Holy Communion - 8th May 2016 - MS Balmoral

God's Spirit calls to our spirits,
inviting us to worship.

At this Ascensiontide,
we come to worship the living Christ.

Alleluia! Christ reigns!
Let the earth rejoice! Alleluia!

HYMN - Three years they had known him

God our Father,
you have time and eternity in your hands;
but we want everything now, to be soon, to be instant.
If we have fallen into despair or impatience,
Lord, have mercy.

The wounded hands of Jesus show us the cost of love;
but we want love without pain, without sacrifice.
If we have failed to trust your abiding love,
Lord, have mercy.

God's Spirit clothes us with power from on high;
but we want power and control in our own hands.
If we have forgotten whose we are and whom we serve,
Lord, have mercy.

May the living God raise us from despair,
give us victory over our shortcomings,
and set us free in Christ.

In you we place our hope,
our great hope, our living hope,
this day and evermore.
Amen.

A prayer before the reading:

Hear the word God speaks to us today:
Speak, Lord, to our speaking;
Speak, Lord, to our thinking;
Speak, Lord, to our soul's deep understanding.

Reading: Acts 1: 1-11

Reflection

HYMN - What is our mission in this place

Prayer

Living Christ, when we are numbed by the suffering of the world,
take us back to the deep truth of your power and glory,
of your reign of love, of your promise of reconciliation.
In the knowledge of this truth, help us to bring our gaze back down to earth
and find the strength to go into the world, to build the kingdom of God
on this planet earth.
Amen.

Let us proclaim our trust in God.

I trust in God, who is love, and who has given the earth to all people.
I trust in Christ, who heals us and frees us from all forms of oppression.
I trust in God's Spirit, who works in us and through all who turn towards truth.
I trust in the community of faith, which is called to be at the service of all people.
I trust in God's presence to transform, fulfilling the promise
of a new heaven and a new earth where justice and peace will flourish.

We commit ourselves to following Christ, to one another as brothers and sisters,
and to the work of God in the world, through the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

So now let us pray:

Let us remember the words of Jesus:

"I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was a stranger and you welcomed me."

So we pray for people who are persecuted and discriminated against
because of their faith, race or colour;

for those who are imprisoned, exiled or tortured
because they have spoken up for justice and human rights;

for those who are destitute, hungry and thirsty,
refugees and migrants, all who flee from terror and destruction
and simply seek a safe place to live;

for those who are alone, without enough human contact,
those in discomfort or continual pain,
and all who fear a bleak future.

We pray for our churches back home,
for the good work that many are doing in their communities,
and for churches set in deprived areas,
where resources are thin and ideas are scarce;

and on this Sunday, when we remember the promise of Jesus
never to leave us alone,
we pray for confidence and courage to walk the way of Jesus,
proclaiming God's transforming power.

In the name of Jesus we pray,
Amen.

HYMN - Doubt and worship, mixed emotions

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.

Gracious God,
Jesus promised the disciples that they would be clothed with power from on high.
Send now your Holy Spirit, that we may be clothed with your divine power,
as we share together bread broken and wine outpoured.

We give you thanks for every gift that comes from heaven.
To the darkness Jesus came as your light.
With signs of faith and words of hope he touched untouchables with love
and washed the guilty clean.

This is his story.
This is our song:
Hosanna in the highest.

The crowds came out to see Jesus, yet at the end they turned on him.
On the night he was betrayed he came to table with his friends
to celebrate the freedom of your people.

This is his story.
This is our song:
Hosanna in the highest.

Jesus blessed you, Father, for the food;
he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and said:
"This is my body, given for you all."

Later he gave thanks for the wine;
he took the cup, gave it to them and said:
"This is my life-blood, shed for you all."
Do this in remembrance of me.

This is our story.
This is our song:
Hosanna in the highest.
As we share this meal,
may we be alive in Christ, and Christ in us.

Send your Spirit on what we do here,
that as we eat and drink together,
we may be transformed by Christ
and filled with new life and new hope.
Amen.

We break this bread.
Though we are many, we are yet one -
one with each other and one in Christ.

Now we pray in the words of Jesus:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

In the broken body of Jesus, in broken bread,
we enter the broken heart of God.

Come now to share God's gift, in celebration and joy.
All is prepared.

The Sharing of bread and wine

Gracious God,
we give you thanks for satisfying our hungry hearts
with this holy meal.

Strengthened and refreshed, we go from here to continue the work of Jesus,
through faithful witness and loving service.

Thanks be to God.
Amen.

HYMN - We have a gospel to proclaim

May God pour upon you the abundance of his gifts;
may Christ walk with you in all your life ahead;
may God's Spirit clothe you with power
and guard your words and works,
now and for evermore.
Amen