and truth to lead you.
Let them bring us to God’s holy dwelling.
Let us go to the altar of God.
For God exceeds all other joy.
Why are you downcast,
and why should your souls be disquieted?
We hope in God our help,
to whom we bring praise and thanksgiving.
O Holy God, we thank you
that you have called us together in this hour
to hear the good news of the birth of a King,
to break bread, and to pray together.
We give all honor and glory.
And to you, gracious God,
we offer thanks
for your only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who has brought light into the world—
light that accompanies us through all our nights.
We thank you for his life of justice and righteousness,
his crucifixion, and his glorious resurrection.
We thank you especially
for this holy meal that he bequeathed to us,
that we might remember his death
until he comes again.
Send now your Holy Spirit
to settle on this bread and this wine,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ;
and on us,
that we might be the body of Christ in the world,
redeemed by his blood.
By that same Spirit, make us one with you
and one with each other
in ministry to a benighted world.
For those who are overwhelmed by darkness,
help them discover new possibilities and regain hope—
a hope that empowers them to act.
For those whose lives
have been destroyed
by hate, violence, injustice, or indifference:
may they find allies in their struggles,
and may they—
by your power and by the help of your faithful people—
be renewed in body and spirit.
As we enter a new year of our Lord,
we are especially mindful of our neighbors,
both near and far,
who are affected by misfortune.
May the presence of Christ in the world
be to them a ray of hope and of the warmth of your love.
Bless to all of us our faith, our love,
and our hope that in you,
all is possible and nothing is lost.
And now in Christ, with Christ, and for Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
we offer all honor and glory to you, Almighty God,
even as we confidently pray to you
as we have been taught…
Our Father...
The Words of Institution are spoken at the fraction.
Opening dialogue adapted from Psalm 43:3-5
Prayer adapted from Reformierte Liturgie: Gebete und Ordnungen für die unter dem Wort versammelte Gemeinde, ©Wuppertal 1999
