Celebrant Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People It is right to give him thanks and praise. Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Every culture shares some form of a common meal.
The common meal is an opportunity for fellowship, story sharing and thanksgiving. People eat together, sharing food and stories with another, and through this sharing they are bound closer together into family, clan, tribe, community, or church. The Holy Eucharist is the common meal of the Christian community. It is known as Holy Communion, the Lord's Supper, and Eucharist. The Great Thanksgiving begins with prayers similar to the Jewish prayers used at their sacred meals.