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 from valleys of grief and weariness – and we bring what is real.
We come to the table of the One who gives breath.

A voice speaks into what feels finished: live.
Breathe hope into us again – and call us into life.

This is Christ’s table.
Not a reward for the unbroken,
but mercy for the grieving.
Not a prize for the fearless,
but bread for those who come as they are.

We come with tears and trust, with questions and longing.
We come for comfort, for courage, for resurrection hope.

The Peace

Peace is not the absence of sorrow – it is love staying close.
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 breath and mercy.
When your people were exiled and exhausted,
you met them in the valley.
You did not deny the dryness.
You did not pretend the bones were not there.
You spoke hope where hope seemed impossible,
and you breathed life into what felt beyond repair.

From the depths we cry to you,
and you do not turn away.
You hear the honest prayer.
You hold us with patience.
You redeem without rushing.

You set your Spirit within us,
not as pressure,
but as life –
a steady presence that lifts us,
a power that makes room for peace.

In Jesus, you meet us in our grief.
He wept.
He waited.
He loved.
He stood at the tomb and called a name.
And life answered.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who mourn and all who hope,
with all who long for life beyond despair,
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.
You do not stand at a safe distance from our pain.
You come close.

You spoke to bones and breath returned.
You promised a people that exile would not be the last word.
You gathered what had been scattered,
and you said: you will live.

Jesus came to the house of grief.
He honoured love and lament.
He did not shame tears.
He did not hurry the mourners.
He asked for honesty: where have you laid him?
He stood in the ache of it,
and he called Lazarus out into the light.

And the story does not pretend this is easy.
Resurrection is costly.
Love is costly.
But you are faithful –
and you keep calling life into the places we thought were finished.

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:
present in grief,
steadfast in hope,
gentle in courage,
brave in love.

Where despair has dried our bones, breathe life.
Where grief has emptied us, hold us.
Where fear has shut us down, open a way.
Where the world tells people “it’s too late”, make us witnesses to hope.

Give us grace to stay alongside those who mourn.
Let us weep without shame.
Let us speak life without denial.
Let us practise resurrection
by showing up,
repairing what has been broken,
sharing bread,
protecting the vulnerable,
and refusing despair.

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.)

Breath of life – 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 breath and mercy,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have fed us with grace,
and steadied us with hope.

When our hearts are heavy, hold us close.
When our hope is thin, breathe courage into us.

Send us out to practise resurrection in the world –
to stay present with those who grieve,
to speak life without denial,
to seek justice,
to carry peace,
to make room for hope.
God of life,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

Go in peace – not because sorrow has vanished,
but because love has spoken your name.
We will carry hope. We will practise love. We will refuse despair.