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 with grief and gratitude, with fear and with love.
We come to the table of Christ, who does not turn away.

The story grows darker, and love keeps going.
Hold us in the truth, and keep us close 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 hope, with questions and need.
We come for courage, for mercy, for love that stays.

The Peace

Peace is not denial – it is love remaining present in the heart of pain.
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 look away from the suffering of the world.
You do not bless violence.
You do not call cruelty good.
You draw near to the broken,
and you remain with those the powerful cast aside.

You know the long history of empire and fear,
of scapegoating and silence,
of crowds manipulated,
of innocence condemned,
of bodies treated as disposable.
And still you do not abandon your people.

In Jesus, you entered the depth of human pain.
He loved his friends to the end.
He shared bread in the shadow of betrayal.
He prayed in anguish.
He was mocked, beaten, and condemned.
He carried suffering without surrendering to hatred.

And so, with angels and ancestors,
with all who mourn the wounds 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 overlooked.
He spoke truth to power.
He honoured those pushed to the edges.
He told of your reign in stories of mercy, justice, and shared bread.

When the hour grew near,
he did not turn away from love’s cost.
He sat at table with friends and betrayers.
He took bread and gave thanks.
He poured out the cup.
He walked into the violence of the world
without becoming violent himself.

This is the mystery we hold today –
not suffering praised for its own sake,
but love refusing to let fear have the final word.
Not pain made sacred,
but mercy remaining present in the midst of pain.
Not death as glory,
but self-giving love stronger than all that tries to destroy.

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 wounds 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 share bread,
to tell the truth,
to resist cruelty,
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.)

Bread for the journey.
Love poured out – for you.

(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 to follow Christ in the real places –
to stand with the vulnerable,
to tell the truth with courage,
to resist harm,
to carry mercy into the world.
God of steadfast love,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

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