[welcome to southside abbey! we are so thankful that you are here. please find a seat at the table.]
[we begin by saying prayers, then we greet one another in the name of Jesus. we pass the bread.]
[we share a meal as we hear a reading. after supper we share the cup and are sent into the world.]
[you are welcome to participate in as much or as little of the worship as you are comfortable.]
All:
All:
Come Let us adore him! Hallelujah!
To you all desires known.
One:
One:
Christ has shown forth His glory!
To you all hearts are open.
One:
One:
The Lord be with you.
All:
And also with you.
One: Let us pray. [silence]
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human
nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share in our
human life, your Son Jesus Christ; in his name we pray.
All:
Amen!
One:
On God's creation in infinite diversity...
On those who represent us to God's world...
On those who dare to proclaim God's love...
On the hopes & decisions of this community...
On those who suffer and those in any trouble...
On those who have departed this life...
On those for whom we pray, silently or aloud...
All:
Jesus, have mercy.
Jesus, have mercy.
Jesus, have mercy.
Jesus, have mercy.
Jesus, have mercy.
Jesus, have mercy.
Jesus, have mercy.
[prayers are offered freely by the community. the following collects these prayers for the Body.]
One:
Lover of souls, you know our needs before we ask: grant us those needs for which we are
too ashamed, embarrassed, or prideful to ask: all for your Son's sake.
All:
Amen!
One:
All:
One:
All:
One:
All:
One:
For all that separates our hearts from God and from all that closes our eyes to God's love.
Jesus, forgive us. Give us hearts to follow your light where ever it leads.
For what we have done, left undone, and what has been done on our behalf.
Jesus, forgive us. Give us hearts to follow your light where ever it leads.
For the pride that prevents us from forgiving others, as we have been forgiven.
Jesus, forgive us. Give us hearts to follow your light where ever it leads.
God has put away our sins.
All:
Amen!
One:
All:
The Peace of Christ dwell in all our hearts forever!
Thanks be to God!
[greet one another in Jesus' name. move around, be noisy, then find your place at the table.]
[next we partake in the bread of Holy Communion, followed by a meal and a discussion.]
Priest: Loving God, with all creation we praise and magnify your holy name, for you sustain us
constantly with your love. You never abandon your creation, reconciling yourself and
humanity again and again. You send your prophets, empowered by your Holy Spirit, to
proclaim the day of the Lord's coming, to give us a vision of the holy city, the foundation of
which was laid at the creation of the world. Out of your desire to draw us deeper into your
infinite love, you sent your son, Jesus Christ, to be born of a young woman, to give hope to
those who seek your light this season, to live as one of us, to associate with those society
deems unloveable, to teach us about your economy of abundance, and to lay down his life
freely, triumphing over evil, dying rather than remembering our sin any longer.
All:
Loving his own in the world, he loves us to the end.
Priest: On the night of the Passover, before he was handed over to the authorities, Jesus and his
disciples were at table. There, he took bread, blessed and distributed it, saying, “Take, eat:
This is my Body which is broken for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” Pour your
Holy Spirit into this bread that it may be for us holy food. Pour the same Spirit on us, that
Christ is made known to us at this table. All praise to God, the source of love, in Jesus
Christ, who loves among us still, and the Holy Spirit who binds us together in that love.
All:
AMEN!!! [followed by silence]
One:
All:
One:
As our Lord Jesus has taught us, we now 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. 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 for ever. Amen.
Behold what you are, become what you receive: the Body of Christ for the Body of Christ.
[the bread is broken and shared, with the words: “the Body of Christ, the Bread of Life.”]
[after you receive the bread, please get a plate from the kitchen. next we eat and hear the Word.]
One:
One:
All:
One:
All:
One:
The Good News of God in Christ Jesus, according to the Evangelist, Matthew [Mt. 5:13-20]
Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be
restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a
lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the
house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good
works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to
abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter,
not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore,
whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the
same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches
them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom
of heaven."
For the word of God among us and within us:
Glory to God. Hallelujah!
Preface to the conversation.
[in groups, talk about the reading & question: What is the Peace of God?]
Response to the readings.
[the cup of Holy Communion is shared after supper and the ministry of the word]
Priest: As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my
blood, poured out for all. As often as you drink this, remember me." Remembering Christ's
ministry of reconciliation to God and to one another, we offer ourselves in praise and
thanksgiving. Celebrating God's boundless love for us in Jesus Christ, we offer the gifts we
share, made by the cooperation of human hands and a divine universe of creation. Bless
them by your Holy Spirit that they may be for us the holy food and drink of new and
unending life in Christ. At the end of our earthly pilgrimage, unite us with all your saints,
past, present and yet to come. All praise to God, the source of love, in Jesus Christ, who
loves among us still, and the Holy Spirit who binds us together in that love.
All:
AMEN!!! [followed by silence]
[the non-alcoholic communal cup is shared, with the words: “The Blood of Christ, Shed for You.”]
One:
All:
Let us pray.
Ever-loving God, we give thanks that Christ has been known to us at this table. Strengthen
us in word and deed that we may bear your light and your truth, in your name.Amen!
One:
[Announcements]
All:
Lord, Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; For mine
eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, To
be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of thy people Israel.
One:
All:
Go in peace: love with abandon, pray for the world, and remember the poor! Hallelujah!
Thanks be to God! Hallelujah!