MAUNDY THURSDAY 2007 | GREAT THANKSGIVING
• The Lord be with you.
• And also with you.
• Lift up your hearts.
• We lift them to the Lord.
• Let us give thanks to God.
• It is right to give both thanks and praise!
Holy God, Mighty Lord, Renewer of Creation and Bringer of Joy,
endless are your mercies and unending your grace!
Maker of stars and Giver of dreams,
it is privilege indeed to acclaim and adore you!
At the dawn of time your Word spoke order out of chaos and disorder, bringing beauty into your light;
Forming humanity in your image and drawing us into covenant with you, you called us to be your reconciling Presence in the world!
When we strayed from your path and fled from your presence, choosing idols and intellect rather than Spirit and Freedom, you led us through the wilderness into a country flowing with your extravagant supply.
When rebellion against your righteous law broke us once again, you would not let this world remain shattered, and in Jesus, man of Nazareth, born of Mary, born under the law, you lived among us, and in Jesus we met you face to face.
You baptized us with water, with fire and with your Spirit,
and sent Bread from Heaven to keep us wholly alive.
Therefore, in celebration with the people of God in all the ages, with all creation and with the angelic hosts of heaven, we sing:
Holy are you, God of Majesty and Awe,
and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Redeemer and Lord.
Leaving the boundlessness of heaven,
he comes to earth, experiencing doubt, betrayal and abandonment
yet bearing the weight of sin and separation,
he carries us into the liberty of your grace.
Bound to the tree of shame on Calvary’s Hill,
shedding his innocent blood, he seals the covenant between heaven and earth.
Broken and dying for all creation’s sake
in judgment and in hope
he delivers us from sin and death,
creating in our inmost hearts the new creation promised by your prophets.
As we remember Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection,
with the Church in every place and every time, we proclaim the mystery of faith:
• Christ has died;Giver of the journey and Bestower of the gifts,
• Christ is risen;
• Christ will come again!In the night of betrayal and desertion, our Lord Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way after supper, he also took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again in glory.
Send down your Spirit of holiness and transformation,
and sanctify these gifts of bread and cup uniting us to all creation in every place and in every time.
Send down upon this assembly of your creation and redemption - and upon the world - your Spirit of life and renewal;
Calm our anxieties and quiet our fears;
Make us bearers of your grace
that we may be your reconciling embrace for the world, reclaiming, restoring and transforming all creation into the reign of heaven on earth.
Then, at last, when endless morning comes,
when all brokenness is whole and holy,
when all creation once again redeemed,
with all the saints of every time and place
as the family of God in Jesus Christ we will gather around heaven’s Welcome Table,
we will sing alleluias to you,
through Jesus Christ, crucified and risen
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
endlessly into eternity, amen!
forever and ever,
Amen!
© Leah Chang 2007
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