Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God. It is here that we celebrate with our risen Christ and all who have their life in him throughout the ages. It is here that we taste God’s goodness, here that we know we are welcomed and loved.
Whether you have much faith or little, whether you have seen the Lord or are still searching, whether your heart is full of Easter joy or still a little broken this morning, know that you belong here. God’s grace is for all.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is truly right and our greatest joy to give you thanks and praise, eternal God, for you are Life and the source of all Life. You took nothingness and brought from it light and ocean and garden, everything that lives and grows and flourishes. You formed us in your image and made a covenant with us to be our faithful God.
Yet we broke the faith; we chose the ways of death, and brothers turned against brothers, and peoples against peoples. Still you sought to renew our life. You brought us out of slavery in Egypt, fed us with manna, and sent us the Law to guide our living. You spoke through prophets, sages, and poets, to remind us that we were made to build each other up, that our life together should reflect your justice and love.
In the fullness of time you came among us as Jesus of Nazareth, Mary’s first child, God in a body. In your ministry you brought hope, healing, and new life to all who were trod down by society. In an empire built off military power, you lifted up the powerless. In a world prepared to worship the emperor, you remained close to God in heaven. In a religious atmosphere clinging to old ways, you lifted up new interpretations of God’s mercy.
Your faithfulness was stronger than fear, and when you were betrayed by those you loved, you went willingly to the cross, speaking forgiveness and trust for your final words. You who were our Life died.
And on the third day you rose again, to show us that death is not more powerful than God, and that love cannot be quenched. You appeared first to the women and then to the disciples, giving them a mission to share your hope with the world, and to be your body, your hands and feet, to work, to serve, to heal, and to bless. Now you are with us always, to the end of the age, and our strength is in you.
Great is the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.
Now let us join our voices in the prayer our Lord taught us, saying, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Remembering all your mighty and merciful acts, we take this bread and this wine from the gifts you have given us, made of creation, grain and grape, and celebrate with joy the redemption won for us in Jesus Christ.
Accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving as a living and holy offering of ourselves, that our lives may proclaim the One crucified and risen.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus: Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.
Holy Spirit, pour yourself upon these gifts of bread and cup. Unite us with the living Christ and with all who seek to follow in his life-giving way, that we may further your reign of peace and justice in every place. In the eating of this bread, as Christ’s body, and in the sharing of this cup, as Christ’s blood, we invite your life to fill us; lead us ever more faithfully to be the body of Christ in the world.
Through Christ, all glory and honor are yours, almighty God, with the Holy Spirit in the holy church, now and forever. Amen.
The Words of Institution
On the night before his death, Jesus chose the ordinary stuff of life, bread and wine, to be the sign of his faithfulness, his covenant of grace. He took bread, and after giving thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way he took the cup, saying: This cup is the new covenant sealed in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.
Sharing of the Bread and Cup
We will take communion by intinction this morning. You are welcome to come forward, receive a piece of bread, and dip it in the cup.
Closing Prayer
Holy, gracious, God,
Here at this table your promise of life is made tangible.
We have rested in the depth of your love;
We have tasted your nourishing, nurturing presence;
We accept you into our bodies, into our lives.
Together, at this table, you have offered us life.
Together, by your grace, we accept the life you offer.
And we give you thanks. Amen.
Deep Well Worship 