PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING:
Pentecost
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 Him thanks and praise
God our Father in heaven and here on earth
You move upon us now
as you did on the day of creation.
You breathe new life into us.
You long for us to become your holy people,
living and loving by your commands.
You cleanse us with your holy fire.
When our world becomes oppressive,
you reveal yourself as our comforter,
our helper,
our friend,
and our advocate.
When we face uncertainty
or feel overcome by a cacophony of competing voices,
you speak with clarity,
bringing peace and calm.
When we are ridiculed or oppressed for our faith,
You reveal yourself in Word and deed,
exposing the brittleness of human wisdom.
Throughout the ages,
you have sent priests and prophets
to reassure us of your presence,
and remind us of your Word.
Despite our failings,
your love remains steadfast.
You refuse to turn us away and leave us as orphans.
Abiding in Jesus, your Son,
you came to Earth.
By your death on the Cross,
you show how love can conquer all.
By your resurrection,
you show yourself to be truly divine.
By your tender embrace,
you show yourself to be truly human.
By your words,
you declare that we are forgiven.
Through the work of your Spirit,
you renew us, direct us,
and give us hope for the future.
And so, with the angels and the archangels, with the choirs of heaven,
and with all who have gone before us, we declare:
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.
For generations,
this church has gathered to remember the final meal that
Jesus shared with his disciples.
We remember how they, like us at times, felt insecure,
even fearful of the future,
and longing for your Kingdom to come.
We remember how Jesus gave new life to an ancient rite
We recall how, Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke it,
and gave it to his disciples saying
‘Take eat, this is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.’
And how after supper, he took the cup of wine,
gave thanks, and gave it to them saying,
‘Drink from this all of you. This is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for all people for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in remembrance of me’.
We remember with sorrow how Jesus was betrayed by one of our own.
We remember that he was nailed to a tree, and died.
But we rejoice at the truth of his resurrection.
His ascension to heaven
and his promise to return.
Therefore, as we remember God’s faithfulness in the past,
His presence with us today,
and how our future is at His disposal,
we declare:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Loving God, send down your Holy Spirit,
that these gifts of bread and wine may be for us Christ’s body and blood.
Unite us with Christ, refashion us as your people,
and bring us with all creation, to inherit your eternal kingdom.
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ
Jesus Christ is Lord. May the Spirit have his way with us. Praise be to God.