A prayer for Holy Communion, based on the Gospel of Mark

Invitation:
Mark, in his Gospel, wrote that Jesus said
“the wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them.’
He blessed and broke the loaves, and fed the thousands

All: Believing that Jesus is with us, we come to his abundant feast,
to meet the Risen Christ who promises to meet us here.

Prayer of Thanksgiving:
One: God be with you
All: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts
All: We lift them to God.
One: Let us praise God together.
All: Let us give God thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, Eternal God. We thank you for calling forth the creation, forming us in your image and calling us to be a blessing. We remember that God fed the people with manna in the wilderness, and Joseph and his brothers reconciled with a feast.

Blessed are you and blessed is Jesus, the incarnation of your love.
We remember that he preached your mercy, raised the dying restored the ill to lives of wholeness and service. On the shore of the Sea of Galilee he fed the hungry crowds; and in an upper room, he gave us this meal as the sign of his abiding presence.

In company with saints and sinners in every time and beyond time, we praise you with joy.

Sanctus: Holy, Holy, Holy One, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory, Hosanna in the Highest! Blessed is the One who comes in the name of our God. Hosanna in the Highest!

We remember all the meals of Jesus and recall the last meal he shared in Jerusalem, when he took bread, blessed it, broke it and shared it saying:

Take, this is my body.’

In the same way, we remember that Jesus took the cup, saying

‘This is poured out for many.’

We remember that Jesus said: “I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

As we break this bread and share this cup, we witness his kingdom in our midst, celebrate the presence of the Risen Christ, and anticipate the feast to come.

Invocation

Eternal God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts, that Christ may be present as we share this meal.

Bless this bread and cup and bless us, that we may share this abundant feast in the presence of Jesus.

Breaking the Bread and Sharing the Cup

One: Blessed are you, God of all creation, you are the bread of life.

One: Blessed are you, God of all creation, you are the cup of blessing.

Prayer after Receiving

One: Let us pray.

All: Eternal God, we thank you for your presence in this holy feast. May we know the presence of Jesus among us. Take us from this table, raised and restored, ready not to be served but to serve, in the power of the Spirit. Amen.

Rev. Stephanie Perdew, PhD
January 2024