The Act of Consecration of Man

What Does It Mean to Be Human?

As machines take over more of our tasks, what will be left for human beings to do?

This may seem an unusual way to begin a leaflet about a church service, yet from ancient times humanity has sensed its connection with the divine – a rhythm of life in which earthly experience can enrich the spiritual world, like a ‘pleasing fragrance before the Lord’. Bringing offerings and sending prayers are among the most ancient of human activities, which no machine could ever replace.

Seeking Christ is a deeply personal journey, yet it can be strengthening to walk that path alongside others. The Communion service, celebrated with consecrated bread and wine since Christ’s time, unites individual paths in a shared act of devotion. In The Christian Community, this celebration is called the Act of Consecration of Man.

Why ‘Act of Consecration of Man’ Instead of Divine Service?

From earliest times, people have gathered before altars to serve the gods – often with a mixture of reverence and fear.

With Christ, the divine became human – not as an ordinary person, but as the Son of God, leading us back to our spiritual origins and to our true humanity.

In The Christian Community, we do not approach the altar in fear, but with a longing to awaken the divine within us. To consecrate the human being is to serve the divine – not through submission, but by intensifying Christ’s presence and deepening our own humanity.

The Sign of the Cross

Throughout the service, the congregation makes the sign of the cross – on the forehead, chin, and heart. The priest makes a larger cross, enclosed within a circle.

The cross symbolises how heavenly forces (the vertical) unite with earthly existence (the horizontal). The priest’s gesture gathers these prayers and directs them towards the divine. The priest’s cross forms the image of a sun-cross, expressing how Christ brought the earth and the sun into a new relationship.

Enclosed in Prayer

The Act of Consecration of Man begins and ends with a seasonal prayer, called the Epistle. This Epistle – literally ‘letter’ – is a message from the angelic world, corresponding to the festival season in which the service is being celebrated.

Listening to the Gospel

The first main step in the Act of Consecration of Man is the reading of the Gospel. Each week, priest and congregation bring Christ’s words and deeds to life – his teaching, his healing, his power to reconcile and transform.

On Sundays, a sermon is usually given. Its task is not so much to explain as to deepen our connection with the Gospel, relating it to personal experience.

What Is the Offering?

The second step is the Offering.

To offer something is to relinquish it. In the service today, we no longer bring material gifts, but the highest forces of the soul: clear thought, heartfelt love, and devoted participation.

When an offering is made in this way, it releases a spiritual power. What we lift up to the divine world returns to us transformed – strengthened, purified, and filled with new life. Through such offering, the divine and the human flow towards one another; we give, and in giving we receive.

The Transformation of Matter

The third step is the Transubstantiation. The bread and wine (in The Christian Community, unfermented grape juice) are lifted up, and we pray that they may become Christ’s body and blood.

How can this be understood?

If taken literally, it might seem strange or even disturbing. If taken merely as a symbol, it would remain only a promise.

We know from experience that our earthly identity is inseparable from our body. For Christ to become present in bread and wine means that his identification with the earth is complete.

The Lord’s Prayer

As in every Christian service, the Lord’s Prayer stands at the centre. It is prayed after the Transubstantiation and gathers the congregation together before Communion. The priest prays it aloud, while the community joins inwardly.

Communion and Membership

The fourth step is Communion – union with Christ.

At the altar, the priest receives the consecrated bread and wine on behalf of the whole community. Through this act, a gathering of individuals becomes a Community in Christ.

Each person may also come forward to receive the bread and the wine individually. The priest touches the cheek with a blessing and speaks Christ’s words of peace.

At this moment, prayer deepens – it reaches not only the soul, but also the body. Every Act of Consecration of Man grafts us onto the vine (John 15), and taking Communion is the deepest expression of this.

Membership in The Christian Community is not defined by doctrine but by participation in the sacraments. One may also choose to join formally by expressing this wish to a priest, often in connection with the Sacramental Consultation (for more information, follow this link).

Written by Claudio Holland.
Edited by Tom Ravetz