Friday Communion Liturgy

Invitation to the Table by Jenny Howard
Friends, the realm of heaven is at hand,
here
in this circle.

Come, all who seek to be healed,
who seek to be raised,
who seek to be cleansed,
all who seek to cast out their own demons--

Come, all who seek to be reconciled
with God and with the people in their lives.
Come.

Friends, all are invited to share
in the meal of communion and reconciliation.

Prayer of Great Thanksgiving by Mieke Vandersall
And so we pray right now.
We pray prayers of great thanksgiving
for the relationships that Jesus entered into.
The relationship with the world that God
sent Jesus to heal.
The world that knew violence well
and corruption
and greed.
The world that thought they thrived
on worshipping money
and getting ahead.
The world that God chose
and showed that choosing
by the Holy Spirit breaking through
the money and corruption and greed and getting ahead
through Jesus our Christ.

And so we pray right now
prayers of thanksgiving
for Jesus
as he entered this world
and his compassion overtook
those who had little compassion with themselves.
As he entered into relationship
with people in the world
who made him very angry
and disappointed.

And so we pray right now
prayers of great thanksgiving
for Jesus
as he forgave
and healed us of all the disease
and sickness
and demons that
eat us from the inside out,
that try and rule the day
in our churches
and in our presbyteries
and in hearts.

All the demons and sickness and disease
that keep us from living
our relationships
with truth
and love
and compassion.

That keep us from living
lives of chastity
of truth
and love
and compassion
for ourselves
and for those who we love.

And so we pray right now
Prayers of great thanksgiving
for the promise
that we receive today
and every day
that God is all we need.
No need
for that which keeps us comfortable
for the comfort is not the
end goal
of our Christian journey.
Jesus did not teach us
comfort
but growth
and forgiveness
and repentance
and confession
and reconciliation.

Reconciliation of the world
back unto itself.
Reconciliation of its people
back unto the earth.
Reconciliation of us
so that we may come
into the royal realm of heaven
Singing Alleluia!

Christ,
He taught us this
in his birth
and his life
and his death
and his beating death
with new life.

Alleluia!
Amen!