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 is shadowed – and love remains.
We come to the table of Christ, who stays faithful.

In the midst of fear, grief, and betrayal,
God does not turn away.
Hold us in the truth, and keep us near to mercy.

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

We come with sorrow and trust, with questions and need.
We come for courage, for tenderness, for love that endures.

The Peace

Peace is not the absence of trouble – it is love that does not let go.
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 steadfast truth.
You know what it is to be rejected,
to be ignored,
to be misunderstood.
You know the ache of human betrayal,
and still you do not abandon your people.

You are our refuge when trouble rises.
You hear our cries without impatience.
You strengthen those who feel worn down.
You keep company with those who are afraid.

You do not build your reign on dominance or deceit.
You come close in vulnerability and truth.
You remain faithful when others falter.
You hold fast when fear scatters.

In Jesus, the shadow of betrayal deepened.
He was troubled in spirit.
He named what was happening.
He did not deny the pain of it.
Yet even then, he remained within the way of love.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who have been wounded and all who still hope,
with all who long for faithfulness in a fractured world,
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 keep a safe distance,
but to share the full weight of our life.

He knew the closeness of friendship
and the pain of betrayal.
He sat at table with those who loved him
and with one who would hand him over.
He did not stop loving in the face of hurt.

He named the truth,
not to humiliate,
but because love does not survive on pretence.
He stayed faithful in a moment when loyalty frayed
and fear began to take over the room.

This is the mystery we hold –
not that suffering is good,
but that love remains present in the midst of suffering.
Not that betrayal is holy,
but that grace does not disappear when human hearts fail.
Not that darkness wins,
but that Christ keeps moving through it with courage and mercy.

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 love,
truthful in mercy,
gentle in strength,
faithful in sorrow.

When trust has been broken, hold us.
When fear makes us silent, strengthen us.
When truth is painful, keep us tender.
When the night feels long, keep hope alive.

Give us grace to remain near in difficult hours.
Keep us from betrayal in the small daily ways
that neglect, dismiss, or wound one another.
Shape us into people who tell the truth with care,
who keep faith with the vulnerable,
who refuse cruelty,
and who stay rooted in love when the way is hard.

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.)

Faithful love – 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 steadfast love,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and held us close in troubled times.

When trust is fragile, keep us tender.
When the night feels heavy, keep us faithful.

Send us out through this Holy Week
to tell the truth with kindness,
to stay near to those who are hurting,
to resist cruelty,
and to practise love that endures.
God of mercy,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because the night is easy,
but because love remains.
We will stay near. We will keep faith. We will practise mercy.