On Good Friday this year, in addition to the evenlng servce at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church, I went to the German language Karfreitag Abendmahl Gottesdienst (Good Friday Communion service) at St. Paul’s United Church of Christ. I am not fluent in German, but I know enough to get by at such an event, especially since the general layout of the service was quite similar to the eucharist in the Episcopal Church, which, however, is not celebrated on Good Friday.

A few notes:

• I liked singing ‘O Sacred Head, Now Wounded’ auf Deutsch (O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden)
• The Kingdom (of God) is das Reich. This appear in the Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer. I know too much 20^th century history to be comfortable hearing that in church.
• The Sermon was the biggest challenge for my poor German. The Preacher spoke about how the cross of Jesus relates to all human evils, e.g. Gaza today, Berlin 1945, Coventry 1940, and other examples. A lot of it I did not get, but it seemed appropriate.
• They used the Apostle’s Creed rather than the Nicene Creed, and it was placed before the sermon.
• The Sursum corda was there, and followed by a proper preface. This in turn was followed by a German Agnus Dei, rather than a Sanctus.
• The Eucharistic prayer, following Martin Luther, was reduced to the Words of Institution (Einsetzungworte). No epiclesis, anamnesis, etc.
• Communion: As we entered the church we were all given a small (<1 inch in all dimensions, sort of like those used for cream in fast food places) sealed cup with a wafer and grape juice(!). The Pastor said the Words of Institution over the bread and chalice in front of him. Then came the Lord’s Prayer (Vater unser)… and the Peace (‘Der Friede des Herrn sei mit euch allen’/‘Friede sei mit dir’) we were all invited to partake of our little cups. No word or gesture suggested that those were also consecrated. This was not satisfying for me, apart from the use of grape juice and the waste of plastic.
• At the end of the service was a series of ancient prayers, what Episcopalians know as the Solemn Collects and use in their Good Friday Liturgy (which is not a eucharist).