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A Communion Liturgy

REV. JANE DENNISTON

I wanted to write something which had elements of the tradition but expressed something of what I felt; something that was creatively liturgical, with poetic but accessible language. This liturgy can be easily adapted for small or large groups and lends itself to a variety of situations.

1 CALL TO WORSHIP

Leader:	In this familiar feast
ALL:	Jesus meets us
Leader:	To banish our darkness with his light
ALL:	God with us
Leader:	In ancient patterns made new
ALL:	His Spirit is here
Leader:	Let us worship God.

2 ACTION Reader 1

The Light shone in the darkness, and the darkness has not put it out. (Light a candle.)

3 PRAISE

4 OPENING PRAYER

Lord, if we did not praise you,

if our mouths were to fall silent,

the very stones would cry out in praise of your wonderful deeds.

Lord, if we did not praise you,

if our eyes were blind to your glory,

the very heavens would declare your greatness and majesty.

Lord, if we did not praise you,

if our hearts were cold to your love,

all creation would bow before you and worship your glorious name.

But we will worship you.

And in this time of worship, we join with all creation in declaring

that you alone are worthy of our praise.

Conscious of your glory, Lord,

we are also conscious of our sin.

In our thoughts we forsake you.

(Silence)

In our words we dishonour you.

(Silence)

In our deeds we offend you.

(Silence)

In what we leave undone we abandon you.

(Silence)

Forgive our sin, Lord,

and lead us in new ways, of hope, of compassion and of grace.

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy.

We thank you for that mercy which is always more ready to forgive

than we are to admit our fault,

and we open our lives

to your life-giving breath,

to your cleansing rain,

to your refining fire,

that we may live more truly as your people

in the name of Christ our Saviour, Amen.

5 READING

6 REFLECTION

7 THE INVITATION

This is the table of our Lord where hurts are healed, failures restored and all is made new in the love of God. Come, bring nothing but your love because your Lord invites you. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

8 THE STORY Reader 2

Let’s hear the story of how this began. On the night on which Jesus was betrayed, he sat at supper with his disciples. While they were eating, he took a piece of bread, said a blessing, broke it and gave it to them with the words: ‘This is my body. It is broken for you. Do this to remember me.’ Later, he took a cup of wine, saying: ‘This cup is God’s new covenant, sealed with my blood. Drink from it, all of you, to remember me.’ So now, we do as Jesus did, and as he said; we take this bread and this wine, ordinary things and temporal which he makes unique and eternal, and through these we will have communion with one another and with him.

9 EUCHARISTIC PRAYER (THANKSGIVING)

Let us pray.
Leader:	For friends and fellowship, for freedom and time to worship for gifts of love and grace We praise you.
ALL:	THANK YOU, GOD.
Leader:	You made all things. and without you we cannot even draw breath. For this we praise you.
ALL:	THANK YOU, GOD.
Leader:	We praise you for the grace which allows us to come into your presence. We praise you for the faithfulness which waits for us when we turn from you. We praise you for the love which welcomes us with open arms. For all this we praise you.
ALL:	THANK YOU, GOD. And here at this table as we offer the fruit of our hands and a sacrifice of praise, you offer your very self, the sacrifice of your broken body and your shed blood so that we may be forgiven, healed, filled, blessed and made new again. And in gratitude we join our voices to those of the Church on earth and in heaven:
ALL:	HOLY, HOLY, HOLY LORD, GOD OF POWER AND MIGHT, HEAVEN AND EARTH ARE FULL OF YOUR GLORY, HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST, BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. HOSANNA IN THE HIGHEST.

10 PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

Lord, we praise you and thank you for your creativity in the world, and your covenant with us. We thank you, generous Jesus, that as a baby you came into this world; that you lived and laughed. That in all humanity you surprised and shocked, worked and wept, suffered and sacrificed. We thank you, startling Jesus, that for us you rose from death and ascended to heaven.

That in your grace and mercy you poured out your Holy Spirit upon us and pray for us always, and that you will come again in glory and power.

So now as we remember and recreate what you did in an upstairs room, we ask you to send down your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine that they may become for us your body; health, wholeness and holiness to the glory of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Let us say together the prayer that Jesus taught us:

11 LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father . . .

12 BREAKING OF BREAD

(Taking and breaking the bread) Around a table, among friends, Jesus took bread. As he broke it, he said: ‘This is my body, it is broken for you.’ (Taking the cup of wine) And later, he took the cup of wine and said: ‘This is the new relationship with God, your birth through my death. Take this, all of you, to remember me. This is your Lord, in bread and in wine For you. ‘Take and eat. (Communion is shared)

13 THE PEACE

The peace of the Father of joy The peace of the Christ of hope The peace of the Spirit of grace Let’s share it now. The Lord’s peace be with you all.

14 CONCLUDING PRAYER

Leader:

Here we have tasted the things of this world. Here we have touched the things of the next. Here we have seen and heard of the great mystery of our salvation. Here we have eaten of one loaf, and drunk of one cup, in that communion becoming one with you, with our brothers and sisters near and far and with that great cloud of witnesses which surrounds us. May this precious gift which we have received be shared with all whose lives we touch, that our love of you and your love in us may shine for the salvation of the world. Amen.

ALL:

AMEN.

15 ACTION

Pass round a basket of white ribbons as a symbol of our cleansing. Each takes one and ties it round his/her neighbour’s wrist as a symbol of our dependence on one another. Or: anoint one another with oil in the sign of the cross.

16 PRAISE

17 CLOSING

ALL:	For darkness you give light For despair you give hope For confusion you give peace For sorrow you give joy For ourselves you give yourself. Let us go In peace, in love, in joy And in the company of our Saviour. Amen.