“Come to the Table” Communion Service

Come to the table of Jesus our Redeemer!
Jesus invites you here as part of the people of God.
Come to the table humbly,
not because you have earned a place here,
but because you need mercy and help.
Come because you love God, and want to love God more.
Come because Jesus first loved us, and gave himself for us.
Come because you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Come because you want to experience the mystery of God’s grace.

On the night he was handed over,
Jesus had a meal with  his friends.
He took a loaf of bread
and after giving thanks to God,
he broke it and gave it to his disciples.
He said, “Take, eat;
this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”

After supper Jesus took the cup of wine;
and after giving thanks,
gave it to them and said,
“Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant
which is shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, remember me.”

Let us pray:  God our Creator,
thank you for the gift of your son Jesus Christ,
whose love pursues us our whole life long.
Thank you, Jesus, for giving your life to us in word and deed,
even unto death, even death on a cross.
Come Holy Spirit, feed us with your love
that we may be filled with power
to love God with all our hearts and souls and minds.  Amen.

[the bread and wine are served]

Prayer of response [can be read by the people]:

We have come to the Lord’s table,
we have eaten the bread of heaven.
God is the one who will transform us
so that we can see with Jesus’ eyes,
hear with Jesus’ ears, speak with Jesus’ mouth;
so that we can be the body of Christ in the world,
proclaiming the good news of God’s reign.
Come Lord Jesus! Amen.

*Words for this and the other communion services on this blog are not entirely my own.  Obviously some of it is scriptural, but I have adopted and adapted phrases from communion services from many different traditions.