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 comes near in the storm and says, “Take heart.”
We come to the table of grace, where fear is met with love.

When courage falters, Christ comes close with help.
Hold us in hope, and teach us to trust your presence.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for those who never doubt,
but bread for those who cry out for help.
Not a prize for the perfect,
but welcome for those who come as they are.

We come with fear and longing, with gratitude and need.
We come for bread, for courage, for love that holds us.

The Peace

Peace is not the absence of every storm.
Peace is Christ close enough to speak courage and share help.
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 nearness and courage.
You hear the cry of those in danger.
You are present when fear rises,
when trust feels fragile,
when harm has been done,
and when hope feels far away.

You do not bless cruelty
or call family harm holy.
You work for life where people have been wounded,
and call us towards truth, repair, and freedom.

In Jesus, you came among us as love that draws near.
When his disciples were caught in wind and wave,
he came to them across the water
and spoke courage before they had found it for themselves.

He did not shame their fear.
He did not wait for perfect faith.
When Peter cried out,
Jesus gave help immediately.
Love came close.
The storm did not have the final word.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who cry out in danger,
with all who share good news in fragile times,
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 showed us love
that does not keep its distance from fear.

He did not teach courage as denial.
He did not make doubt a reason for rejection.
He came close to frightened people,
met fear with peace,
and gave help before anyone had earned it.

At his table, grace was shared with people still learning to trust.
Bread was given.
The cup was shared.
Fear was not the final word.

Here is the mystery we celebrate –
God hears the cry,
Christ comes near in the storm,
the Spirit gives courage when words are few,
and love holds us before faith is complete.

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:
gentle with fear,
truthful about harm,
ready to offer help,
alive to good news.

When people cry out, make us attentive.
When fear is present, keep us from shame.
When harm is done, give us courage for truth and repair.
When the good news feels hard to speak, let your Spirit give us words.

Shape us into a people who do not demand perfect faith
before we offer care.
Let this table teach us another way:
bread shared in the storm,
the cup received as grace,
community shaped by tenderness,
and courage practised together.

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’s love – for you.
Courage for the storm.

(If people receive a blessing instead of the elements: “May Christ be close to you; may love hold you.”)

Prayer after Communion

God of nearness and courage,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and reminded us that fear does not place us beyond your love.

When we cry out, meet us with care.
When others are in danger, make us ready to help.

Send us out to practise courageous tenderness –
to speak truth about harm,
to refuse shame,
to offer help without delay,
to share good news with humility,
and to trust your presence in troubled places.
God of life,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because every storm has ended,
but because Christ is near.
We will refuse shame. We will offer help. We will trust Christ is near.