At the consecration in every Eucharist we are reminded that Christ's blood is the blood of the new and eternal covenant made by Christ as priest. The celebration of this covenant follows the traditional format that can be traced back, not only to the Mosaic Covenant and that of Abram, but to a much older ceremony that was created by the Hittites almost four thousand years ago. Our Eucharistic liturgy is in fact a perfect replica of these ancient covenants. Covenants formed a relationship between two parties - often warring tribes - so that they end up almost as family. There was invariably a priest, a set of rules - the covenant terms - and a sacrificial animal, whose flesh provided the centre-piece of the covenant meal and whose blood sealed the covenant. Unfortunately, in the past, the Mass was most often seen as either a meal or a sacrifice. However, when we understand the structure of a covenant celebration, it becomes clear that the Eucharist as Covenant must by its nature contain both meal and a sacrifice.And so, the ultimate aim of this work is to enable those who celebrate Eucharist to see the significance of each act of the liturgy as part of a covenantal drama, whereby we become God's adopted children and in which we, as community take an active part. Since this covenant was established between God and all his people, of all ages, of every tribe and every nation, there is an ecumenical aspect connected with the development of Eucharist as covenant that should hopefully bring all Christians closer together as they study its implications for family unity, with God as our Father and Jesus as our brother, through the power of the Spirit.
