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

Christ has blessed and sent us – and still we wait for the Spirit.
We come to the table of the risen Christ, who holds us in prayer.

In uncertainty, the disciples gathered together.
Gather us in love, and make us one in your mercy.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for the confident,
but bread for those who need grace.
Not a prize for the powerful,
but welcome for those who come as they are.

We come with questions and longing, with hope and with need.
We come for belonging, for courage, for love that keeps us.

The Peace

Peace is Christ’s prayer taking shape among us.
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 refuge and belonging.
You are present with those who wait.
You give courage to the weary.
You make a home for the vulnerable,
and you lead your people into freedom.

You are strength for those who feel scattered,
shelter for those who feel exposed,
companionship for those who feel alone.
You do not abandon your people in the in-between.
You hold us, gather us, and teach us to pray.

In Jesus, you came among us as love made visible.
He shared our life,
spoke truth with courage,
welcomed the excluded,
and revealed your heart in mercy and justice.

Before his suffering, he prayed for his friends.
He prayed not for escape from the world,
but for faithfulness within it.
He prayed that they would be kept in love,
held in your name,
and made one in the life you share.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who keep faith in uncertain times,
with all who are held in the prayer of Christ,
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 close to us –
not to draw us out of the world,
but to fill our life within it with grace.

After the ascension, the disciples returned to the room.
They did not yet know what would come next.
They gathered with Mary and the others,
waiting, praying,
holding one another in the space between promise and fulfilment.

You honour that waiting.
You meet us in the room before the rush of wind.
You are present in prayer,
in shared courage,
in community that refuses to give up.

And when suffering comes,
you do not shame the wounded or hurry the weary.
You call us to cast our anxiety onto the One who cares,
to stay alert to what harms,
and to trust that grace can strengthen us again.

Here is the mystery we celebrate –
Christ risen and ascended,
Christ praying for us still,
Christ present in this bread and cup,
Christ gathering us into one life of 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:
steadfast in prayer,
gentle in belonging,
brave in witness,
alive in hope.

When we are waiting and unsure, keep us faithful.
When anxiety weighs on us, hold us in care.
When suffering makes us feel alone, gather us into love.
When division threatens community, make us one in mercy.

Shape us into a people who pray with honesty,
who share life with generosity,
who protect the vulnerable,
who resist what harms,
and who bear witness to hope without pretending the world is easy.

Keep us close to Christ’s prayer –
that we may belong to you,
belong to one another,
and become signs of your love in 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.)

Christ with you – for you.
Spirit 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 refuge and belonging,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and held us in the prayer of Christ.

When we are anxious, keep us close to your care.
When we are uncertain, gather us into love.

Send us out as people of Easter life –
to pray with honesty,
to practise mercy,
to protect the vulnerable,
to seek justice,
and to bear witness to hope.
God of faithfulness,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because the waiting is over,
but because Christ holds you in prayer.
We will stay together. We will practise mercy. We will live in hope.