Liturgy and Great Thanksgiving for Independence Day weekend

Posted by bgosden on Jun 25, 2012 in Prayer, United Methodist Church | 0 comments

This is the liturgy for Holy Communion I’ve put together for Mulberry Street United Methodist Church to be used on July 1, 2012. The Invitation and Prayer of Confession follow the same pattern as the liturgy found on p. 12 of the UMH.

The Great Thanksgiving is largely based on a prayer found on the General Board of Disicpleship website here. The original was written by Hoyt Hickman and Taylor Watson Burton-Edwards [Copyright General Board of Discipleship. www.GBOD.org used by permission]. I’ve changed some language so that it flows more with the wording found on pp. 13-14 of The United Methodist Hymnal — in case people want it to feel more like “the way we’ve always done it.” You’ll notice it has the traditional wording leading into the prompts for congregational response.

Invitation to the Table/Confession and Pardon

Christ our Lord calls to his Table

all who hurt and are beaten down by the stresses of life;

all who love him and earnestly seek to live in peace with one another;

all who repent of their sin and long to follow the call of discipleship.

Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Merciful God,

we confess that we have failed to love you most of all.

We have failed to fully be your church in this time and place.

We have sinned against you and each another

            by things we have done and things we have left undone.

We have not loved our neighbors

because we have failed to see the Christ in others.

Forgive us, we pray.

Free us to walk in the light of your grace,

            and in full obedience to your will,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Hear the good news:

Despite our brokenness, Christ died for us that we might have life;

that proves God’s gracious love toward us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

Glory to God! Amen

Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Almighty God, Creator of the universe,
Ruler of all nations, Judge of all flesh,
you have placed us, your people, in this land made rich
with rivers, forests, mountains, and creatures great and small.
Here, you set before the founders and pioneers of this nation
an opportunity beyond measure
to build a realm of justice, peace, and freedom.
Here you continue to call your people,
freed from the law and baptized into Christ Jesus,
to be a sign of your reign in all the world.
For such a place, such a vision
and such a calling we give you thanks,
praying we may ever join afresh the dreams you set before us.

And so, with your people in every land on earth
and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join in their unending hymn:

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.

Above all we give you thanks
for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ,
who sends us into the world
to declare the good news of your kingdom
to every creature:
Justice to all peoples,
good news to the poor,
release for prisoners,
sight for the blind,
and freedom for the oppressed.

On the night before he was arrested and sentenced to death
by the authorities of his own nation,
he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to his disciples,
and said: “Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.”

When supper was over,
he took the cup, gave thanks, gave it to his disciples,
and said, “Drink from this, all of you;
this is my blood of the covenant
poured out for you and for many,
for the forgiveness of sins.”

And so we remember again as we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

We pour ourselves out before you in praise and thanksgiving,
a holy and living sacrifice in union with Christ’s offering for us.

Pour out your Spirit
on us and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make Christ known to us in the breaking of this bread,
and the sharing of this cup.
Renew our fellowship in him,
that we may be for the world his body
poured out for the world
at this time in this nation,
and at that great banquet in the fullness of your new creation
where justice flows like rivers,
righteousness like an ever-flowing stream,
where none shall hunger or thirst,
neither shall they learn war anymore.

By him, with him, and in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours, almighty God,
now and ever. Amen.