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

We come to the cross with sorrow, silence, and need.
We come to the table of Christ, who does not turn away.

The world wounds, and love remains.
Hold us in the truth, and keep us near to mercy.

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

We come with grief and longing, with questions and fear.
We come for mercy, for courage, for love that stays.

The Peace

Peace is not the denial of pain – it is love staying present in the heart of it.
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 faithful thing,
to give you thanks, God of compassion and truth.
You do not bless cruelty.
You do not call violence good.
You do not hide from the suffering of the world.
You draw near to the condemned,
the scapegoated,
the abandoned,
the crushed.

You know the history of empire and fear,
of public shaming and silent complicity,
of bodies broken by power,
of truth twisted to protect the comfortable.
You know what human hands can do.
And still you do not abandon your people.

In Jesus, you entered the depth of our pain.
He was despised and rejected.
He carried grief.
He stood in solidarity with the wounded.
He was mocked, stripped, and crucified.
Yet he did not surrender to hatred.
He entrusted himself to love.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who mourn the violence of the world,
with all who hunger for justice and cling to mercy,
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 –
not to rule by force,
but to love without reserve.

He welcomed the excluded.
He spoke truth to power.
He touched those others feared.
He honoured those whose dignity had been denied.
He proclaimed your reign in mercy, justice, and shared bread.

When the powers closed in,
he did not save himself by abandoning love.
He was betrayed, denied, and condemned.
He was nailed to a cross.
He entered fully into human suffering –
into shame, agony, and desolation.

This is the mystery we hold today –
not suffering praised for its own sake,
but love refusing to let violence have the final word.
Not pain made sacred,
but God present in the midst of pain.
Not death as victory,
but mercy staying with us to the end.

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 compassion,
truthful in courage,
gentle in strength,
faithful in love.

When suffering tempts us to look away, keep us present.
When fear tempts us to protect ourselves at others’ expense, change us.
When power crushes the vulnerable, make us braver in justice.
When grief overwhelms us, hold us in mercy.

Form us as a people who stay near –
near to those who mourn,
near to those who are scapegoated,
near to those crushed by violence,
near to those whose dignity is denied.
Teach us to tell the truth,
to resist cruelty,
to share bread,
and to practise love that does not turn away.

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 crucified – for you.
Mercy 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 compassion and truth,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and held us close in sorrow.

When the world is cruel, keep our hearts tender.
When the cost of love feels high, keep us faithful.

Send us out from this day
to stand with the vulnerable,
to tell the truth with courage,
to resist harm,
to carry mercy into the world,
and to stay near to those who suffer.
God of steadfast love,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because the day is easy,
but because love does not turn away.
We will stay near. We will practise mercy. We will keep faith with love.