Gathering at the table

The waters are waiting – and the Spirit is moving.
We come to the table of the Beloved.

A voice speaks blessing over Jesus: “You are my beloved.”
Speak that blessing over us again – and send us into love’s work.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for the worthy,
but grace for the beloved.
Not a prize for the perfect,
but bread for those who come as they are.

We come with gratitude and need.
We come for belonging, courage, and a clear call.

The Peace

The Spirit rests – and peace settles 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 water and Spirit.
You called your people through the sea,
you spoke through prophets of justice and tenderness,
you promised a servant who would bring liberation without crushing the fragile,
and you keep your promises.

You are the One who says: you are beloved – before you achieve,
you are beloved – before you prove anything,
you are beloved – before you get it all together.

In Jesus, you step into the waters with us.
You choose solidarity over distance.
You meet us where life is muddy and real,
and you call us into a way of justice, mercy, and peace.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who long for a world made new,
with all who are learning to live from belovedness,
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 made yourself known –
not through domination,
but through humility,
not through grasping power,
but through receiving love and giving it away.

Jesus went down into the Jordan.
The heavens opened.
The Spirit descended.
A voice spoke blessing: beloved, delight, joy.

From that riverbank, a calling began –
good news for all,
justice without violence,
mercy without shame,
a widening welcome that reaches every person and every people.

You show no partiality.
You pour out your Spirit without gatekeeping.
You call us not to earn love, but to live it –
to become a people who bless,
a people who heal,
a people who tell the truth,
a people who set others free.

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:
rooted in belovedness,
steadfast in mercy,
brave in justice,
gentle in strength.

Where fear says “prove it”, speak beloved.
Where shame says “hide”, speak delight.
Where power harms, make us protectors.
Where truth is costly, make us faithful.

Send us –
to lift up the weary,
to bring light where things are hidden,
to loosen what binds,
to repair what is broken,
to practise peace without compromise.

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.)

Beloved of God – for you.
Spirit and strength 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 water and Spirit,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and spoken belovedness over us again.

When we forget who we are, remind us: we are beloved.
When we are tempted to control, teach us trust.

Send us out from this table to the riverbank of the world –
to practise mercy,
to seek justice,
to tell the truth with kindness,
to carry peace.
Beloved God,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because the waters are calm,
but because the Spirit is with you.
We will live as the beloved. We will practise justice. We will carry peace.