Communion as a meal

We tried to reconceptualise communion as a meal - just like it was done in the early church. As they ate and shared life together, they would remember Jesus and celebrate his life, death and resurrection again. This post details some of the planning and thinking around what would be appropriate. Eventually we settled on this structure:

A welcome which includes everyone ("Present among us!") - taken from the Greenbelt_06 communion intro.
A invitation prayer from the Iona community (of which we just used the last verse), and then into the communion proper, inviting everyone to serve each other and to then enjoy the meal in the presence of the risen Christ.

I've colour coded the lines in the attachment, as we'd originally hoped to have Desiree alongside Bert leading communion; then Bert's voice died and we didn't look hard enough for Desiree (sorry!) so Ed ended up doing it - and did a sterling job! With the colour coding we wanted the red bits to be read by Bert, and the blue by Desiree (adapt as necessary).

Communion as a meal

Welcome to the first "communion meal" at Change Agents. All are invited, all are welcome.

If any of the following sentences apply to you, please loudly say, "Present among us."

(Response: Present among us)

So...everyone who can hear me
People who have been to Change Agents before
People who are here for the first time
Teenagers between 13 and 19
All who are not in their teens
People who showered this morning
People who will shower tonight
All who are not wearing what they wore yesterday
People who can like to be wearing a jean pant
All who believe that this is the day that the Lord has made
People who believe that the earth is the Lord's

This is the table,
not of the Church, but of the Lord.
It is to be made ready
for those who love him
and who want to love him more.

So, come,
you who have much faith
and you who have little,
you who have been here often
and you who have not been for a long time,
you who have tried to follow
and you who have failed.

Come,
not because it is I who invite you:
it is our Lord.
It is his will that those who want him
should meet him here.

For on the night that he was betrayed he took bread, and when he had given you thanks, he broke  it, and gave it to his disciples saying, "Take this and eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

So too after supper he took the cup, and when he had given you thanks, he gave it to them saying, "Drink of it all of you; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins; whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me."

Friends, take the elements and offer them to each other, saying, "The body of Christ....the blood of Christ." Then continue eating and drinking, remembering that Jesus is present among us.

Thank you God, for love, for food, and for friends to share it with. Amen.