Communion Prayer: God you come to us in so many ways, in our gathering together in your name you promise to be particularly present. You promise to be present in the beginnings and endings of things—in transitions, when things are ephemeral and hard. And yet again, you promise to be particularly present in the bread and the cup, so that we might taste and see that you are good. Send your Holy Spirit to transform this meal into a feast of your blessing we pray. Amen.
Communion Prayer: Jesus Christ as we celebrate this time of coming together with one another, may you transform this communion into a prayer of reconciliation with one another and our community, so that we might learn how to pray as we eat, breathe and walk among the world. As we taste this bread and cup, let us remember that you sent your son Jesus Christ to live a human life and teach us how to live the life of embodied prayer, one where teaching, serving and loving can all be active ways of praying our way through life. May this communion that we celebrate be an act of prayer as well. Send your Holy Spirit to transform these elements into the embodiment of this communion with all those who have come before, all those who will come, and the entire church who is praying now and forever in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; and while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.” Matthew 26: 17-25
Taize “Bless the Lord My Soul”
[Jesus] got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand. Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. John 13:4-10, 16-17
Taize: “Ubi caritas” during Washing of the Feet/Hands
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Matthew 16:26
Taize “Wait for the Lord”
(Serving of the Bread, An invitation to all onscreen or in the bulletin is appropriate)
Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” Matthew 17:27-29
(Serving of the Cup)
Taize “Jesus Remember Me, When You Come into Your Kingdom”
When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mathew 27:30
Today I wonder if you shared some insecurities with your mom,
If you told her you had to leave home,
and start to do all of the dangerous things
she sang about
when you were still in vitro–
and I wonder if you had imposter syndrome
Because your were–after all, fully human,
I wonder if you whispered that you didn’t want to leave home to her
in the middle of the night
or if you worried about leaving your brothers and sisters
when Joseph is so conspicuously absent from the picture now
You, the eldest, the man of the house,
would be leaving too, just to cause a revolution, that’s all
and here is your Mother’s blessing,
at a wedding,
I wonder if she wanted to give you a good memory to start your journey…
if these were good family friends
who had more friends than they could afford–and I can just imagine God
how you looked Jesus when you were like,
“Seriously Woman, this is not what God’s power is for!”
And Mary, Chosen of God, doesn’t even deign to answer her son.
Lord, I just imagine the Mom Look she gives Jesus.
God, I’d love to be able to see someone giving
Jesus, Christ our Lord and Savior, a Mom Look—
Because aren’t those Mom Looks affirming of all that we are, and can be–
they are the opposite of imposter syndrome, are they not?
Mary, gives the Mom Look and then commands everyone in the Room
“You will do as my son says” and gives a grand exit,
Beginning Jesus’s ministry with a flourish…of hospitality,
She blesses Jesus’s ministry with a Party–She starts the ministry as it must end–
with the outpouring of wine.
There is no formal communion narrative in John, but it fits in right here…
as we on the inter-webs argue about what can make communion..
telling us all we need to know about communion
God you turned water into wine,
you know the truth–
its all real,
every drop of Hospitality and Communion,
and identity Affirmation,
It
Is
All
Real
Ministry.
Don’t ever let us forget I pray.
In the name of your Partying Jesus Christ,
and his affirming Mother I pray.
Amen.
Feel free to use/adapt/Share with Credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
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God, I thank you that you have become my salvation
Look! The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone
This is the day that the Lord has made!
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen, indeed, alleluia.
Invitation: Let all who are astonished by the resurrection confess themselves to God.
Confession: God we confess that we too are perplexed by the resurrection. How did it happen? Is it real? Did it truly happen to save us all? Help us in our confusion and questions. Give us the courage to ask about the things we don’t know and the wisdom to let some things be mysterious. Help us to be a resurrection people, ready to go out and proclaim the mystery and the truth of God’s love to all we meet. In the name of your risen son Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: Christ is alive! Risen to forgive all sins. Let us tell the truth: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.
Prayer of the Day/Dedication: God we are in great need of alleluias! Let us go into Easter with full hearts and dripping with grace we pray.
Communion Prayer: Lord Jesus, it is a great honor to celebrate your death once again. This time in the midst of the very resurrection you promised. You remind us that we cannot have resurrection without death. Comfort us as we mourn your death, and enable us to celebrate your life all within this meal. Send you Holy Spirit to dance upon our tongues and give us a foretaste of the feast in heaven, with all the saints that were and are and will be we pray. Amen.
Hymns: Christ is Alive!, Come Ye Faithful Raise the Strain, The Day of Resurrection!, Thine is the Glory, Jesus Christ is Risen Today!,
Taize: Laudate Dominum: Sing, Praise and Bless the Lord, Peoples, Nations, Alleluia!
For the Complete List of Narrative Lectionary Lent Resources can be found here including a way to receive a doc copy
During this journey to Jerusalem, Jesus practices the grace that is found within his death and resurrection, twice. First he is rejected by Samaria, the shorter way to Jerusalem (Lent 1) and then he reclaims them as his neighbor (Lent 2), he reclaims them even as he journeys onward. Then we get los (and found), die and see ghost, and then, finally are reclaimed and found with Zaccheus. Journeying to Jerusalem is an exercise in getting lost, dying and resurrecting together.
Feel free to use/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
Feel free to use/adapt with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta
If you need a doc version of all of this for easier formatting, email me at katyandtheword at gmail with the topic line “Lent” and I will send you a copy
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