August 11, 2024
Lectionary Texts
2 Samuel 18.5-33 — Absalom’s rebellion and death.
Psalm 130 —“Out of the depths I cry to you.” We wait for God’s grace.
Ephesians 4.25 – 5.2 — Speak the truth, be angry but do not sin, share with the needy, speak only what builds up, be kind: imitate God.
John 6. 35, 41-47 —People resist Jesus’ self-description as the bread of life. He says, “Stop criticizing. No one comes to me unless God draws them.”
Preaching Thoughts
2 Samuel 18.5-33
A tragic scene worthy of Shakespeare. Absalom is not just a rebellious kid. David has played a part in the conflict, too. Now David is perhaps beginning to see his folly, but it’s too late. The poignancy of his sorrow is full of such mixed feelings— love and grief and anger and regret and self-reproach. What a tellingly human portrait: “Oh, Absalom, my son!” The scene speaks to those who regret their hurtful actions, especially who have hurt their loved ones. It speaks to parents who maybe don’t feel like they’ve been good parents, or who have lost a child in any way. It speaks to all of us who feel both complicit and powerless in things like racism or climate change, and who long for another way forward.
Psalm
If you use the Psalm, give folks a way to really dwell on it—in it. Go slow. Read it responsively, with the reader pausing significantly between lines. Let it be a prayer of confession.
Ephesians
Lessons on how to live in community. A huge part of it is loving truth-telling. Even when we’re angry, we can speak the truth in love. It takes forgiveness, both to set aside what keeps us from loving the other and also to accept what is painful in ourselves, including accepting our having been hurt or wronged without needing for it to be “fixed” or atoned for. That’s what forgiveness is: not condoning the hurtful act, but letting go of it needing to be fixed. We can be loving toward ourselves and the other; it may not diminish our hurt or anger but we hold those things in the context of love. What a lovely image: like Jesus, be a “fragrant offering” for God.
John 6. 35, 41-47
“I am the bread of life.” Jesus was pretty provocative about God, but it’s hard to know if he was really this provocative abut himself. Just a few verses previously he avoided people who wanted to make him king. So now he’s making bold claims about himself? (Next week, in verses 53-55 he’ll push it farther: “Eat my flesh, drink my blood.) Did he really say that? Well, that’s not what matters. Regardless of whether he actually said stuff like this, Jesus is saying this to us, now. Work with this. What does this mean? “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” What might it mean to feed on Jesus, to be nourished by him? To feast on his love? To let his being become part of you like bread that you digest and it becomes part of your body? Of course you can save this question for next week when Jesus is even more pointed about it.
Unfortunately the lectionary skips v. 37, which you might want to include: “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away.” There’s a mic drop for you.
“No one can come to me unless drawn by me.” This isn’t about predestination. It means that God is in us, drawing us, even before we know it. Even our doubts, our hesitations, our un-faith, is the Spirit moving in us. Trust it. It also means we can’t judge another person’s faith. God is moving them in their own way, in their own direction, at their own speed. You not only shouldn’t judge, you can’t. You can’t see into that mystery.
“I will raise that person up on the last day.” Well, there are shades of the rapture here, but more significantly, “the last day” isn’t just some date on the future calendar when all the special effects kick in. It’s “in the end,” or “when all is said and done,” in other wards, ultimately. Regardless of our judgments, Jesus’ judgment is to raise people up. To honor their worth and dignity, and to draw them closer to God, no matter what.
“Whoever believes has eternal life.” Eternal life isn’t a (future) reward for getting the answer right. It’s the infinite life God gives us right now, life that can’t be taken from us, that we tap into simply by trusting—which is what John means by “believing.” Whoever trusts the love of God has that infinite love flowing through them, filing them with God’s infinite life. In v. 51 he says, “Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” This doesn’t mean people won’t die, obviously. I also don’t think it means we’ll live for billions of years. (Whew.) I think it means when we love we become part of something eternal. It’s not about our own little selves (how arrogant and selfish!). It’s about participating in the infinite life of God.
Call to Worship
1.
Leader: God of stillness, we come from busy lives, and surrender them to your grace.
All: You are the home of our hearts.
We come with all our memories and feelings, alliances and attachments.
You are the home of our hearts.
We come amidst all our swirling desires and emotions to find ourselves.
You are the home of our hearts.
Here we find ourselves in you, every part of us, and all of us together.
You give yourself to us, and we give ourselves to you.
In joy we worship you. Alleluia!
2.
God, we did not come here on our own. You have drawn us us.
We come led by the hunger of our hearts.
Jesus, Bread of Life, you offer yourself.
You feed the hunger of our hearts.
Bread of Heaven, nourish us, that we may serve you.
All hearts are hungry for you.
Fill us with yourself, that we may be bread for the world.
3.
God of Grace, you have drawn us from nothingness into life.
We praise you.
You have drawn us to this day, in this place.
We thank you.
You draw us ever deeper into your love.
Alleluia. Draw us deeper, God of life.
4.
Leader: Creator God, you form us in your image.
All: We are in awe, and we worship you.
You beckon us like a loving parent.
We are in love, and we come to you.
You enfold us in your grace and fill us with your transforming Spirit.
Alleluia! Receive us, Heavenly Lover!
Heal us, Risen Brother!
Make us new, Spirit of Life! Alleluia!
5.
Leader: Christ, Bread of life, we come, hungry for your presence.
All: Feed us with your grace, and strengthen us with your Word.
May your love nourish us and become part of us
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!
Prayer
1.
God of grace, we hunger for the bread of life that is Jesus. Feed us with your grace. Nourish your Holy Spirit in us, that through deep trust, we may enter into the life of your Beloved, Jesus, who promises to raise us up on the last day. Amen.
2.
Jesus, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Jesus, we hunger for you.
“No one can come to me unless drawn by God.”
Jesus, you draw us in.
“Whoever trusts has eternal life.”
Jesus, help us trust, and enter into the life of God.
Amen.
3.
Gracious God, though we hunger for many things, they do not give us life. You alone are the bread of life. Help us to turn from these things and to seek you alone: to look to your presence and attend to your Spirit, to listen for your Word and to feast on your grace. Grant us that holy hunger, so that as your scriptures are read and your good news proclaimed, we will listen to your Word and trust it with faith. Amen.
4.
Gentle God, we bring you all that is in our hearts: our feelings and memories, our hopes and fears and desires. You receive each of us in our wholeness. Speak your Word; bless our hearts and all that is in them; and in your love transform us more fully into the image of your love. We open our hearts to the grace of your Spirit, in the name and the presence of Christ. Amen.
5. [John 6.37]
Gracious God, Christ has promised that anyone who comes to him he will not turn away. We come to you now, to know your presence, to hear your Word, to be transformed by your grace. Speak to us, touch us, and take our lives as your own. We pray in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
6.
Gracious God, though we often hunger for many things, you alone are the bread of life. Grant us a holy hunger, to turn from things that do not give us life, and to seek you alone. Help us to look to your presence and attend to your Spirit, to listen for your Word and to feast on your grace. Amen.
7.
Christ, Bread of life, we feast on your grace. The sun of the fields warms us from within. The rain of your grace falls upon us and nourishes our growth. We surrender to the swing of the scythe, our willingness to be given over for you. As grain is gathered into one loaf, you make us one. You draw us to your heart like the warm aroma of bread baking. The sweet taste of your mercy fills our mouths and awakens our senses. You fill us, that we may become life-giving bread for others. Break open the bread of life, God, and let us feast. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
1.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
God of life, you draw us toward you, and toward life.
But we pull away.
Many fears and desires tug at us,
and we distance ourselves from you, and from life.
Draw us into your heart now by your grace.
Forgive us, heal us, and make us new.
Help us always to surrender to the flow of your grace in us,
and to fall always, gently, into your arms.
… [silent prayer] …
People of God, by the grace we know in Christ, I proclaim to you
that all our sins are forgiven entirely, and we are set free
to live by the love and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God.
2.
Pastor: The grace of God is with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us confess our sin to God with one another.
Gentle God, for all that we have done that diminishes life,
that separates us from you and from others,
we are sorrowful.
We give to you our broken hearts.
Receive us, bless us, and heal us.
Forgive our sin, and restore in us
the image of Christ.
3.
Pastor: The grace of God be with you.
All: And also with you.
Trusting in God’s tender mercy, let us open our hearts to God with one another.
Gentle God, ever present and loving,
here are the times I have been close to you,
And here are the times I have been distant.
Here are my moments and my days.
I offer them all to you.
Help me to remember those moments of intimacy, and return.
Forgive the times I have spurned your invitation to come closer.
Help me to be mindful, to draw ever nearer to you and to life,
to feast on your grace at your table, in the home of your heart
Silent prayer… The word of grace
Listening Prayer
(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to intercessions)
Bread of Life, feed our souls.
River of God, ease our thirst.
Bread of Heaven, enter us;
fill us with eternal life.
Amen.
Readings
1. Psalm 130 – A paraphrase
Out of my sea depths
a cry, a wordless noise.
You hear, like a sound through the earth,
Like my spine hears me.
If you measured, I would disappear.
All of us would be too small.
But you allow us to fill you.
So we fill you.
I hold open a space for you,
emptiness in me that widens
like sky waiting for dawn,
like the whole sky waiting,
and the dawn, rising,
filling the whole sky.
We, your people, of your making,
even, even in our clutter,
we are your open space
where your light appears.
In your spaciousness
we become new.
2.
Jesus
I am hungry for God.
Jesus makes my mouth water.
Jesus is my rabbi, my lover, my wonder, my dawn.
Jesus is not mine. I am his.
He is the one who points out the bird I did not see.
He opens my eyes, opens my heart.
He accompanies me; he precedes me.
Jesus is the one with whom I sit in any silence.
He comes to others in ways I will never recognize.
I want him to be my clothes, by body, my breath,
the thought of my words,
the nerve of my muscle.
He is a trickster,
fooling me into salvation against my will
again and again.
He has grabbed me by the heart
and hauled me into myself.
I am the grave he has died in,
I am the life he rises in.
I follow him.
Response / Creed / Affirmation
1.
We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is, who is still creating, from whom we receive life in each moment, in every breath; the Divine Lover who is constantly drawing us closer to God’s own heart.
We give our hearts to Jesus Christ, the fragrance of God, the presence of God, the embodiment of God’s grace among us. His teaching and healing and his dying and rising draw us nearer to God.
We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s urging within us. The Spirit leads and empowers us to live lives of forgiveness, love and service, to give of the gifts we have been given, and to embody God’s presence, each in our own way. In the Spirit we are the Body of Christ, devoted to building up one another, the church and the Reign of God, trusting in the power of resurrection and the mystery of the Life that God gives us.
2.
We give our lives to God, Creator of all that is and all that shall be, who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, who relents from punishing and who receives all her children.
We follow Jesus, the Bread of Life, full of God’s Spirit, born of Mary, who embodied God’s love, who taught and healed and forgave, and whose dying revealed God’s perfect and infinite grace. He was raised from the dead and lives among us still, calling us to come to him, and to follow him.
We live by the power of the Holy Spirit, God’s love living in us, that empowers us to imitate Christ, to love with courage, and to live in deep gratitude and trust for the gift of eternal life, the power of forgiveness, the mystery of resurrection, and the unity of the Body of Christ. We devote ourselves to live each moment as an act of worship, for the sake of of healing and justice, in the name of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
3.
God, Creator of all, we entrust ourselves to you, that your infinite love may hold us always.
Christ, Bread of Life, you have fed the hungry, healed the broken, and given life where there was despair. We entrust ourselves to you and feast on your grace, that your infinite love may become part of us.
Holy Spirit, rising of God within us, as there is one loaf you make of us one body. You empower us to be bread for the world. We entrust ourselves to you, that your infinite love my flow through us for the sake of the wholeness of the world, in the name of Christ/ Amen.
4.
We give our hearts to God, Creator of all that is, who is still creating, from whom we receive life in each moment, in every breath; the Divine Lover who is constantly drawing us closer to God’s own heart.
We give our hearts to Jesus Christ, the fragrance of God, the presence of God, the embodiment of God’s grace among us. His teaching and healing and his dying and rising draw us nearer to God.
We live by the Holy Spirit, God’s urging within us. The Spirit leads and empowers us to live lives of forgiveness, love and service, to give of the gifts we have been given, and to embody God’s presence, each in our own way. In the Spirit we are the Body of Christ, devoted to building up one another, the church and the Reign of God, trusting in the power of resurrection and the mystery of the Life that God gives us.
Eucharistic Prayer
[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]
1.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
We thank you, Holy One,
for you have created this good earth, and all living things.
You have made sun and rain to fall upon us,
and given us every good thing to eat.
We gather around this bread, the body of your grace.
The warmth of the sun gathers here,
and we are washed in the blessing of the rain.
As the scythe harvests the grain, so we are taken up into your love.
As many grains are made into one loaf,
you make us one in your love.
Your grace is as real as bread; it gives us life that can’t be taken away.
You feed your people; you strengthen the poor.
You judge the forces of oppression and call us to share the bread of justice.
So we gather at your table to feast on the Bread of Life,
giving thanks with all of Creation:
[Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
Hosanna in the highest.
[or alternate version]
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, the Bread of Life.
He fed the hungry, healed the broken,
nourished the weak and forgave the mistaken.
He taught with words and deeds of life-giving power,
with love that nourished souls and strengthened hearts.
Crucified on account of his love, he was raised in love,
and he made himself known in the breaking of bread.
(The Blessing and Covenant) *
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Therefore, remembering these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice,
in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
[Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
—or—
Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ will come again in glory.
[or alternative]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
bread for the hungry and a feast for those who thirst for justice.
May your eternal life flow always through us, by the grace of Christ,
in the power of your Holy Spirit.
[Spoken or sung]
Amen.
______________
2..
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.
Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all things,
ruler of the world and all that is to come.
You have made the earth and all that fills it;
you have given us every good thing to eat.
When we wandered in the wilderness you fed us.
When we hunger for your grace you bring us to the feast,
the feast of grace in Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life.
By your mighty judgment you have overthrown the powers of evil;
and you have set us free.
The rich go away empty, but the hungry you fill with good things.
You provide manna in the wilderness, bread for the people;
you open your hand and feed every living thing.
Therefore with all Creation we sing as one voice:
[Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
Hosanna in the highest.
[or alternate version]
Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ, the Bread of Life,
who strengthens our bodies and nourishes our souls;
who ate with the poor and the outcast,
and fed the multitudes by the power of your Spirit.
As Jesus shared the loaves and fishes, trusting you to provide,
so we feast with faith in the abundance of your Spirit and your grace.
(… The Blessing and Covenant …) *
Christ is our Passover from want to abundance,
from powerlessness to victory, from death to life.
[Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
—or—
Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
Christ will come again in glory.
[or alternative]
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ,
imperishable food that sustains us for eternal life
and strengthens us for service in your name.
Pour out your Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
gathered in your Spirit and brought forth in your love,
as bread for the hungry.
As the grains are made one in this loaf, we are made one in your Spirit.
Raised by the yeast of your love, we give thanks.
We offer ourselves in union with Christ’s sacrifice for us,
so that, trusting in the abundance of your grace,
we may give freely, serve boldly, and love abundantly.
Oh bread of life: take, bless, break, and give us,
as your bread of blessing in the world.
[Spoken or sung]
Amen.
____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]
On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.
Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion
[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
You have fed us the Bread of Life. You nourish us in the grace of Christ. You make of us one Body. You fill us with the mystery of your eternal life. Send us now, a fragrant offering for you, as bread for the hungry, in the power of your Spirit, and in the love and generosity of Christ. Amen.
2.
Gracious God, we thank you for
the mystery that you give yourself to us /
this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Bless us that we may always hunger for the true bread of life, and never work for what does not lead us to eternal life. Send us into the world to be bread for others, so that all of your children might taste the bread of life. We pray in the name of Christ. Amen.
Suggested Songs
(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page.)
Bread of Justice
Tune: HOLY MANNA
Alt. Tunes:
BEECHER (“Love Divine all Loves Excelling”)
CONVERSE (“What a Friend We Have in Jesus”)
ODE TO JOY (“Joyful, Joyful”)
God of justice and compassion, you who freed the Hebrew slaves,
you who feed the poor and powerless, you whose great forgiveness saves,
now you feed us, poor in spirit, through the grace of your dear Son;
now you call us, now you send us. May your loving will be done.
Feed us, God, the bread of justice: give us hearts to see and care.
We are one with all who suffer. They are yours; now send us there.
Knowing not if we shall triumph, give us faith to never cease;
give us strength to boldly witness, seeking justice, making peace.
Feed us, God, the wine of courage, faithfully to do your will.
Now we drink of resurrection, facing death but steadfast still.
To this world of heartless plunder, send us in a different vein:
by our fearless, gentle healing, bearing witness to your Reign.
By Your Grace (Tune: What Wondrous Love Is This)
What wondrous love is this O my soul, O my soul,
what wondrous love is this, O my soul!
That you so freely give the bread by which we live,
that you revive our soul, by your Word, by your Word,
and by your life in us make us whole.
Our lives we give to you, by your grace, by your grace,
our lives we give to you, by your grace.
Lord, use the gifts we give to help your children live,
that all may come and feast by your grace, by your grace,
the greatest and the least, by your grace.
God, help us die and rise, by your grace, by your grace,
by Christ alive in us, die and rise;
for when we finally do surrender all to you,
you give us life anew, by your grace, by your grace
you give eternal life, by your grace.
Drawing Me (Original song) (John 6.44)
Holy One, Mystery, how will you keep drawing me
nearer to the heart within the heart?
Nearer still, falling in, closer to the heart within,
draw me God. I fall into your love.
Lover, you are calling, you are drawing,
I am falling into you in love.
Deep in me there’s a voice, there’s a hunger, there’s a choice,
seeking something vital that is you.
By your grace drawing me, may I fall eternally
nearer to my center deep in you.
Lover, you are calling, you are drawing,
I am falling into you in love.
Food for the Body (Original song.)
A dialogue between leader and congregation.
All: (Chorus)
Food for the body, food for the soul,
making us new again, making us whole.
Grateful we are that you faithfully give
the Spirit of love, the power to live.
Cantor:
1. Remembering Jesus, we thank you for all that he’s done.
He gives us his Spirit, and feeds us, and makes us all one
in love, in faith, in you. (Chorus)
2. The body of Jesus, broken and risen to live,
you give us to eat, by your grace to become and to give
to all, for all to live. (Chorus)
3. The Spirit of Jesus arises in us like a dove,
to give us the courage to live every moment in love
in you for you, forever. (Chorus)
The Harvest of Your Grace
(Original song. Includes Eucharistic responses to this tune.)
A dialogue between cantor and congregation.
Leader:
1. God scatters abroad, and gives to the poor, and fills the hungry with good things
All: Alleluia! O God, we rejoice in the harvest of your grace.
2. How blessed the poor, and all those that mourn. “You do to me as to them.”
Alleluia! We offer our gifts for the harvest of your grace.
3. Now come to the Feast. Our cups overflow. With grateful hearts we remember.
Alleluia! We come now to work in the harvest of your grace.
4. God’s grace will abound, in seed and in bread. In joy then sow as you reap.
Alleluia! God, gather from us the harvest of your grace.
5. You will receive, so that you can give, and yield a harvest of good hearts.
Alleluia! God send us to share in the harvest of your grace.
Out of the Deepest Depths [Psalm 130]
(Original song. Includes version for choir)
Out of the deepest depths I cry to you, O God.
O listen with your heart, and hear my pleading voice.
If you counted sins, then no one could stand with you;
but God, you forgive.
I wait for you, O God, for in your word I hope.
I wait for you, Love, more than those who wait for dawn,
yes, more than those who watch for the morning light
I wait for you.
O Hope, O Israel, O hope in the Lord.
For with our God is love, God’s steadfast, faithful love,
and power to redeem; for God is the one
who will redeem us from sin.
Risen Bread (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)
You laid your life down like sowing a seed;
once dead and buried, from death you are freed,
rising like wheat in the warmth of the sun!
Christ you are risen! New life has begun!
Christ, you are risen, but not far above:
you live among us in each act of love,
in every deed of compassion you rise,
living in flesh we can see with our eyes.
Christ, we are blest as we gather to dine,
strengthened for love by the bread and the wine.
This is your Body, now entering ours,
strong with your loving, miraculous powers.
Gathered like wheat from the fields in the sun,
once we were scattered but raised we are one.
We are the body of your love and grace,
your blest community, your real human face.
Jesus, you feed us, then bid us to leave,
sharing with others the love we receive.
We are your Body, sent by your command,
making love real as the bread in our hands.
Note:
Third verse may be omitted if there is no communion.
Final verse may be included with previous verses
or as a blessing at the end of the service.
We Feast On Your Love (Original song)
Chorus: We drink from your presence.
We feast on your love.
This is the banquet we’ve been dreaming of. (Repeat.)
You gather us: no one’s unworthy,
and no one is “greatest” or “least.”
You multiply what we offer,
so multitudes may feast. — Chorus
We hunger and thirst for your spirit,
we open ourselves to your grace.
In flows the mercy you offer
in every time and place. — Chorus
We taste the sweet wine made from water,
our bread is your body you give.
“Drink of the water I give you,
so you may truly live.”
You Feed Us, Gentle Savior (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)
You feed us, gentle savior, the bread that makes us whole,
the wine of your compassion poured out into our soul.
the food of your own presence, your spirit, strong, within,
the grace that heals us deeply and overcomes our sin.
You bind us, gentle savior, and weave us into one,
one flesh and blood, made holy, the Body of your Son.
We gather here in hunger, one hunger, all the same;
and with one grace you bless us together in his name.
You call us, gentle savior, and send us in your name.
You teach and heal and show us how we can do the same.
So strengthened by your Spirit and nourished by your grace,
we go to be your presence in love, in every place.