Communion Service for Epiphany Season

Service of Holy Communion for the Season after Epiphany

January 6, 2022-February 27, 2022

Dialogue

May God be with you
And also with you.

Lift your hearts.
We lift them up to God.

Let us give thanks to the God we love.
We freely give God thanks and praise.

Preface
It is right and meet, beautiful and holy
that we should, in ceaseless joy
Give our thanks and praise to you,
Holy and merciful God,
Through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

And so, in grateful procession of endless praise
With the church that is, was, and shall be forever,
We glorify you, joining this unending song:

Sanctus
Holy, holy, holy…

Eucharistic Prayer

Holy are you, Eternal One.
You sit above, through, within the circle of the earth
Setting light into being
Casting the stars in the sky
Founding the evolving earth
And all that dwell within it.

Limitless is your power,
And great is your wisdom.
You look upon the lowly
As your most cherished creatures.
You visit upon the downtrodden
With presence, grace, and the promise of eternal justice.

You sent to us your own child, Jesus,
Who reached into unexpected places,
Calling women beyond the limits of their times
Equipping men for nurturing love
Welcoming children into your holy embrace.

And so we recall that on the night of betrayal and desertion,
The light of the world took bread, broke and gave it to the disciples, saying:

The presider lifts the bread.

“This is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

The presider places the bread on the table.

And, in like manner, after supper,
Jesus took the cup and after giving thanks give it to them saying,

The presider lifts the cup.

“This is the cup of the new covenant [in my blood]
poured out for you and for all people
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink of it,
for the remembrance of me.”

The presider places the cup on the table.

Life’s greatest feast before us,
We excitedly proclaim:

Christ has died    Christ is risen    Christ will come again.

Dear God, you transform.
You transform all that is before you
So that at the touch of your grace
We are never the same.

Dear God, you illumine.
You bring light to all peoples
Light to the nations
Light into our hearts
Light on your Way.

Dear God, we pray for your Spirit.
Transform, illumine, bless.
Make these ordinary gifts of bread and cup
Into the extraordinary presence of Christ with us.

In so doing,
Hold us as your own
Renew us as your people
For the sake of the world you love.

The presider may lift both the bread and the cup.

For all honor and glory are yours, O God,
Through Jesus Christ,
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit in your glorious creation
Both now and forever.
Amen.

The presider places the bread and cup on the table.

Lord’s Prayer

At the conclusion of the prayer, the presider lifts the bread to break it.

Post-Communion Prayer
Let us pray:
We have been fed, Holy One, by your presence.
We have been led, Eternal One, by your light.
May we bask in this glow
Now and forevermore. Amen.

Service of Holy Communion for Season after Epiphany was written by the Rev. Kaji Douša, a United Church of Christ Pastor who serves as a pastor of Park Avenue Christian Church in New York City.

Copyright 2022 Faith INFO Ministry Team, United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115-1100. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education. All publishing rights reserved.

Holy Communion for Epiphany Season