Gathering at the table

We come to be seasoned by grace and lit by love.
We come to the table of Christ – salt and light among us.

God calls us to a faith that feeds the hungry and loosens what binds.
Shape our worship into justice, and our devotion into care.

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

We come with gratitude and need.
We come for courage, for clarity, for a life that shines with love.

The Peace

Peace is not passive – it is love made practical.
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 justice and mercy.
You do not want worship that stays in the room.
You want love that sets tables,
breaks chains,
opens doors,
and shares bread.

You call your people to integrity –
to praise that becomes repair,
to prayer that becomes solidarity,
to faith that becomes care for the vulnerable.

You teach us a wisdom that is not loud or crushing,
but rooted in love –
a wisdom we can learn,
a Spirit we can receive,
a way of life that grows in us.

In Jesus, you call us salt and light –
not to show off,
but to preserve what is good,
to bring flavour to what is bland,
to shine in places where hope has been dimmed.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who long for a world made whole,
with all who practise justice with tenderness,
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 truth with love –
not to shame us,
but to turn us towards life.

Jesus fed the hungry and healed the wounded.
He told the truth to those who exploited others.
He made space for those pushed aside.
He taught us that the heart of faith is love that takes shape.

He did not separate holiness from justice.
He did not separate prayer from compassion.
He did not separate worship from what we do with our money, our power, our time.

He called us salt – to keep what is good from spoiling.
He called us light – to make the way visible.
He called us into a righteousness that looks like mercy,
and a holiness that looks like care.

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 for the world the body of Christ:
honest in truth,
steady in love,
bold in justice,
gentle in strength.

Where hunger is hidden, make us attentive.
Where oppression is normalised, make us brave.
Where people are shamed or excluded, make us welcoming.
Where hope is thin, make us shine.

Teach us to loosen what binds –
debts that crush,
systems that exploit,
habits that harm.
Teach us to share what we have –
bread, time, attention, money, power.
Teach us to shine –
not for praise,
but for the healing of 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.)

Salt of grace – for you.
Light 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 justice and mercy,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and strengthened us with hope.

When we are tempted to settle for empty worship, turn us towards love.
When we are tired of doing good, give us courage for the next right thing.

Send us out to live what we have received –
to share bread,
to loosen what binds,
to practise welcome,
to seek justice,
to shine with love.
God of faithfulness,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because the work is finished,
but because you have been fed for the journey.
We will practise justice. We will carry light. We will make room.