This communion liturgy originally appeared in "Be Not Afraid—Christmas Eve: Fear of Revelation."
Lord’s Supper
Institution of the Lord’s Supper
Long after the angels vacated the skies, the shepherds left the manger and the Magi traveled home again. On another night—the night of his betrayal, not his birth; the night of his arrest, not his adoration—Jesus sat at dinner with his disciples.
On that night, he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, he took the cup saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this in remembrance of me.”
As we eat this bread and drink this cup, we remember and proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Great Prayer of 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 for us to give thanks and praise.
With joy we praise you, gracious God, Eternal Creator. At the beginning of time your rescue plan of salvation began with the work of Your hands, fashioning our planet and spinning our galaxies into place.
Through history you sent prophets and priests to point the way and to shape the expectations of your people longing for rescue from sin and salvation from bondage to sin’s effects.
Until, at last, in the fullness of time, our Savior and Redeemer was born.
Though he could not find hospitality in his own city, his birth offers the world the eternal hospitality of God.
Song
“Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (st. 1–3) Prudentius
We give thanks to you, Jesus Christ, who came among us as the Word made flesh to show us a new and radiant vision of your glory, full of grace and truth.
Therefore, we join our voices with the angel choirs who forever sing glory to your name.
Song
“Of the Father’s Love Begotten” (st. 4–5) Prudentius
By the power of your Holy Spirit, unite us with Christ and all who share this feast. Give us courage to live according to the promise of this night, to be your people, showing forth your justice, grace, mercy, peace, and love until the day when the baby whose birth we celebrate tonight comes again in fullness and peace.
Then we will feast with all your saints in the joy of your eternal realm.
Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours,
almighty God, now and forever.
Amen.
Invitation
The church father Ambrose of Milan wrote about the significance of this evening, saying:
“He became an infant and a child so that your humanity might be made perfect. He was wrapped in swaddling clothes so that you might be absolved from the bonds of death. He was on earth so that you might be in heaven. He had no room at the inn so that you might have mansions in heaven. He was in a manger so that you might be at the altar.”
—Ambrose, Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke 2:41
The gifts of God for the people of God!
[Distribution of elements while singing “What Child Is This” Dix]
