Here’s
a communion service inspired by Ezekiel 37: 1-14 (and John 4, John 9, John
11). It was written by Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy.
Invitation
to the Table
Jesus
calls us to the well,
inviting
us to drink of the Living Water, and the life eternal.
Jesus
calls us out of the shadows, out of the graves,
to
be entirely known, and entirely filled with God's presence.
Jesus
calls us all:
all
who were made in God's own image,
all
who breathe the breath of God's spirit:
the
Spirit of Life.
Jesus
calls us to the table,
to
the meal that nourishes our bodies
and
binds our dry bones into one Body, living in Christ.
Jesus
calls us, here and now.
Come
to this table, you who are beloved in Christ.
Come,
not because you must, but because you may.
Communion
Prayer/Lord's Prayer
Holy
God, source of all being,
you
are greater by far than our human thoughts can comprehend.
With
all that you have created, you abide;
weeping
with us in grief and pain, rejoicing with us in life and love.
You
are everywhere in this very moment;
holding
the entirety of living experience
and
weaving us together in the great and intricate tapestry of Creation.
Creator
God, mother and father of us all,
in
your holy love you took on our limitations.
Born
of a body, bound within a body,
you
know the whole of this human experience.
Learning
to communicate with words;
teaching
us to communicate with presence.
Learning
the fears that wring us dry;
teaching
us of the love that nurtures us back to life.
Everlasting
God, you are everywhere and right here.
As
close as the air we breathe,
the
air which binds us one to another and all to your beautiful creation.
You
are as close as the sunlight on our skin,
as
close as the rain that drips from our hair;
the
wind and the water that push us and lead us
and
call us again and again into relationship with one another and with you.
Holy
Spirit, divine Advocate, guide and encourage us.
Stir
within our hearts,
that
we may speak anew the familiar words that Jesus taught us...
Prayer
of Thanksgiving
Source
of life, and breath, and being,
breathe
into the dry dust of our existence.
Nourished
in body by bread and juice,
may
we strive for the nourishment of all bodies:
may
we work to end hunger in this creation that provides amply for all.
Nourished
in spirit by the Body which is within our own,
may
we strive for the incorporation of all:
may
we work to break the barriers
that divide us from one another and from you.
In
the love that sustains us, and the Spirit that animates us,
may
we give all thanks and praise to you, O God of all. Amen.
~
written by Eliza Buchakjian-Tweedy, Pastor at First Church Congregational,
Rochester, NH. She blogs at http://sermonizing.wordpress.com/
