May God’s presence be with you!
And also with you!
People of God, lift up your hearts to the Holy One.
We lift them up to the One Who Lives.
With prayer and celebration, with lives lived in love, let us praise God in reverent silence and shouts of joy!
We will praise God, waking and sleeping, singing and laughing, in thought and deed. Thanks be to God!
Holy and Beloved God, the Source of Life, we offer you our thanks and praise! Your presence is felt within us all, like the warmth of the fire on a chilly spring morning – and your holy presence wraps around us, so that we can see you in all things. There are times when our vision falters – and then, you send your Prophets, who help us see you more clearly. There are times when we feel abandoned and alone – and then, you send your Word to hold us close to you, so that we can hear your heartbeat, and be comforted.
Together with those who are offering their eternal thanks and praise, with those who shout with joy, and those who love you in their innermost being, we sing our praises to you:
Holy, Holy, Holy are you, Source of All. You fill all of creation and time with your glory. Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is the One who walks in your Way. Hosanna in the highest!
You offer us your Word, your Way, your Truth, your Life, beloved God. Your Love continues to be revealed in the person of Christ, who teaches us to pray to you, to love each other, and to teach, heal, and make disciples wherever you lead us. Christ lives in your Shalom, and calls us to live in peace and understanding.
As we remember the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we speak the mystery of faith:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on all gathered here, in body or in spirit. And pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup, that we too would be filled with your wisdom and discernment, your grace and love, your transforming light and your eternal life. By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in your image in the world. When we gather at this table, may it be a taste of the banquet of Heaven to come, when Jesus returns in celebration and glory. Blessed are you, beloved God – beloved Christ – beloved Spirit – together the One Source of all that is and that shall ever be. Amen.
Submitted by Rev. Lucus Levy Keppel, Ancho + Corona Presbyterian Churches, New Mexico
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