Communion Prayer for January 10, 2016.

Join me now in prayer.

Creator, the center of all existence,

Holy Spirit, our Companion while we live,
I treasure your love.

But the man in the upper room
Sharing bread and wine with his friends,

Chose to live as we do.

To pour as much of himself as he could
Into a human vessel.

Fully God, Fully human.

He gave himself to us

In the simplest necessities of life:

Food and drink,
So that we would remember him.

Jesus, Savior.

We remember you now.

Amen.

Invitation to Communion January 10, 2016

 I invite you to join us in Communion
Or as I knew it a a child, the Lord's Supper.

We will take the bread and wine
(it's grape juice really),

And remember the man
Who first broke the bread and drank the wine.

The same man whose baptism is observed today:

Jesus the Christ.

I was lucky enough to have
A Presbyterian/Christian Scientist grandmother

and a Southern Baptist mother.

One saw to it that I was sprinkled as a baby

and the other that I was dunked at age ten.

So as far as baptism is concerned,
Been there, done that.

Communion is different.  

Only as an adult
Did I understand
The significance of the bread and wine.

Now, I treasure each time
I take the Lord's Supper.

As I hope you will.

Christmas Invitation to Communion

I come to invite you to join us

In Communion.

Our statement of identity says that:

"We are Disciples of Christ

A movement for wholeness

In a fragmented world.

As part of the one body of Christ,

We welcome all to the Lord's Table

As God has welcomed us."

When I think of Christmas,

The baby in the manger,

I am not surprised that we all love this holiday

Despite its commercialization and too often, frantic pace.

We remember that

God came as a baby.

We  can hold a baby.  We could hold God.

I think deep within in each of us
Is the desire to be in control.

God as a baby gives us control

And sets Christmas in a special place.

But Christmas leads us to Easter,

And a Savior who did not conquer by might

But became the Lamb of God,

A living sacrifice,

Out of our control.

When we take the bread and wine,

We follow Jesus' command:
"Do this in remembrance of me."

In Communion,
God is in control.

I feel at peace with myself

When I take the bread and cup

And know that I do God's will.

That now the Christ holds me.

Join us at the Lord's Table.

Let Jesus cradle you.

Communion Prayer November 2,2014

Dear Lord,

Creator, Word, and Love,

You spoke creation into existence.

Chose to walk this earth in human form,

And to dwell with us now.

As we take this bread and wine,

We follow our Savior's command

To do this

"In remembrance of Me."

Bless this congregation

And make those in it the servants you need.

Let us work together in your love,

To make the world around us what you want

For we are your hands in this place.

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen.

Communion Prayer for June 15, 2014

Dear God,

Forgiver of our sins,

As we take the bread

And the wine,

Let us remember
Christ's unrelenting love.

Help us to forgive others

Because we have been forgiven.

In Jesus name we pray.

Amen.

Communion Prayer for April 6, 2014

Romans 8:6-11

⁶ The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. ⁷ The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. ⁸ Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[a] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of^[b] his Spirit who lives in you.

Dear Lord,

We come to share the bread and wine

In celebration and remembrance of you.

     The passage from Romans we read today 

Reminds us that You sent Your Spirit

To dwell within us and

Give us life and peace.

So we know

As we eat the bread and drink the wine

The Comforter joins us.

Amen.

Communion Prayer March 2, 2014

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. ² And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³ Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I^[a] will make three dwellings^[b] here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved;^[c] with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. ⁷ But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” ⁸ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. (Matthew 17:1-9

Transfiguration by Alexandr Ivanov, 1824

Dear Lord, 

We come on this Transfiguration Sunday

To share the bread and wine

In celebration and remembrance of you.

The Creator called you :" Beloved."

We call you "Savior."

Let this bread and wine remind us

Of your glory,

Of your love,

Of your sacrifice,

Of your words to Peter, James and John:

"Do not be afraid,"

Amen.

Maundy Thursday 2013

Maundy Thursday.
Maundy for the British Monarch's
Alms for the poor. 

The Thursday before Easter.

The day before the crucifixion.

The day that Jesus washed his disciples feet

Even though he knew

His death was at hand.

The day Jesus and his disciples
Ate their Passover meal
In an upper room.
There Jesus instituted Communion,

The Lord's Supper,
Christians practice today.

There Judas shared bread with Jesus

Before he left to betray him.

Today many will gather for Communion.

Where believers partake of this sacrament
The Holy Spirit joins them.
Bread and wine,
Flesh and blood.

Remember the man. 

Remember the Word made flesh.
Remember God kneeling before each disciple.

Remember Jesus' patience.

Remember his sacrifice.

Maunday Thursday 2012

Maundy Thursday.

The Thursday before Easter.

The day before the crucifixion.

The day that Jesus washed his disciples feet

Even though he knew

His death was at hand.

The day Jesus and his disciples
Ate their Passover meal
In an upper room.
There Jesus instituted Communion,

The Lord's Supper,
Christians practice today.

There Judas shared bread with Jesus

Before he left to betray him.

Today many will gather for Communion.

Where believers partake of this sacrament
The Holy Spirit joins them.
Bread and wine,
Flesh and blood.

Remember the man. 

Remember the Word made flesh.
Remember God kneeling before each disciple.

Remember Jesus' patience.

Remember his sacrifice.

Thanksgiving 2011

Photo by khrawlings

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

As we sat down for our Thanksgiving dinner,

Did we remember another meal
 Where many were gathered?

Jesus and his disciples ate their Passover meal
In an upper room on a Thursday.
There Jesus instituted the Communion
We practice today.
When believers gather for this rite
So, too, does the Spirit.
Bread and wine,
Flesh and blood.
Remember the sacrifice.
Remember the man.
Remember the Word made flesh.
Remember God

And

Give thanks.

Maundy Thursday

Communion by the U.S.Army

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Photo by Peter Mackniell

Maundy Thursday.

The Thursday before Easter.

The day before the crucifixion.

The day that Jesus washed his disciples feet.

The day Jesus and his disciples ate their Passover meal
In an upper room.
There Jesus instituted Communion,

The Lord's Supper,
Christians practice today.

There Judas shared bread with Jesus

Before he left to betray him.

Some Christians will gather for a Passover meal

This day.

In remembrance of the day

The Angel of  Death spared the Hebrews.

The tradition Christ honored,

Even though he knew

His death was at hand.

On Easter Sunday many will partake of
That Lord's Supper.

Where believers gather for this sacrament
The Holy Spirit joins them.
Bread and wine,
Flesh and blood.

Remember the man. 

Remember the Word made flesh.
Remember him kneeling before each disciple.

Remember the sacrifice

That was his choice.

The Lord's Supper

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Jesus and his disciples ate their Passover meal
In an upper room.
There Jesus instituted the Communion
We practice today.
This Easter Sunday many will partake of
The Lord's Supper.
When believers gather for this rite
So, too, does the Spirit.
Bread and wine,
Flesh and blood.
Remember the sacrifice.
Remember the man.
Remember the Word made flesh.
Remember God.

Photo by hoyasmeg