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 hour draws near – and love does not hide.
We come to the table of Christ, who meets the dark with light.

A grain falls, and life is given.
Teach us the courage of love that gives itself away.

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

We come with questions and longing, with fear and with hope.
We come for courage, for mercy, for light enough for the next step.

The Peace

Peace is not pretending everything is simple – it is trust in love that remains.
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 courage and truth.
You call your servants from the womb.
You hold us from our earliest days.
You do not forget the ones the world overlooks,
and you do not abandon those who feel small.

You are our refuge from generation to generation.
When fear rises, you remain.
When the future is unclear, you are steady.
When we feel weak, your grace is enough.

You choose what the world dismisses.
You work through what looks foolish, fragile, or small.
You overturn our love of status and spectacle,
and you reveal wisdom in self-giving love.

In Jesus, the hour comes into view.
Some come searching.
A voice speaks from heaven.
A path opens through loss, not around it.
And still he does not turn away.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who seek your face in shadowed days,
with all who trust that love is stronger than fear,
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 impress,
but to love;
not to grasp at safety,
but to give yourself for the life of the world.

When others wanted glory on easy terms,
Jesus spoke of a seed falling into the earth.
He spoke of life poured out.
He spoke of the hour when truth would be seen
not in domination,
but in love that keeps going.

He knew what lay ahead.
He did not pretend it was easy.
His soul was troubled.
Still, he stayed faithful.

You show us a wisdom different from the world’s wisdom –
a wisdom that does not worship power,
a wisdom that does not run from vulnerability,
a wisdom that trusts love enough to let go,
so that something deeper may grow.

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:
steady in courage,
truthful in love,
gentle in strength,
faithful in hope.

When we are tempted to cling to what cannot save us, loosen our grip.
When fear tells us to shrink back, keep us steady.
When the cost of love feels high, give us courage.
When the way ahead is dim, be our light.

Give us grace to trust what is growing in hidden places.
Shape us into people who choose mercy over status,
truth over image,
love over self-protection.
Help us to follow Christ through the shadowed hours
with honesty, compassion,
and hope that does not give up.

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.)

Light in the darkness – for 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 courage and truth,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and steadied us with hope.

When we are troubled, keep us faithful.
When we are afraid to let go, hold us in love.

Send us out through this Holy Week
to trust what is growing in hidden places,
to choose mercy over status,
to tell the truth with kindness,
and to carry light into the dark.
God of steadfast love,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because the way is easy,
but because love is already at work.
We will trust the light. We will practise courage. We will stay near.