Covenant Service With Communion and Small Groups
With small groups - based on the sending out of the 72 (Luke 10)
First used at Thornbury Methodist Church
Introduction
This service combines covenant, communion and small groups.
It wraps the communion elements around the service and seeks to weave the biblical text, the
liturgy, the singing of hymns, our conversations about faith and the story of
the last supper, into one coherent narrative.
The room is set with a communion table in the centre, surrounded by chairs
in six petal like groups. Each group has an opening towards the centre of the
room to give access to the table. There is also a gap for people to enter and
exit the space. 
A&P: Assets & Presence group
D&L: Discipleship & Learning group
E&E: Engagement & Evangelism group
R: Resourcing group
S&C: Service & Care group
W: Worship
group
The above colour coded abbreviations will be helpful later in the
service where each group will have the opportunity to make different
contributions to the covenant liturgy.
People may select their focus group based on their interests in
specific aspects of church life. This choice may be made prior to the service
or on arrival. It is more important to have a balance of people in the
different groups than to worry too much about being in the right group. No
doubt we all have at least some interest in all of the six focus themes.
The
bread is in the form of three rolls and the wine is in small cups set in bowls
that can be handed to the six groups to share.
The
Covenant Communion Small Group Service
Welcome to this covenant
service, communion and exploration of our new vision.
Hymn: StF 401 Come Sinners to the Gospel Feast - Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
Presider: This is our covenant service - A covenant is a promise, a binding
together, a commitment to the work of God's eternal kingdom. It is a contract
without clauses.
Reader
1: With Noah the rainbow served as a sign of a covenant
that God made with all life on Earth
Reader
2: With Abraham God made a covenant to make him a
father of nations and make his descendants as numerous as the stars.
Reader
3: With Moses that covenant was upheld in the exodus
from slavery and the sharing of God's law on Mt Sinai - Moses marked the
renewing of that covenant in the offering of a sacrifice. He took the Book of the Covenant and
read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has
said; we will obey.”
Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and
said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in
accordance with all these words.” And seventy or so Elders went back up the
mountain to meet with God.
Presider: In the years that followed, many prophets spoke of a time when God's
law would no longer be in a book, but in the hearts of God's people and of a
time when the sacrifice of God's creatures would no longer be required. A time
when a new covenant would be made between God and God's people.
Many year later Jesus and his disciples came to Jerusalem to celebrate
the Passover festival - where they remembered the time when, through God's
guidance, Moses brought them out of captivity in Egypt. The sacrificial lambs
were brought to the temple in memory of the Exodus.
As part of the celebration Jesus and his disciples joined together in a
traditional meal in an upper room that they had hired for the occasion; a meal
of thanksgiving for their freedom.
Raising
a cup, the presider says;
And so today
we proclaim good news to the poor;
Freedom for prisoners
A vision for those who have not seen,
And a lifting of the burdens of the oppressed
Freedom for prisoners
A vision for those who have not seen,
And a lifting of the burdens of the oppressed
Amen - thanks be to God
The Israelites celebrated their freedom, but their freedom was not
complete; it was temporary and rooted in earthly promises.
A new covenant was to be made there in that room by Jesus. Moses, was a
man, speaking the words of God. But Jesus was God in human form;
Here in this [upper] room, just as Jesus did there in that upper room on
the night before he died, we break bread together.
Jesus said
"This is my body which is... (The bread is broken)
...for you"
This is said three times as the three rolls are broken into six
halves.
The bread is received by one person from each of the six groups and shared to each person.
The bread is received by one person from each of the six groups and shared to each person.
In the
breaking of this bread; we are broken;
Like the body of Christ; we are broken
And as we share in his self sacrifice; so we are remade in the image of God Amen
Like the body of Christ; we are broken
And as we share in his self sacrifice; so we are remade in the image of God Amen
We
eat the bread together
As we submit to be broken and remade as a community in the image of God,
so we find ourselves more deeply rooted in Christ than we were before.
Jesus said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you,
you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
These were more than just interesting words, or disconnected theory.
This connectedness was a central part of how Jesus worked out his ministry.
In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke we hear that;
Reader 1: First Jesus went around teaching from
village to village calling the twelve to him. After this he appointed
seventy-two others and sent them ahead of him to every town and
place where he was about to go. He sent them out two by two and he gave them power and authority to
drive out demons and to cure diseases,
These were his instructions:
Reader2: “Take nothing for the journey except
a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not
an extra shirt.
Whatever town or village you enter, search there
for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. Whenever you enter a
house, stay there until you leave that town. Stay there, eating and drinking
whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around
from house to house.
As you enter
the home, give it your greeting. First say, ‘Peace to this house.' If the home
is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to
you. If
people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as
a testimony against them.
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Therefore
be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
Reader 1: So they set out and went from village
to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.
Presider: We seek to echo that pattern of
discipleship in the way we share in
worship today.
A prayer is said, leading into conversations within the groups
The following or
another topic is discussed in the groups;
'What does covenant mean to you?'
·
Is there a line or section of the covenant service you find
particularly important/challenging?
·
How might you relate the covenant to your group focus?
Presider: As we enter into our
renewal of the covenant, let's first share together in our prayers of
confession;
Lord we make our confession and we ask for your forgiveness
A&P: For when we have squandered the gifts you have
given us and hidden our light from the world - forgive us
D&L: For when we have been reluctant to learn more of you and allow
you deeper into our hearts - Forgive us
E&E: For when we have been hesitant to share your Gospel
and afraid to hear your truth in the context of people's real lives - forgive
us
R: For
when we have held our ownership of things above our love for you - forgive us
S&C: For when we have been slow to carry and lighten the burdens of
our fellow human beings - Forgive us
W: For when we
have been resistant to come to you and rest or have lost the passion of our
worship in the busy work of ritual - forgive us.
Forgive
us lord and show us mercy.
Re-graft us into your vine
that we may be truly one with you.
As we have broken bread and received its nourishment,
so we have been broken
and are ready to receive your forgiveness.
Amen. Thanks be to God.
Re-graft us into your vine
that we may be truly one with you.
As we have broken bread and received its nourishment,
so we have been broken
and are ready to receive your forgiveness.
Amen. Thanks be to God.
Sisters
and brothers in Christ,
let
us renew our commitment to this covenant which God has made with us and with
all who are called to be Christ's disciples.
We
are valued as individuals and part of the body of Christ.
Each of us have God given gifts which we are called to put to use.
We are called to celebrate and nurture each other's gifts
without jealousy or the expectation
for any one person to be the same as another.
We are called to bear the burdens of each other's weaknesses,
as well as to live with and learn from our own.
Some parts of God's mission call us to work at the rock face
of our own fears, failures and limitations;
to work against the current of our own river.
Some call us to go with the flow, to be carried like a leaf on the wind. Some call us to go with the flow of the ways of life that surrounds us, others call us to stand defiantly like a dam across the water or to wade upstream against the flow.
Each of us have God given gifts which we are called to put to use.
We are called to celebrate and nurture each other's gifts
without jealousy or the expectation
for any one person to be the same as another.
We are called to bear the burdens of each other's weaknesses,
as well as to live with and learn from our own.
Some parts of God's mission call us to work at the rock face
of our own fears, failures and limitations;
to work against the current of our own river.
Some call us to go with the flow, to be carried like a leaf on the wind. Some call us to go with the flow of the ways of life that surrounds us, others call us to stand defiantly like a dam across the water or to wade upstream against the flow.
And
all this can be done if we are rooted in God through Christ, the true vine and
nourished by God's holy spirit.
So
let's make this covenant with God our own.
Let's give ourselves to God
as individuals and as a community of faith,
Let's give ourselves to God
as individuals and as a community of faith,
A&P: As good stewards of God's earth and representatives
of God's kingdom.
D&L: As lifelong learners about God's ways.
E&E: As bearers of Christ's message and people who listen with prophetic ears.
R: As people who know that all good things come from God.
S&C: As servants to those who are in need.
W: As the people who long to gather in your name.
D&L: As lifelong learners about God's ways.
E&E: As bearers of Christ's message and people who listen with prophetic ears.
R: As people who know that all good things come from God.
S&C: As servants to those who are in need.
W: As the people who long to gather in your name.
trusting in God's promises and relying on God's grace.
All who feel able, stand
Eternal
God,
in your faithful and enduring love
you call us to share in your new covenant
made through Jesus Christ.
In love we seek to do your will;
We are no longer our own but yours.
in your faithful and enduring love
you call us to share in your new covenant
made through Jesus Christ.
In love we seek to do your will;
We are no longer our own but yours.
I am no longer my own but yours.
Your will, not mine, be done in all things,
wherever you may place me,
in all that I do and in all that I may endure;
when there is work for me and when there is none;
when I am troubled and when I am at peace.
Your will be done
when I am valued and when I am disregarded;
when I find fulfilment and when it is lacking;
when I have all things and when I have nothing.
Your will, not mine, be done in all things,
wherever you may place me,
in all that I do and in all that I may endure;
when there is work for me and when there is none;
when I am troubled and when I am at peace.
Your will be done
when I am valued and when I am disregarded;
when I find fulfilment and when it is lacking;
when I have all things and when I have nothing.
I willingly offer all
I have and am
to serve you, as and where you choose.
to serve you, as and where you choose.
Glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
May it be so forever.
Let this covenant now made on earth
be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
May it be so forever.
Let this covenant now made on earth
be fulfilled in heaven. Amen.
all sit
As
we have entered this covenant not for ourselves alone,
but as part of God's witness throughout the world, let's pray for the
Church and for the world.
Loving God, hear us as we pray for your Church throughout the world:
but as part of God's witness throughout the world, let's pray for the
Church and for the world.
Loving God, hear us as we pray for your Church throughout the world:
make
us all one, that the world may believe.
Inspire
and lead all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world:
establish
justice and peace among all people.
Have
compassion on all who suffer from any sickness, grief
or trouble:
deliver
them from their distress.
We
praise you for all your saints who have entered your eternal
glory:
bring
us all to share in your heavenly kingdom.
Let
us pray in silence for our own needs and for those of others...
Silence
Lord
our God,
We have made our promises and you have made yours,
you know when we will uphold our part
and when we will fall down.
We have made our prayers and you have heard us.
Only you know how best to answer these prayers,
but grant that we may know what our part should be
in putting into action your answers to our prayers.
And may we remain in you through all eternity,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We have made our promises and you have made yours,
you know when we will uphold our part
and when we will fall down.
We have made our prayers and you have heard us.
Only you know how best to answer these prayers,
but grant that we may know what our part should be
in putting into action your answers to our prayers.
And may we remain in you through all eternity,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Presider: From the days of Leviticus right up to the time of Jesus, when
the priests made sacrifices, they said that no one should drink the blood,
because it contained the spirit of the animal, which was poured out for the
sins of the people. It was thought that the life force from the fire on the
altar would carry the spirit of the creature back to God.
When Jesus offered himself as sacrifice on the cross, he declared an end
to this kind of sacrifice because his spirit was to be poured out for the
forgiveness of all sins for all time. This was not the spirit of one of God's
creatures, but the spirit of God himself being poured out for all people
The wine is poured from the central cup into a Kiddush cup
and there in that upper room he poured out the wine as his spirit would
be poured out to all people.
The wine is received by one person from each of the six groups
and shared to each person
Knowing what was about to happen, at the end of the meal he took the cup
gave thanks and gave it to his disciples, asking them to drink from it, as he
asks us to drink from it today - and as we do, let's imagine that this is his
life force which is about to be poured out for us, to seal the new covenant
which God is continuing to make with all people.
This is God's
spirit poured out for all for the forgiveness of sins. Amen
We all drink from the cups.
Jesus told his disciples to do this whenever they meet to remember him.
John's Gospel tells us that after the meal Jesus washed their feet, and
insisted that they washed each other's feet, a humble act of service. It is
above all things our call to serve each other as Christ has served us and to
serve those who have not yet known Christ, just as once we did not know Christ.
We can serve each other and the world in the breaking down of things in
our lives, churches and communities that have become stuck in wrong ways, or become
unable to move and grow as they should. And in that breaking down, God's spirit
is once again free to be poured out to all people.
This is what we are called to do in remembrance of Jesus.
Prayer
We say
together
Lord God we
are bound together in you and with each other;
we have been fed by you and are ready to take this life giving sustenance out into the streets.
As Christ sent out the twelve and the seventy two,
so send us out today, broken and remade in your image.
May your spirit which has been poured out to us,
flow through us that she may be present to those we encounter.
we have been fed by you and are ready to take this life giving sustenance out into the streets.
As Christ sent out the twelve and the seventy two,
so send us out today, broken and remade in your image.
May your spirit which has been poured out to us,
flow through us that she may be present to those we encounter.
Amen
The
offering is taken up during the following hymn
Hymn: StF 415 The Church of Christ - Fred
Pratt Green (1903–2000)
Presider: It may well have been customary to end such a meal with the
agreement to meet again in Jerusalem next year at the Passover, but having
previously told them that he was the vine and they were his branches, Jesus
said 'I won't share in the fruits of this vine until I see you again in the
Kingdom.'
So, until we meet again, we do this in remembrance of Jesus who awaits
the opportunity to share this meal with us in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen
Go with God's blessing out into the world which God created
We share the grace;
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The love of God and the
fellowship of the holy Spirit be with us all evermore.
Amen.
Amen.
Genesis 9:8-17
Genesis 17:1-5
Genesis 26:1
Exodus 2:23-25
Exodus 24:3-11Leviticus 17:10-12
Deuteronomy 29:9-15
Matthew 10:1-16
Matt 26:17-30
Mark 6:6b-13
Mark 14:12-26
Luke 9:1-6
Luke 10:1-3
Luke 10:1-12
Luke 22:7-38
John 13:1-17
John15:9-101
Corinthians 11:17-33
