Jeff has some helpful thoughts here.

I find the analogy of the Church as a body to be an exceedingly fruitful one, particularly in this area. Whilst I lay no claim for a biblical basis for the following sub-analogies, I do find them quite helpful in my own thinking. The Lord’s Day worship of the assembled people of God is akin to a heartbeat. This heartbeat centres on the celebration of the Eucharist. However, the heart does not beat for its own sake alone, but so that the life of Christ might circulate throughout the whole of the body, in all of its parts. The beating heart of the Eucharist will do us little or no good if our lives in whole or in part are cut off from the blood supply of the body of Christ during the week. Whilst all of life is related to worship, there is something unique about the Lord’s Day assembly of the people of God.

The preached Word of God can be compared to nerve signals that give instruction to the various parts of the body and which direct the expression of the life received in the Eucharist. It could also be compared to the breaking down and digesting of food received from the head to sustain the members of the body.