WE GIVE THANKS
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is always right to give you thanks, God our Creator, loving and faithful, holy and strong.
You brought forth all of creation and filled it with life, from the shining stars at the farthest reaches of the universe, to the abundance of the earth itself; its dark rich sustaining and life giving soil replenished by rain, and the springs and creeks, streams and rivers that water the earth.
You made us in your image to dwell within your miraculous creation, but we wandered away from your endless gifts of abundance into the dry and dusty waste lands of our own making.
So you sent your Son to live among us, Jesus our Savior, Mary’s child, born in a stable, who revealed your goodness and lovingkindness to all who would listen.
Breathing in and living out your love, Jesus spread the good news of your kingdom throughout the land of Galilee with stories about seeds, soil, birds, trees, sheep and lilies of the field. He broke bread with outcasts and sinners, healed the sick, cast out demons and offered living water for all to drink. He prayed alone in the mountains, and walked alongside the sea as he revealed to all with eyes to see the everlasting richness and abundance of your kingdom come to earth.
He suffered and died on a cross fashioned from a tree to save us from our sins. He was buried in a garden tomb. On the third day, you raised him in glory from death into resurrected life.
And you continue to send your Spirit to bring new life and breath to the world, to clothe us with power from on high, to restore us and all of creation to you.
And so we join the angels as we celebrate and sing:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna in the highest.
Father, on the night before he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and then died so that we might live forever in hope, Jesus shared a meal with his friends.
He took the bread, and thanked you.
He broke it, and gave it to them, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this, and find me present in your midst.
After the meal, Jesus took the cup of wine.
Again, he thanked you, and gave it to them, saying:
Drink this, all of you.
This is my blood,
The new promise of God’s unfailing love.
Do this, and find me present in your midst.
Jesus Christ has died.
Jesus Christ has died.
Jesus Christ is risen.
Jesus Christ is risen.
Jesus Christ will come again.
Jesus Christ will come again.
Father, as we offer You this bread and wine, and remember his death and resurrection, send your Holy Spirit, that we who share these gifts may be fed by Christ’s body and his blood.
Pour your Holy Spirit on us that we may love one another, work for the healing of the earth, share the good news of Jesus, and live in hope as we wait for his coming in glory.
For honor and praise belong to you, Father, with Jesus your Son, and the Holy Spirit: one God, forever and ever.
Amen.