The celebration of the Eucharist is not a private devotion but rather a communal gathering much like a family meal. We come together at the same time and in the same place so that we can take part in a common action. We open with a ceremony of pardoning, a way to unburden ourselves of past offenses so that we can rejoice in one another's company. Later we will share a sign of peace and reconciliation. We don't sit and read the Bible quietly to ourselves but rather listen to it proclaimed to us as a community. We follow this with a public proclamation of our communal faith. We then gather around the table of the Lord for our family meal. As we prepare to eat our meal, we pray the Lord's Prayer, the prayer that has identified and united Christians for centuries. The actual partaking of the food is referred to as “communion,” a joining together of the members of the community, not only with their God but also with each other. Our celebration closes with a charge to go forth as a community and bring God's love to the world.