Communion

INVITATION

This is the table, not of the Church, but of the Lord. It is to be made ready for those who love him and who want to love him more.

So, come, If you have much faith and if you have little, if you have been here often and if you have not been for a long time, if you have tried to follow and if you have failed.

Come, not because it is I who invite you: it is our Lord. It is his will that those who want him should meet him here.

THE STORY

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 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, following Jesus’ example and command, we take this bread and this wine, the ordinary things of the world which Christ will make special. And as he said a prayer before sharing, let us do so too.

THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Loving God, we praise and thank you for your love shown to us in Jesus Christ. We thank you for his life and ministry, announcing the good news of your kingdom and demonstrating its power in the lifting of the downtrodden, and the healing of the sick, and the loving of the loveless. We thank you for his sacrificial death upon the cross for the redemption of the world, and for your raising him to life again, as a foretaste of the glory we shall share.

We give you thanks for this bread and wine, symbols of our world and signs of your transforming love. Send your Holy Spirit, we pray, that we may be renewed into the likeness of Jesus Christ and formed into his Body. This we pray in his name and for his sake. Amen.

THE SHARING

Taking and breaking the bread

Among friends, gathered round a table, Jesus took bread, broke it and said, ‘This is my body, it is for you’.

Taking the cup of wine

And later he took the cup of wine and said, ‘This is the new relationship with God, made possible because of my death. Take this – all of you – to remember me’.

Look, here is your Lord coming to you in bread and wine. These are the gifts of God for the people of God.

[call up servers & worship team at the same time]

Instructions: today, we will remain in our seats and the servers will come to you. Hold both elements and we will take them together.

SERVING

Song: There is a Redeemer

Take this in remembrance that Christ died for you and feed on him in your heart by faith with thanksgiving.

Drink this cup; remember that Christ’s blood was shed for you and be thankful.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

God of grace, you have called us to be your disciple people and gathered us to your table. Here we have tasted the bread of heaven and shared the new wine of your kingdom.

Empower us by your Spirit that we may be a gospel people: good news for all the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.