Holy Communion - 1st May 2016 - MS Balmoral

Through Christ, God says to us,
"Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

In this act of worship, God is with us.
We are not alone.
Christ is present here.
The Spirit is among us.
Let us give thanks to God,
in memory and in hope.

HYMN - Lord, your Church on earth is seeking

God, you touch our lives with mystery and hope.
We come to this place today, ready to see your power working through us.
Help us to be open to your Word, to your life in us,
and to answer your call among us.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.

We are people of worth and value.
But failures and mistakes can undermine our confidence
and cause us to feel separated from God.
When we honestly acknowledge our brokenness,
and the brokenness of God's world around us,
God offers us forgiveness and transformation.

So let us pray:

God of Love,
in the wrong we have done
and in the good we have not done;
we have sinned in ignorance;
we have sinned in weakness;
we have sinned through
our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry.
We repent and turn to you.
Forgive us, and renew our lives.

No matter where we are,
God is there.
No matter what we have done,
God offers a new beginning.
No matter our reluctance to accept God,
God has accepted us.

With that assurance, receive forgiveness,
and live in fullness and in hope.
Amen

HYMN - Help us accept each other

Prayer before the Reading:

God, the words you speak have power:
power to create,
power to disturb,
power to heal.
Help us to hear your Word for us today.
Amen.

Reading: Matthew 18: 21-35

Reflection

We believe in God our Creator, whose word upholds human life,
for God is life;
whose tenderness longs for the freedom of humanity,
for God is love.

We believe in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
who came to share our life and to lighten our darkness.
Born among the poor, he showed us God's love and accepted death.
The living Christ is the wellspring of life and hope.

We believe in God's Spirit, who brings us to birth in the life of God,
and floods us with strength and gladness in the struggle to be faithful.

We believe in the Church, servant of all, bringer of good news,
in whom we witness to God in the world.

We believe in eternal life.
We look for resurrection in the hope of a new world
where all humanity will be one in union with God,
who is now, and is to come for ever.
Amen
(from les Paroisses Catholiques de Villefranche-sur-Saône)

HYMN - Community of Christ

The Spirit of God be with you
And also with you.

Turn to God, the source of life
We lift our hearts in prayer.

Let us give thanks.
We offer joyful thanks to God.

Let us remember together that vision of God's reign shown to us in Jesus at table:

he shared food with followers and friends,

with saints and sinners,

with crowds of thousands on the hillside,

and a few friends in an upper room.

On the night before he died, he had supper with his companions.

He took a loaf of bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it, and gave it to them, saying:

"Take, eat. Do this, and remember me."

Then, later, he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he passed it among them, saying:

"Drink this. Do this, and remember me."

Through this loaf and cup, Christ lives within us.

In word and deed, Christ lives among us.

And so, remembering your boundless love for us in Christ,

we offer you our praise and our lives.

Send your Holy Spirit on us and what we do here,
that as we break bread and drink wine,
we may be united with Christ,
that we who are many may be one in him.

Make us strong in faith and love,
that we may become truly human,
as you created us to be.

In the name of Jesus we pray,
Amen

Blessed are those who make peace:
they shall be called sons and daughters of God.

We meet in the name of Christ and share his peace.

The peace of Christ be with you all.

And also with you.

So now, as Jesus taught us, let us pray in his words:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;
your kingdom come, your will be done
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.
Amen

The bread that we break, and the cup for which we give thanks,

are our sharing in the life of Christ.

Come. All is now ready.

We share the Bread of Life and the Cup of Blessing

Life-giving God,
may we, who share Christ's body, live his risen life;
we, who drink his cup, bring new life to others;
we, whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world.

Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us,
so that we and all your children shall be free,
and all creation will live to praise your name.
Amen.

HYMN - Forgive our sins as we forgive

Benediction

Now may the grace of God, deeper than our imagination;
the strength of Christ, stronger than our need;
and the communion of the Holy Spirit, richer than our togetherness;
guide and sustain us today and in all our tomorrows.
Amen