A UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST EUCHARIST
Adapted from the Grail Liturgy
Live Oak UU Church, May 30, 1999
Rev. Chuck Freeman
The Meditation
Minister: Come, Father of the poor, Mother of the brokenhearted; Come, Author
of the powerful, Composer of celebration; Come Voice of the silence, Come Generous Spirit.
By the glory of your presence around us, By the glory of your presence within us, By the
wind of your spirit in this place, Inspire and renew us, So that we may approach this
communion with gladness.
People: We allow ourselves to be still in body and mind, letting go of our thoughts,
desires, and concerns of tomorrow or yesterday, that we may be open to the wonders of this
present moment.
Five minutes of silence will be observed. When you hear the music begin, you are
invited to shift your awareness back to the liturgy.
Presentation Of The Elements
The Preparation
Minister: Blessed be this day, and all it shall bring.
Women: Blessed be this place.
Minister: Blessed be the Source Of Life.
Men: Blessed be our Mother Earth.
Minister: Blessed be the Cosmic Christ.
Women: Blessed be all animated beings.
Minister: Blessed be our living and dying.
Men: Blessed be our awakening.
Minister: Creator Spirit, Beacon of Light, Wellspring of Love,
All: Essence of all being, Fullness of all truth, Hope of all ages, Eternal One,
revealed in many forms, worthy of our awe; blow as a fresh breeze to restore us, body and
soul.
Minster: Open us to your Divine Truth.
People: That we may embrace the Word of Life.
Minister: Temper mystery with reason, and reason with mystery.
People: Anoint our doubt with an appreciation of all that is.
Minister: As we strive for peace, justice, and harmony in the world.
People: Fill me with compassion.
Minister: May we all know the jewel of compassion.
People: We share a common earth. May we reverence the earth, and all that is in it.
Minister: Let us love the fullness of creation with all our heart, mind, soul, and
strength.
People: And our neighbors as ourselves.
Minister: Seek the sacred purpose in all things; in the morning, at eventide, in the
ebb and flow of existence.
People: Inasmuch as we live in this fashion, all shall be well, all manner of things
shall be well.
The Blessing of the Bread and Wine
Minister: We graciously acknowledge the commonality, and distinctions we
embody. As multitudes of grain are gathered to make bread, and much fruit is mixed to
ferment wine, so we who are many, coming from diverse places and viewpoints, recognize our
oneness in this ritual meal.
People: Blessed are you Spirit of Goodness. Through you we have this bread and wine to
sustain us, which the earth has given and our human hands have made. May they become for
us spiritual food and drink; expressing our joys and tears, our visions and dreams.
Minister: From the days when we began to walk on two feet and bore the name human, our
kind has sought to appease the forces of nature, and offer ceremonial gratitude.
The original devotees of the Goddess designed rituals of thanksgiving to maintain the
fertility of the earth in bearing fruit, and to assuage the spirit of the animals which
gave their lives for sustenance.
Worshippers of Yahweh, ate a memorial meal to recall the mighty acts of their God in
miraculous events of deliverance through history: the blood of the Passover Lamb which
protected the first born of the Israelites, while killing the Egyptian children; being led
out of bondage from Egypt, and the parting of the Red Sea, to complete their escape from
the Egyptian captors.
In this lineage, disciples of Christ created a Eucharist symbolic of Jesus’ death,
burial, and resurrection; dedicated to their redemption from sin. The bread is emblematic
of his broken body, and the wine represents his shed blood. The Lord’s Supper is
eaten in remembrance of, and in thanksgiving for Christ’s sacrifice.
Today, we revere the universal themes in these traditions, which serve as a foundation
for our observance of this communion: survival, fear of the unknown, bargaining, freedom
from tyranny, sacrifice, appreciation, helplessness, the existential search for meaning,
love, our dependence on the earth, the need for nurture, and the marvelous cycle of birth,
death, and life renewed.
People: Giver of all holiness, Abiding Source of love, Fountain of all wisdom, take the
dry bread of mundane subsistence and transform it into a splendid banquet. Take the
crushed grapes of despair and turn them into the wine of feasting. Bring order out of our
chaos; rays of light into our dark seasons, and soundness to our broken places.
Minister: For those whose senses are quickened by the One Taste, these are the gifts of
time and eternity. May the character of their deep presence touch, cleanse, refine, and
enliven you.
Receiving The Eucharist
The usher will direct congregants in groups of 6-8 to approach the celebrants for
communion. This of course is absolutely voluntary. Hold the palms of your hands open to
receive the bread. The acolytes will assist you in drinking from the cup. One cup has wine
and the other has grape juice. If you do not wish to drink from the cup you can simply dip
your bread lightly in the cup before eating it. Please consult your Order of Service for
the songs to be sung during the Eucharist.
As you take the bread the Minister will say; "The bread of Mother Earth, the gift
of companionship." (The word companion literally means the sharing of bread with
another.)
When you drink from the cup, the celebrant will say; "The cup of sacrifice, the
passion of the cosmos."
Closing Words
Minister: In thankfulness, let us offer praise for the provisions of the Universe
we have enjoyed. May we, with all creation, dedicate ourselves with integrity to the
completion of our calling. That we may enter the fellowship, which is both matter and
spirit, human and divine, time bound and everlasting.
All: Deep peace of the running wave to you. Deep peace of the flowing air to you. Deep
peace of the quiet earth to you. Deep peace of the shining stars to you. Deep peace of the
Great I AM to you.
Amen
Copyright
©2006, Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Church.