The Motif of the Eucharist

Interesting how there have been different motifs when it comes to the Eucharist. One is the altar, which makes one think of sacrifice. Another is the passing of the elements across rows of people, each looking straight ahead, suggesting a context of solemnity and minimal interaction. Still another is the Eucharist offered at stations throughout the sanctuary, where people come, take, eat and drink at their own instigation, remaining isolated as individuals and free as choosers.

More and more I am seeing the Eucharist as the table of Jesus, a table around which people may gather. It was given to us as a meal, shared with one another, a sharing that comes at the invitation of Jesus and in which the people look across at one another, meeting the eyes and touching the hands of those who are intimately gathered.

How does the shared meal motif speak into our celebration of the Eucharist? What would that look like in the worshipping life of the church?