Choose the sections that are appropriate to your context and tradition. For example, if communion is part of a longer service, it may be more appropriate to use only parts of the liturgy.

Gathering at the table

A promise is spoken – and the world begins to change.
We come to the table of love taking flesh.

God draws near, not with coercion, but with invitation.
Give us courage to welcome your life among us.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for the certain,
but grace for the wondering.
Not a prize for the perfect,
but bread for those who come as they are.

We come with longing and uncertainty, with hope and need.
We come for courage, for mercy, for love made real.

The Peace

Peace is spoken into fear – and grace enters the room.
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 promise and surprise.
You do not stay distant from the world you love.
You draw near –
in ordinary places,
through ordinary lives,
with grace that unsettles and remakes.

You speak through prophets and poets,
through dreams and visions,
through those the world overlooks.
You choose not the centre of power,
but the overlooked place,
the faithful heart,
the life willing to make room.

In Mary, you found courage and openness.
Not passive submission,
but a brave and costly yes.
Not certainty,
but trust.
Not control,
but consent to love’s unfolding.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who have said yes to hope in hard times,
with all who make room for your life in the world,
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 come among us not through domination,
but through tenderness.
Not through force,
but through invitation.

An angel came with a greeting and a promise.
Mary was troubled,
and she asked her question.
She was not shamed for wondering.
She was met with grace.

You honoured her agency.
You entrusted her with holy work.
You made your home in human life –
in a body,
in vulnerability,
in dependence,
in love.

In Jesus, you took flesh among us.
You entered the world not as an idea,
but as a life to be carried, nurtured, protected, and born.
You made holiness visible in the ordinary,
and glory present in human vulnerability.

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:
open in trust,
steady in courage,
gentle in strength,
faithful in love.

Where fear tightens around us, speak peace.
Where uncertainty unsettles us, hold us.
Where power tries to dominate, make us brave.
Where new life is fragile, teach us care.

Give us Mary’s courage –
to ask honest questions,
to receive grace without pretending,
to make room for your life within us.
Give us the wisdom to honour consent,
the tenderness to protect what is vulnerable,
and the faith to say yes when love calls us by name.

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.)

Love made flesh – for you.
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 promise and tenderness,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and strengthened us with hope.

When we are afraid of what love may ask of us, keep us brave.
When new life feels fragile, keep us gentle.

Send us out to make room for Christ in the world –
to honour dignity,
to practise consent,
to protect the vulnerable,
to carry hope with courage.
God-with-us,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because everything is certain,
but because grace has drawn near.
We will make room for love. We will practise courage. We will say yes to hope.