Gathering at the table

Light has come – love has drawn close.
We rejoice in God-with-us.

The Word takes flesh. Glory shines. Peace breaks into the world.
Where there was darkness, bring light. Where there was fear, bring joy.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a performance for the impressive,
but a home for the weary.
Not a reward for the certain,
but bread for those who need grace.

We come as we are – held, welcomed, and fed.

The Peace

In the night, a song of peace was sung over the earth.
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.

(Share peace in ways that honour boundaries – words, a nod, a wave, a hand on heart.)

The Great Thanksgiving

The Spirit is here.
The Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the God of love.

Let us give thanks to the Holy One.
It is right to give thanks and praise.

It is right, and a joyful thing,
to give you thanks, God of light and love.
You choose closeness. You make a home among us.
You come not through dominance, but through tenderness –
love made visible and vulnerable.

You meet us in ordinary life:
in breath and body, in relationship and need,
in kitchens and hospitals, doorways and shelters,
in carols and quiet, in laughter and tears.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with shepherds and strangers,
with all creation singing for joy,
we sing the song of heaven:

Holy, holy, holy One,
breath of all that lives, fire of all that loves,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the One who comes to heal and to set free.
Hosanna in the highest.

Thanksgiving and story

Blessed are you, Holy One.
In Jesus you entered our human story –
held in human arms,
born into ordinary life,
so that no one is too small, too overlooked, too ordinary for grace.

You came with good news for all people.
You gathered the scattered.
You welcomed the excluded.
You honoured those the world treats as disposable,
and you made dignity contagious.

This is the mystery we celebrate:
heaven and earth meeting in shared humanity,
love taking shape among us.

Words of Institution

On the night before he gave himself for us,
Jesus took bread;
he gave thanks, broke it, and said:
“Take, eat. This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”

When the meal was ended,
he took the cup;
he gave thanks, and said:
“Drink from this, all of you.
This is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many,
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.”

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Prayer of the Spirit

Pour out your Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and cup.
Make them for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be the body of Christ:
gentle in strength,
steady in mercy,
radiant with hope.

Where there was fear, bring joy.
Where there was silence, bring song.
Where there was darkness, bring light.

Be born in us again this day.
Shape our lives into welcome.
Turn our worship into justice.
Let our tenderness become courage,
and our joy become shared bread for the world.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours,
God of promise and presence,
now and always.
Amen.

The Prayer Jesus taught

As Jesus taught us, we pray:
(Use your community’s preferred wording/version.)

Breaking the bread

We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.

The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.

Sharing the bread and cup

(Words such as these may be used during the distribution.)

God-with-us – for you.
Light for your journey.

(If people receive a blessing instead of the elements: “May Christ be close to you; may love hold you.”)

Prayer after Communion

God of light and love,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and strengthened us with peace.

When we are joyful, keep us generous.
When we are tired or aching, keep us held.
Send us out with wonder that notices the ordinary,
and love that takes flesh in daily choices –
kindness, welcome, justice, truth.
Glory to you, God-with-us,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because everything is simple,
but because love has come close.
We will carry light. We will practise welcome. We will share joy.