begin by sharing any news or anything that we have experienced
during the past few days. We then say some simple prayers from a liturgy specially designed for this style
of service. It’s called ‘This Meal We Share’, a title which says it all.
The language is simple but profound, as words in worship should be. We take turns reading
verse by verse a short passage of scripture, usually from the gospel for the week. We pause and think
about what it means to us and then we pray together. Not everyone wants to say prayers aloud, so
there is time for silent prayer. Then the priest takes the bread and wine and consecrates it to signify
Christ’s presence in that Bread and Wine as we gather as His Body now on earth. The bread
is provided by the host of the house we are in and the wine is usually from the local supermarket.
It’s common bread and common wine, just as it would have been in the early days. The gathering rarely goes much beyond the hour.
This is a simple gathering and we welcome all of you who read this to join us.
For more information contact:
Revd Max on 01224321714 or
email max.stjames@btinternet.com
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