+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you that in this wonderful sacrament you have given us the memorial of your passion: grant us so to reverence the sacred mysteries of your body and blood that we may know within ourselves and show forth in our lives the fruits of your redemption; for you are alive and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
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I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
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“Feast of Corpus Christi” – Holy Land Franciscans (Jun 5, 2012)
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Corpus Christi Sunday Intercessory Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ: Thank you for your real presence with us in Word and Sacrament; bless us today that we may be a blessing to others. Lord, hear our prayers –
+ That our faith in your real presence with us may grow stronger through our worship and prayer.
+ That we may regularly receive the Bread of Life and the Cup of Salvation in remembrance of your sacrificial love.
+ That those who rarely attend worship may be drawn into the community of faith and experience life to the full.
+ That all who are hungry and destitute may be provided for physically and fed spiritually with the Bread of Life.
+ That all who suffer persecution for their faith and dislocation from war and violence may find comfort, safety and support.
+ That fathers, and all who play a father’s role, may reflect your loving-kindness and be rewarded with godly children.
+ That those who have gone before us in faith, especially our fathers, may be raised up at the last day.
God of infinite generosity, you sent your Son to share our burdens and our hopes, to be our life and strength: hear the prayers we offer in his name, who lives and reigns with you, forever and ever. Amen.
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“Behold the Lamb” (Communion Hymn) – Stuart Townend
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Concluding Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ: Make us one in you by sharing together your most sacred body and blood, that we may also be eternally united with you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit – one God – for ever and ever. Amen.
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+ In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Since the beginning of time, God has always nourished his people. Today we remember God’s kindness in giving us the Body and Blood of Christ as our spiritual food.
Opening Prayer:
You have blessed all generations, O God most high, in Jesus, our compassionate Savior, for through him you invite us to your kingdom, welcome us to your table, and provide us with nourishment in abundance. Teach us to imitate your unfailing kindness and to build up Christ’s body, the Church, by generously handing on to others the gifts we have received from your bounty. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.
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“In Christ, There Is No East Or West” – St Stephen (BBC)
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A Reading from the Old Testament: Genesis 14:18-20 (NLT)
[Melchizedek the priest praises the creator and blesses Abraham using bread and wine.]
Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God
And Melchizedek, the king of Salem and a priest of God Most High, brought Abram some bread and wine. Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who has defeated your enemies for you.”
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of all the goods he had recovered.
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 110:1-4 (NLT)
A psalm of David.
The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”
The Lord will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies.
When you go to war, your people will serve you willingly. You are arrayed in holy garments, and your strength will be renewed each day like the morning dew.
The Lord has taken an oath and will not break his vow: “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”
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The Lord Said To My Lord (Psalm 110) – “Psalom”, St. Petersburg, Russia
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A Reading from the Letters: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NLT)
[Paul tells the story of what happened at the Last Supper.]
For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.
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A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 9:11-17 (NLT)
[Luke’s version of the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, where twelve baskets of food were left over from the meal of five loaves and two fish.]
[Jesus] welcomed the crowds and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.
Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”
But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” For there were about 5,000 men there.
Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” So the people all sat down. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers!
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Hymn: “Table of Grace” – Phillips, Craig & Dean
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Intercessory Prayer:
Great and powerful God: help us in our time of need.
+ That all those who celebrate the Eucharist may be nourished in faith and practice by the real presence of Christ…. Lord, hear us.
+ That all those who are called to minister the Eucharist may show reverence for Christ and kindness to his people…. Lord, hear us.
+ That Christians all over the world may share willingly with those who are physically and spiritually hungry…. Lord, hear us.
+ That all those who provide food and drink for us may be blessed for their good work…. Lord, hear us.
+ That all those who are sick and sorrowful may experience God’s healing presence and power…. Lord, hear us.
+ That all those who have died in Christ and eaten the Bread of Life may receive a place at the eternal banquet…. Lord, hear us.
Great and powerful God, you care for your people with loving kindness, hear our prayers offered in faith, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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We are one body – WYD 1993 song
We are one body, one body in Christ; and we do not stand alone. We are one body, one body in Christ; and he came that we might have life.
I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, I am the Final Sacrifice, I am the Way, the Truth, the Life; he who believes in me will have eternal life. I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, I am the Final Sacrifice, I am the Way, the Truth, the Life; he who believes in me will have eternal life.
At the name of Jesus ev’ry knee shall bend; Jesus is the Lord and he will come again. At the name of Jesus ev’ry knee shall bend; Jesus is the Lord and he will come again. When you eat my body and you drink my blood, I will live in you and you will live in my love. When you eat my body and you drink my blood, I will live in you and you will live in my love.
On the rock of Peter, see my Church I build. Come receive my spirit, with my gifts be filled. For you are my body, you’re my hands and feet. Speak my word of life to ev’ryone you meet. I am the Way, the Truth, the Life, I am the Final Sacrifice, I am the Way, the Truth, the Life; he who believes in me will have eternal life.
Benediction:
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. – Ephesians 4:3-6 (NLT)
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
The bread you give, O God, is Christ’s flesh for the life of the world; the cup of His blood is Your covenant for our salvation. Grant that we who worship Christ in this holy mystery may reverence Him in the needy of this world by lives poured out for the sake of that Kingdom where He lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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A Reading from the Old Testament: Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16 (NLT)
“Bread and Wine” by Norwegian painter Kjersti Timenes, 2003.
“Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
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Do not… forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors….”
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20 (NLT)
Glorify the Lord, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion! For he has strengthened the bars of your gates and blessed your children within your walls.
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He sends peace across your nation and satisfies your hunger with the finest wheat. He sends his orders to the world — how swiftly his word flies!
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He has revealed his words to Jacob, his decrees and regulations to Israel. He has not done this for any other nation; they do not know his regulations.
Praise the Lord!
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A Reading from the Letters: 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 (NLT)
When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 6:51-58 (NLT)
Eucharistic images … I am the Bread of Life (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2010)
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”
Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.
So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.”
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Intercessions:
Our Father in Heaven: hear the prayers of Your sons and daughters –
+ For all who come to the Lord’s Table— that the presence of Christ may be a palpable reality….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those who rarely join Your people in worship – that Your loving embrace may draw them back….
Lord, hear us.
+ For all who are hungry in a world of plenty — that Your people may share with those in need….
Lord, hear us.
+ For our faith communities — that we who break bread together may also care for each other….
Lord, hear us.
+ For people who are lonely — that believing friends may be sent to them….
Lord, hear us.
+ For all who suffer — in mind, body or spirit — that Jesus may bring them comfort, healing and peace….
Lord, hear us.
+ For all those who have gone before us in faith – that they may be raised up at the last day….
Lord, hear us.
God of infinite generosity, You sent Your Son to share our burdens and our hopes, to be our life and strength: hear the prayers we offer in His name, who lives and reigns with you, forever and ever. Amen.
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Bread of the Angels Is made bread for mankind; Gifted bread of Heaven Of all imaginings the end; Oh, thing miraculous! This body of God will nourish the poor, the servile, and the humble.
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+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 