This modern order for Communion adapts some elements of historic mainline practice and also stresses the openness of God’s table. The Christological focus is on Christ, incarnate God (flesh and blood in history), and Christ indwelling and empowering us these symbols and this sharing of his life, death, and resurrection. Appropriate for all Communion gatherings, and especially on World Communion Sunday.
Celebration of Communion
This table is for all of us, but it is not our table. This is God’s table, and we are meant to share it. All the earth is God’s, and everything in it. All belongs to God, and just as God provides, we are meant to share.
This particular table was brought here by the work and gifts of [this church’s] members and friends by the grace of God, and by the grace of God, it is not just a table for Reformed traditions or members of the United Church of Christ [substitute as appropriate for your setting]. By the grace of God, this table has served generations [in your town, on your street, etc], and by the grace of God, this table is open to all.
This is Christ’s table, a place of grace and sharing for all who would seek to walk in the ways of Christ who sits at its head. We are invited to take our place in his presence, and in the life of Christ where God is meeting us. You are welcome, you are invited, you are called: come, let us share this meal together.
The Lord is with us.
The Lord is with us always.
Let us lift our hearts
We lift them high with hope.
We thank you, O Lord, for preparing a place for us before you.
We come with joy to give our thanks and praise!
Lord our God, at your word all creation sprang into life. When we were dust, you filled that dust with life. When we were in the wilderness, you provided for each day. And when we fall short, slaves to power and greed, you are there, on the lips of prophets, in the hearts of servants, in stories of revelation and liberation, calling us to acts of courage, witness, justice, and peace.
Blessed are you Christ, our Lord. You walked among us, vulnerable and rejected, and showed us God’s radical welcome. You teach grace to a world bent on vengeance, love to a world bent on destruction, unity to a world bent on tearing itself apart. You were faithful, even in death. You rose again so that we might know something other than the dust, that we might expect something other than the end, that we might work for something other than ourselves. And so you speak to us again, with these gifts of bread and cup, through which we remember your death, celebrate your rising, and await the table of the Kingdom yet to come. We dedicate ourselves again to you, that our lives may proclaim the gifts of your life, death, and resurrection.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
May the bread we break and the cup we share tell our story, bind us together, and remind us of your grace. Gracious God, refresh, restore, and renew us in the sharing of this meal, and make us more like you.
Make us one with all who gather at every table of grace. Let this bread and cup remind us of the unity you seek for us. Unite us in your story and in hope, in purpose, and in passion wherever we are sent.
As we remember your journey with us in Christ’s flesh and blood, strengthen us to be the body of Christ in the world. You are the vine, we are the branches: we pray for a longing to bear your good fruit. And the fruit of the Spirit is this: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Keep us faithful, fruitful, hopeful, and at peace, until we feast at the one table of your Kingdom with all the saints in the joy of your eternal realm, through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, who came for us, died for us, rose for us, who abides with us even now, and who taught us to pray together:
(The Lord’s Prayer)
The Words of Institution and the Sharing of Bread and Cup
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Gracious God, thank you for your presence in this moment and this meal. Strengthen and excite us to live the fullness of your call. Amen.
Time of Offering and Dedication
Offertory
Offering
Doxology
Prayer of Dedication: God of daily bread and daily grace, we offer these gifts in gratitude, not only for what you have done, but for what you continue to do through us.
Let this offering be food for the hungry, kindness for the weary, and a seed of justice sown around us. As we go, may we live as your provision for others: generous, faithful, and led by love.
Through Christ, the Bread of Life, we pray. Amen.
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