Eucharistic Prayer C

 The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Father, it is truly right that we should praise you, for in your bountiful love you created all things, bringing the universe into being from nothingness, and creating life from the dust of the earth. Amid the diversity of creatures, you chose our race to bear your image and likeness, breathing into our first parents the breath of life, and giving them a place amid the wonders of your creation. And yet, in a moment of darkness and shame, they fell from grace; your image within us was marred, and we began to walk in ways that forsook your guidance, and your love.

You could have abandoned us, rejected, despised, even destroyed us. Instead, from the moment of the fall, you mercifully promised a Redeemer who would come to deliver us from sin and death, and lead us to new life in you. 

Therefore we rejoice, for your promise of redemption has been revealed to us through the radiant glory of your only-begotten Son. Through him we lift our praise to you, as we join with the angels and saints in echoing the timeless hymn of your glory.

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts!

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Loving Father, in these last days, you have visited and redeemed your people, raising up a source of salvation for us in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the true Dayspring from on High, given to brighten our darkness, conquer death, and sustain us in peace. When the time had come for him to offer himself up for the life and salvation of the world, he desired to celebrate one final meal with his disciples. Thus, in obedience to his command, we now offer to you these gifts of bread and wine...

The Celebrant's hands are spread over the Gifts.

and we humbly pray: Send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts of bread and wine, + that they may become for us the Body and Blood of your beloved Son, nourishing us with your covenant promises of mercy, forgiveness, and new life.

The Celebrant takes the bread.

On the night before he suffered, Jesus took bread into his sacred hands, and looking heavenward, to you, his almighty Father, he gave thanks and said the blessing. He then broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:

“TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT IT,

FOR THIS IS MY BODY WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.

DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”

The Celebrant takes the cup.

In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the cup into his sacred hands. Once again, he gave thanks and said the blessing. He then gave the cup to his disciples and said: 

“TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,

FOR THIS IS THE CUP OF MY BLOOD,

THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND EVERLASTING COVENANT.

IT WILL BE SHED FOR YOU, AND FOR ALL, SO THAT SINS MAY BE FORGIVEN.

DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME.”

The Celebrant briefly bows. 

And so, Father, with this Bread and this Cup, we celebrate the memory of Christ, your Son. 

We recall how your he endured his Passion and Death, and yet we joyfully confess that he rose from the grave, for death could hold no power over the source of light and life! He appeared to his disciples to reinvigorate their faith, opening their minds and hearts to understand the Scriptures, and breaking bread with them along the Emmaus Road. After working many signs and wonders among them, he Ascended into heaven where he now reigns in glory. But our Lord did not abandon us: he sent us the Holy Spirit, that we might be filled with boldness to spread the Gospel throughout the world.

The Celebrant briefly joins hands and bows, touching the edge of the Altar,
before standing upright and making the sign of the cross at the mention of the Spirit.

As we await the day of his return, may we who eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup now imbued with the power of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice, be sealed with mercy and pardon, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

The Celebrant briefly bows and strikes the breast. 

Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world around us, and give us the courage to take our place as co-laborers with you in the proclamation of the Gospel, both in word and in deed. All this we ask in the name of your Anointed One, Jesus the Christ, who opens our minds and hearts to understand the Scriptures, and who, here at Table, breaks the Bread and fills the Cup, in witness to your boundless mercy, and to the fullness of your redemptive love.

Elevating the Consecrated Gifts, the Celebrant concludes with the Doxology: 

Through him, with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, for ever and ever.
Amen.