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

The road is long – and Christ comes alongside us.
We come to the table of the risen Christ, who travels with us still.

In shared bread and opened Scripture, hearts begin to burn with hope.
Stay with us, and make yourself known among us.

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

We come with questions and longing, with weariness and need.
We come for companionship, for mercy, for hope rekindled.

The Peace

Peace is spoken on the road – and recognised in the breaking of bread.
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 resurrection and faithful love.
You hear our cries and do not turn away.
You draw near to us on the road –
in sorrow,
in confusion,
in the long conversations where hope feels distant.

You are the One who meets your people in ordinary ways –
in travelling and talking,
in memory and story,
in bread taken, blessed, broken, and shared.
You do not wait for us to be certain before you come close.
You stay with us in the questions,
and you kindle hope from within.

You call us to turn,
to begin again,
to receive the gift of life with open hearts.
You gather a people not around fear,
but around mercy,
shared bread,
and the good news of resurrection.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all whose hearts have burned with new life,
with all who have recognised you at table and on the road,
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 came among us –
sharing our life,
bearing our pain,
loving us to the end,
and rising beyond the reach of death.

On the road to Emmaus,
two disciples journeyed with grief and bewilderment.
They spoke of shattered hopes
and things they could not yet understand.
And Christ came alongside them.

He did not rush them.
He listened.
He opened the story in a new way.
He stayed long enough for hope to stir again.

Then at the table,
in the breaking of bread,
they recognised him.
Loss gave way to wonder.
Their hearts burned with life,
and they rushed to share the good news.

Here is the mystery we celebrate –
that resurrection meets us in ordinary life,
that Christ is present in shared bread,
and that hope can be rekindled even when the day seems nearly done.

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:
alive in hope,
gentle in companionship,
steadfast in mercy,
brave in love.

Stay with us in the places where grief still clouds our hearts.
Travel with us when the road feels long.
Open the story again when hope feels distant.
Make us people who recognise you in shared bread and shared life.

Give us grace to listen before we speak.
Give us courage to welcome the stranger on the road.
Shape us into a people who carry hope,
who make room at the table,
who tell the story with joy,
and who practise resurrection in ordinary ways.

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.)

Risen Christ – stay with you.
Hope 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 resurrection and companionship,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and rekindled hope within us.

When our hearts are slow to hope, stay near.
When the road is long, keep us company.

Send us out as people of Easter life –
to journey with others in kindness,
to share bread with generosity,
to listen with compassion,
and to carry hope into the world.
God of life,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because every question is answered,
but because Christ travels with you still.
We will share bread. We will stay near. We will carry hope.