A liturgy for Holy Communion (Eucharist/The Lord’s Supper/Sharing of Bread and Wine) written to affirm and celebrate the diversity of God’s people, suitable for all people, but written with LGBTQ+ people particularly in mind.
Opening
We meet in the name of God:
The Maker,
who made each one of us uniquely beautiful.
The Word,
who proclaims the goodness of our diversity.
The Spirit,
who affirms our place in the Body of Christ.
We meet in the name of God:
each one of us precious. Amen.
Candle Lighting
Seven candles are placed at the front forming the colours of the rainbow. Each one is lit as the first six lines are spoken – the final candle is left unlit.
We come: loved and cherished
We come: broken and hurt
We come: diverse and beautiful
We come: queer and different
We come: accepted and affirmed
We come: as God’s chosen people
We come: mourning those who are yet to find their light in this world.
We come… out as the people we are meant to be.
Thanks be to God. Amen!
Preparation Prayer
Eternal Source of life,
seeping through the cosmos,
bursting through light,
rooted deep in creation,
we bring these gifts of bread and wine,
created by your energy,
for our communion with Christ and in Christ. Amen.
Invitation to our open table
This is our open table,
a place for people to come as they are.
But we pause:
remembering those times when the presence of others means we cannot be ourselves at God’s table;
recognising the many people with diverse identities who in the past had no place to be themselves;
praying for our many siblings who find themselves in places of hate and fear because of who they are.
But, this is our open table!
Be fully yourselves before God,
be fully yourselves before others,
just be the ‘you’ God made you.
We come as we are.
We come as ourselves.
We come as God made us. Amen.
The Thanksgiving Prayer
God be with us.
God is with us!
Give your whole being to God.
We give all we are to God!
Celebrate and give thanks.
We praise and thank God!
It is right for us to celebrate and praise.
We are made in God’s beautiful image.
God has made each one of us unique,
delightfully individual,
yet endlessly connected
and interdependent in needs.
So with all creation, believers and angels, we say:
God who fills the cosmos with glory,
we praise and bless you!
Holy God,
You gave us a world full of hope and potential,
yet, human fear of diversity and difference
promoted hate and division
and crushed the beauty of human wholeness.
In the midst of this brokenness,
Christ was born among us,
modelling the way of mutual love and acceptance,
but this was dismissed and despised
and your Beloved was hated and crucified.
On the night before Christ’s crucifixion,
as darkness drew in and hate grew,
Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it,
asking all followers to eat in remembrance.
Then Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks,
and asked all followers to drink in remembrance
Within a landscape of worldly power, oppression and selfishness,
your Beloved chose love, life and self-giving,
turning all the world seeks upside down,
and modelling a deeper fullness, drawn from the heart of God,
by choosing death and resurrection.
In dying, you destroy all that denies our fullness.
In rising, you affirm God’s love for each of us.
Christ Jesus, come and transform the world in love!
Generous God,
As we remember all that you have done,
we ask that you send your Holy Spirit,
that these gifts of bread and wine
may unite us with Christ and each other,
and affirm us as fully part of the Body of Christ,
diverse and beautiful. Amen.
Siblings in Christ, the table is ready.
Sharing the bread and wine
Take, eat. God’s love for you. Amen.
Take, drink. God’s love for you. Amen.
Prayer
Generous God,
We give you thanks that in this moment,
being fully ourselves at your table,
we have glimpsed the fullness of your reign
where everyone can be who they are
at the Great Banquet of God.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer inspired by the prayer Jesus gave us
Our Wonderful Source beyond the cosmos,
you are to be recognised as the Great Love –
your incredible presence known everywhere.
May your reign be present among us,
your justice established in our midst
as all you are and do is known eternally.
Give us what we need each day
and forgive the things we do that damage and hurt
as we let others know they are forgiven.
Prevent us from harming your world and life,
keep us safe and flourishing
and liberate us from all that denies and destroys.
Yours is everything, seen and unseen.
Let all praise be yours now and throughout time. Amen.
Blessing
May the blessing of God, the Holy Parent,
make us love ourselves, so we may love others fully.
May the blessing of God, the Holy Christ,
make us celebrate our gifts, so we can use them to serve others.
May the blessing of God, the Holy Spirit,
make us whole, so we may be a blessing to the world. Amen.
This liturgy was originally written for Open Table Birmingham.