Gathering at the table

Glory is revealed – not to impress, but to change us.
We come to the table of Christ – radiant with grace.

A voice speaks: listen.
Open our ears, steady our hearts, and shape our lives.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for those who understand,
but grace for those who are learning.
Not a prize for the fearless,
but bread for those who come as they are.

We come with wonder and need.
We come for light, for courage, for a love that endures.

The Peace

Peace is what glory looks like when it touches the ground.
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 holy mystery and faithful light.
You call your people up the mountain –
into stillness,
into listening,
into a glory that does not crush,
but steadies and sends.

You gave Moses a word and a way.
You wrapped the mountain in cloud and fire.
You taught your people that holiness is not possession,
but encounter –
a meeting that leaves us different.

You speak through prophets and promise-keepers.
You do not leave us without guidance.
You give us a lamp for our feet,
a word that holds when everything shifts.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who listen for your voice,
with all who have glimpsed your beauty,
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 yourself known –
not through force,
but through love that shines.

On the mountain, his face was changed.
His clothes became dazzling.
The disciples were overwhelmed,
not because they were ready,
but because grace is larger than our readiness.

A voice spoke: this is my beloved. Listen.
And when they looked again,
Jesus was there – ordinary and holy,
close enough to touch,
gentle enough to say: do not be afraid.

He did not keep glory for the mountain.
He walked back down into the world’s need,
towards healing, truth, and costly love.

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:
rooted in wonder,
steady in courage,
truthful in love,
bright with mercy.

Where we want to stay on the mountain, send us.
Where we are afraid of the valley, strengthen us.
Where we have stopped noticing, make us attentive.
Where we have mistaken glory for power, teach us humility.

Give us the grace to listen –
to your voice,
to our neighbours,
to those who have been ignored.
Give us the courage to come down the mountain –
into workplaces and homes,
into streets and hospitals,
into the places where love is needed.
Give us the faith to shine –
not for admiration,
but for healing and justice.

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.)

Beloved – do not be afraid.
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 holy mystery,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and lit courage within us.

When we are dazzled, keep us grounded.
When we are afraid, keep us listening.

Send us out from this table into the world’s need –
to practise mercy,
to seek justice,
to carry peace,
to shine with love.
God of light,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because the path is easy,
but because you have seen the light and heard the call.
We will listen. We will follow. We will come down the mountain with love.