The Story
On the night he was betrayed Jesus took a loaf of bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,
“This is my body for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.” 
In the same way he also took the cup after the meal, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”   
                      (1 Corinthians 11:23b - 25)

The Exhortation
Let us therefore break bread together.

The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
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 right to give our thanks and praise.

God, you are before all things;
You are beyond all things;
And in the midst of all things and all peoples
you have made yourself known.

In Israel’s ancient codes and prophetic oracles,
in stories of women and men,
of communities and nations
seeking identity,
feeling their strength,
and struggling with their weakness
you have made yourself known.

In Jesus of Nazareth,
in compassion for the outcast,
forgiveness for the fallen,
hope for the poor and hungry;
in his life poured out for others
and broken in rejection and disdain
you have made yourself known.

Therefore we join our praises
with countless men and women before us,
disciples and apostles,
saints and martyrs,
acclaiming your power in goodness
and your might in compassion,
as we say/sing: 

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

We greet the one who comes in your name,
your true light, your true love,
the bread of compassion,
the wine of renewal.

As he broke bread before the brokenness of his death,
as he poured out wine before his blood was poured out on the cross,
as he gave his life in acts of goodness,
as he invited all to the feast of new hope,
so come to us, God of Jesus, in your love.

Come to us, Spirit of our Lord of love,
and let the bread and wine before us
bear your life to our life,
nourish us with his vision of hope,
and unite us in one body of peace. 

Nourish us with your brokenness,
Renew us with your poured out life,
Empower us with your powerlessness,
that we may take root in your risen life
and bear fruit in your world. 

You are our life;
You are our hope;
You are our peace;
And we praise you.

The Lord's Prayer
In communion we join ourselves to all your people and 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.
and 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 forever. Amen

The Breaking of the Bread
The bread which we break
is an offering of life to us all.
The cup which we take
is a celebration of love for us all.
The gifts of God for the people of God.

Lamb of God, you find us in our lostness,
lift us up.
Lamb of God, you lead  us to your fold,
hold us close.
Lamb of God, you conquer all injustice,
We cry for peace.

See, the broken life.
See, the life poured out.
Come, feed on him in your hearts
by faith with thanksgiving.

Distribution
Christ’s body broken give you life.
Christ’s life poured out give you hope.

After Communion
We thank you, God of compassion,
that you have nourished us
with the bread of life
and the wine of hope.
As in Christ your love flowed out to those around him,
so let your love flow through us to others.
As in Christ your life was broken,
so let your life meet us in our brokenness
and release hope in us and others,
through Jesus our hope and our life.

Amen

Dismissal
Take this life with you into the world
and the peace of God be with you!
And also with you!

Blessing
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
Amen

*Note: This Eucharistic Liturgy belongs within a fuller Order of Worship.
It seeks to provide a vehicle for eucharistic celebration which is faithful to the tradition,
uses the standard forms, and reflects an emphasis on compassion and hope, rather than on power
and on models of atonement which appear to focus transactions of power.  Only Agnus Dei is quite different;
it uses imagery of the sheepfold and the paradoxical symbol of the messianic victor.

prepared by William Loader, May 2003.
To be used with acknowledgement.

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