Communion
Written for the Mid Council Leaders Gathering of the Presbyterian Church (USA) in Baltimore, October 2019. Feel free to use with credit.
One: God has called us all together in this place, just as God called creation into being.
All: All living things breathe God’s breath and are called to serve.
One: God’s story of grace, freely given, flows to this table through the generations like
waters.
All: Nourish us, so that we may live into your will here and in all places.
We come here to join in communion with one another and with all people who have gathered around the table to partake of this meal in every time and place. We come in the wholeness of our lives: welcomed, embraced, and called with the fullness of our humanity. We come because we are God’s people and this is God’s table.
We remember that on the night he was arrested, power and division ruled the land. But Jesus offered a different path. Instead of tearing people apart, he gathered people together. In setting the table, he brought together those who society had turned aside. In that moment he joined together the disciples and all who have sat at the table to participate in the most simple and profound of acts- this communion meal. He did so by giving thanks to God and breaking the bread, saying, “Take, eat. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way he took a cup and said, “This is the cup of renewed covenant. Whenever you drink it, remember me.” Christ calls us to remember, the Spirit gathers us into this community, and we are invited to partake in the transformative power of God at work in the world.
You are invited and called to this table. Because we are all called to be here, the bread is gluten free and the cup is grape juice. We invite you to hear the promise of God as you take the bread and dip it into the cup.
But God shows up where we are. If you would prefer to remain seated, let us know and someone will come and join you in the meal where you are.
All is ready. Let us join the joyful feast of God!