Gathering at the table

The carols are still ringing – and the light still shines.
We come to the table of God-with-us.

Love is being born among us – in holy moments and in ordinary ones,
in celebration and in quiet.
Teach us to notice your presence, here and now.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for those who feel festive,
but a home for those who feel tender.
Not a prize for the certain,
but bread for those who come as they are.

We come with gratitude and need.
We come for gentleness, courage, and hope.

The Peace

Peace is sung into the world – and peace is practised in our lives.
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 steady light and faithful love.
You meet us in the bright moment,
and you stay with us in the slow unfolding –
in learning and growing,
in questions and discoveries,
in the quiet work of becoming.

You are present in kitchens and corridors,
in candlelight and crowded rooms,
in hospital wards and family tables,
in church halls and city streets –
in every place where joy is celebrated,
and where longing still lives alongside it.

And so, with all who sing and all who sigh,
with all who keep watch for tenderness,
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.
In Jesus you made a home among us –
not arriving with force,
but growing in human life,
learning, listening, loving,
sharing bread, telling truth,
making space for those pushed aside.

You honour the gladness of those who celebrate,
the tenderness of those who are holding a lot,
the courage of those who keep showing up,
the hope of those who sing through tears.

In Christ, you gather the overlooked,
you dignify the discarded,
you call us into a peace that changes how we live.

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:
steady in love,
gentle in strength,
patient in hope,
brave in compassion.

Where our faith feels small, breathe courage.
Where our joy feels mixed, breathe comfort.
Where our world feels heavy, breathe justice.

Teach us to practise peace in daily choices –
in how we speak,
in how we share,
in how we listen,
in how we welcome.

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 – strength for you.
Peace 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 steady light,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and held us with mercy.

When life feels bright, keep us generous.
When life feels tender or complicated, keep us close.

Send us out to live the Christmas story with courage and kindness –
to practise welcome,
to speak hope,
to seek justice,
to carry peace.
God-with-us,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because everything is settled,
but because love stays close.
We will keep watch for the light. We will practise love. We will make room.