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Why do we have to be at church early to have communion? Does the Holy Bible command this? Isn't it better to come late and really pray and meditate than to come early and daydream during the liturgy?

The Divine Liturgy is a spiritual journey of thanksgiving, traveled by your mind, emotions, and all your senses. It is concluded by the ultimate expression of the Holy Eucharist which means Thanksgiving, the Holy Mystery, referred to as communion. Early on, in the beginning of the Liturgy, the priest makes the sign of the cross three times over the bread and wine together.." and says "Bless them, Sanctify them, Purify them and Change them, in order that this bread may indeed become Your holy Body, and the mixture which is in this cup indeed Your precious Blood. And may they become for all of us a partaking, healing, and salvation of our souls, our bodies, and our spirits..." If you are not there, who then is "all of us" that the priest is praying for? From the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, prayers, absolutions, incense, readings (holding a personal message), sermon, declaration of faith recited in the creed, reconciliation prayers, litanies of petitions, requests for mercy, commemoration of saints and the faithful departed, fractions to represent the special occasions for the season, affirmation of faith in the Holy Eucharist, etc., are intertwined with reflections of the life of our Lord in His birth, baptism, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, as well as the institution of the Holy Eucharist. Our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, sent his disciples ahead to prepare or "make ready" the "large furnished upper room" for the Passover. The new covenant followed and was then established and distributed. St. Mary Magdalene rose early and enjoyed declaring the Holy Resurrection. David the Prophet and King prays in Psalm 5 saying "My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up...But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple" (Psalm 5:3,7). Also we read in Proverbs 8:17 "I love them that love me; and those that seek me diligently shall find me." Everyone should reflect on how they are preparing for this awesome gift and opportunity. Is it not likely that you will be distracted regardless of the time you arrive? The answer you are seeking from the Holy Bible is exactly what you are missing by not attending early enough to hear all the readings personally directed at you. Actually, most of what is prayed or recited in the Divine Liturgy, from beginning to end, is directly from the Holy Bible. Therefore, the biblical evidence you are searching for is found in the entirety of this spiritual journey.