Gathering at the table

Salvation shines forth – not far away, but close enough to touch.
We come to the table of God-with-us.

Good news has been spoken to ordinary people, in ordinary places.
We bring our stories – and we come to receive grace.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for the certain,
but food for those who are hungry.
Not a prize for the perfect,
but mercy for those who come as they are.

We come with wonder and weariness, with gratitude and need.
We come for hope, for joy, for justice made real.

The Peace

Glory has come close – and peace is 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 glory and grace.
Your kindness and mercy appear for all.
Your love takes flesh among us.

You bring hope where despair has taken hold.
You bring release where oppression weighs heavy.
You bring joy where fear has darkened hearts.

You meet us in the stable-place and the kitchen-place,
in night shifts and care homes,
in hospital corridors and school gates,
in lonely flats and busy households,
in the places we assume you might not choose.

And so, with all who have whispered thank you in the dark,
with all who have run to share what they have seen,
with angels and ancestors,
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.
You reveal your glory not through dominance,
but through tenderness –
not through spectacle,
but through a child, a manger, a song in the night.

You send ordinary people as witnesses –
shepherds with cold hands and open hearts,
voices that cannot keep quiet,
stories that spill into the streets.

In Jesus you make your home among us.
You show us mercy that restores.
You gather the overlooked.
You honour lives the world treats as disposable.
You open a way of peace that makes room for everyone.

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:
steadfast in mercy,
bright with hope,
generous in welcome,
courageous in truth.

Where despair reigns, bring hope.
Where oppression weighs heavy, bring release.
Where fear darkens hearts, bring joy.

Make your home in our lives.
Renew your world with justice.
Fill your people with wonder –
wonder that notices,
wonder that gives thanks,
wonder that becomes witness.

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 – hope for you.
Joy for the 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 glory and grace,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with mercy,
and filled us again with wonder.

When joy comes easily, make us generous.
When joy feels distant, keep us held without pressure.

Send us out as witnesses in ordinary places –
to speak kindness,
to practise justice,
to carry peace,
to tell the story with our lives.
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 share what we have seen. We will practise welcome. We will carry joy.