Gathering at the table

The light still shines – steady, quiet, unafraid of the dark.
We come to the table of Christ – light among us.

The story continues beyond the moment –
love still taking flesh in ordinary days.
Open our eyes to what you are doing now.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for the energised,
but strength for the weary.
Not a prize for the certain,
but grace for those who come as they are.

We come with gratitude and need, with wonder and questions.
We come for mercy, for courage, for hope.

The Peace

Peace is not only sung – it is practised, carried, and shared.
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 wisdom.
In Jesus you come close – not as spectacle, but as presence,
love made visible in human life.

You meet us in questions as well as answers,
in searching as well as finding,
in silence as well as song.
You are with us in the after-days –
when the routines return,
when the family dynamics are still complicated,
when the world is still aching,
and we are learning how to live the good news.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who keep watch for light in ordinary places,
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 speak your Word into the world –
not as a weapon,
but as light,
not as distance,
but as closeness.

In Jesus you made your home among us –
a child in a family,
a body in a world of bodies,
a life among fragile lives.

Jesus welcomed the excluded.
Jesus honoured those the world overlooks.
Jesus fed the hungry and told the truth.
Jesus revealed a love that keeps shining –
a love that does not give up.

This is the mystery we celebrate –
light that endures,
wisdom that becomes mercy,
glory hidden in the ordinary.

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,
wise in compassion,
gentle in strength,
bright with hope.

Where our joy is strong, make it generous.
Where our joy is fragile, make it held.
Where our faith is questioning, make it brave.
Where our world is aching, make us people of mercy and justice.

Open our eyes to your light in ordinary places –
in the kindness we can offer,
in the truth we can speak,
in the welcome we can practise,
in the peace we can carry.

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.)

Christ – light among us.
Grace 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 light and wisdom,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and steadied us with hope.

When our days feel full, keep us grounded.
When our days feel heavy, keep us held.

Send us out to live the Christmas story beyond the moment –
to practise welcome,
to speak truth with kindness,
to seek justice,
to carry peace.
Light of the world,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because everything is finished,
but because the light still shines.
We will keep watch for the light. We will practise love. We will make room.