Invitation
You have a place at this table
where Jesus is both guest and host;
where the faithful of every time and place gather;
where strangers are neighbours
and everyone is welcome,
whether you have come here often,
seldom
or for the first time.
Here is the time and here is the place
in which our faint but eager steps,
following the way of Jesus,
might be encouraged and fed;
our connectedness with our forebears in faith,
the earth beneath our feet
and our somewhat broken world, remade.
Thanksgiving (Including the Narrative of Institution)
Holy Source of life, love and hope,
we bring our thanks and praise,
awestruck, delighted, even astonished
at the delicate and rugged beauty of our world
and the vastness of the cosmos
through which we journey,
guided by the Spirit of grace
and your word of wisdom heard in Jesus.
You have made humanity in your image,
and surrounded us
with the glory and splendour of your creating word.
You have given humanity stewardship of these works,
you have put the world at our feet;
sheep and cattle, kangaroo and emu,
birds of the air – magpie and pelican;
fish of the sea – dolphin and barramundi
all the creatures that live and move
in the depths and shallows;
the creatures of the deep and the ocean floor …
O LORD, our God,
how splendid is your name in all the earth.
And so, with the whole creation;
we sing in thanks and praise:
Holy, holy, holy God, wisdom, strength and hope,
heaven and earth are full of your glory;
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed the One who comes in the name of our God.
Hosanna in the highest.
On the night that Jesus gave himself up to death
he took a loaf of bread,
and when he had given thanks,
he broke it and gave it to them, saying,
‘This is my body, which is given for you.
Do this in memory of me.’
And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying,
‘This cup that is poured out for you
is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, whenever you drink it,
in memory of me’.
Following Jesus’ example,
we take this bread and this wine;
the stuff of daily life
through which God will bless us.
Breath of life envelop and fill us,
and this bread and wine,
that they may renew and sustain us
that we might be signs of life and love to each other
and to all the world.
And with the saints in every age, we pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
From the sowing comes the harvest;
the gathering into one loaf:
the bread of promise,
for whom the prophets hoped.
From the vine comes the vintage;
the gathering into one cup:
the cup of peace,
the justice of God.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
The Distribution
Bread for the journey
Amen.
God’s love poured out for you
Amen.
Prayer After Communion
How precious is your faithful love, O God.
All people may take refuge
in the shadow of your wings
to feast on the abundance of your house,
and drink from the river of your delights.
And so we thank you,
that in Jesus, Bread of Life,
you have come to us
and at this table you have fed us.
Send us now into the world in peace:
we who have reached out our hands
to receive this sacrament,
we who have sung your praises.
Grant us strength, courage and hope
through your Spirit of grace,
to love and serve you with gladness. Amen.
The Sanctus and Benedictus and the responsive part of the Prayer after Communion are derived or adapted from Uniting in Worship 2, Uniting Church Press, Sydney, Australia. 2005, or its supplementary resources.
Additionally, resources of the Church of Scotland and the Iona Community have provided inspiration.