Commissioned: A Communion Liturgy for Luke 10:1-10

Invitation to the Table
God sends us out
but before that,
God gathers us in
around this table
one last meal
to fuel up for the road ahead.

All are welcome at this table,
to enjoy God’s hospitality 
and to eat what is put in front of you.

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.

Great God of all, you sent out your power into the void
creating sky, earth, and sea,
plants, animals, and people,
commissioning each living thing to praise your name. 
Yet we fell away from our purpose, following our own path,
and sin got its first foothold in the world. 

When your people were in Egypt,
abused, oppressed, exploited,
because Pharoah was afraid of their numbers,
you gathered them up, and sent them out of Egypt,
commissioned them to be your people in a new land,
a symbol of your love and justice for all the world to see.

Yet these people fell apart, worshipping idols,
exploiting the poor, expelling strangers.
So you commissioned prophets, women and men
to call them back to your way.

Then, one day, you came to us:
a tiny human baby
bearing the weight of the greatest commission of all
humanity’s redemption, salvation for the world.

In your ministry, you gathered in the poor, the hungry,
the meek, the outraged, the hypocrites,
the outcast, the ill, the curious—
then sent them all out again,
remade as your apostles,
to share in the work of your ministry—
feeding, healing, loving, teaching, praying.

You died in Jerusalem,
while all your disciples scattered, lost.

Three days later, you rose again,
and called your disciples back to order
reminding them they still had work to do,
reminding them that you were always with them,
filling them with spirit so that they would never be alone. 

We praise the Spirit,
who forms us into your people.
Pour yourself out, we pray
into these gifts of bread and cup,
that the bread we break
and the cup we bless
may taste to us
just like your grace and love.

In this meal, give us strength
to be your people one more time,
united, bold in witness, commissioned
proclaiming your love to all we know,
until you come again in glory.

Until that day, we pray with the words you taught us:

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.

The Words of Institution
On the night before Jesus died, when he knew he would not be with his disciples much longer, he gave them a sign to remember him by. First he took the bread from the table, the Lord 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 Jesus 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

Closing Prayer
Jesus, Savior, Host:
you have filled our bellies with love
and our mouths with grace
and our hearts with courage
for whatever may come

Send us out from this table,
energized for hard, messy,
faithful, joyous work ahead:
the work of being your hands and feet
in the world you are still coming to save.

Amen.