A New Great Thanksgiving for Laity Sunday

This form of the Great Thanksgiving includes prayers for the church and the world, which may be led by laypersons who join the presider (elder, appointed local pastor, or commissioned minister preparing to become an elder) at the Lord’s Table as indicated.

Presider: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.

The presider may raise hands, prompting the people to do likewise.

Presider: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Presider: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

The presider continues, praying to God:

Blessed are you, O Father/Almighty God, who with your Word and Holy Spirit
has created all things and all people and called them good.
Blessed are you, O God, for ever and ever.

Worthy are you, O God, who delivers your people from bondage and death,
and covenants to make us a light to the nations.
Worthy are you, O God, for ever and ever.

Holy are you, O God, who has shown unfailing compassion on all flesh,
forgiving our sins, and restoring us to the paths of righteousness and justice,
as saints and angels and all the company of heaven continually proclaim:

The presider may lower hands.

Holy, Holy Holy, Lord God Almighty,
heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

The presider may raise hands.

Blessed, worthy and holy are you,
made known to us in Jesus Christ, Word made flesh
who came and dwelt among us.

He proclaimed the good news of your kingdom come
and coming still
by healing the sick,
feeding the hungry,
eating with sinners,
cleansing the unclean,
and delivering people from bondage
to evil, brokenness and death.

The presider may hold hands, palms down, over the bread, or touch the bread, or lift the bread.

On the night before he was crucified,
Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread,
gave it to the disciples, and said:

“Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”

The presider may hold hands, palms down, over the cup, or touch the cup, or lift the cup.

When the supper was over he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to the disciples, and said:

“Drink from this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The presider may raise hands.

In his suffering and death
you took upon yourself our sin and death
and destroyed their power forever.

You raised from the dead this same Jesus,
ascended and reigning with you in glory,
and poured upon us all your Holy Spirit,
to empower us with many gifts
and feed us to be your people,
gathered from every nation,
for the life of the world.

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice,
in union with Christ's offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood.

And having united us with your Son and with each other in his sacrifice,
hear our prayers, the prayers of your people:

Lay leader 1: For our unity and the unity of your whole church in your mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world
People: Hear us, O God.

Lay leader 2: With leaders at every level of our common life— villages, towns, states, nations, corporations, and international associations—that there may be peace and justice for all people
People: Hear us, O God.

Lay leader 3: For the earth, that we may be and inspire others to be good stewards of all of the gifts of your creation
People: Hear us, O God.

Lay leader 4: With all who need your healing and deliverance, from physical or mental illness, isolation, deprivation, violence, and any form of oppression
People: Hear us, O God.

Presider:
Hear us, O God, and continue to make us one
until Christ comes in final victory
and we feast at his heavenly banquet.

Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty God, now and forever.
Amen.