pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au

Communion Liturgy: Living Water
For Season of Creation 2026 — Ezekiel 47:1–12

Invitation to the Table
Jesus said: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,
and let the one who believes in me drink.”
Come to this table,
you who thirst for justice,
you who long for healing,
you who grieve the wounds of Earth,
and you who hope for the renewal of all things.
Come, not because we stand apart from creation,
but because we belong within it:
formed from Earth,
sustained by water,
dependent upon the life of one another.
Here, ordinary gifts of Earth –
bread from the grain,
wine from the fruit of the vine –
become signs of grace:
Christ’s life given for the life of the world.
This is Christ’s table.
All who hunger for life in its fullness are welcome.

Song: Feed us now
Feed us now, Bread of life,
in this holy meal;
let us know your love anew:
we hunger for you.
Feed us now, Bread of life,
come and live within;
let your peace be ours today,
Lord Jesus, we pray.

Piece of bread, glass of wine:
Lord, this food is good;
love and mercy come to us —
your promise we trust.
Piece of bread, glass of wine;
who can understand
how his mercy works in these?
Yet, Lord, we believe.

God is here, O so near,
nearer than our thoughts.
Stay with us where’er we go;
Lord, help us to grow.
God is here, O so near,
in this heaven’s meal.
May we always feed on you —
on the bread that is true.
(Words: Robin Mann 1976)

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
God is here.
God’s Spirit is among us.
Lift up your hearts.
We open our hearts to God.
Let us give thanks to the God of creation.
It is right to offer our thanks and praise.

It is indeed right to give you thanks,
God of overflowing life.
In the beginning,
your Spirit moved over the face of the waters.
You called forth seas and rivers,
cloud and rain,
spring and snowfield.
Through water you sustain every living thing.
Water rises through roots,
flows through bodies,
gathers communities
and connects mountain, plain and ocean
in one intricate communion of life.
Through the prophets
you revealed your longing for renewal.
You gave Ezekiel a vision
of water flowing from the temple—
first at the ankles,
then at the knees,
then at the waist,
until it became a river
deep enough to swim in.
Where the river flowed,
barren land came alive.
Wounded waters were healed.
Creatures flourished.
Trees grew on either bank,
bearing fruit for food
and leaves for healing.
In this vision,
you show us that your holiness
does not remain enclosed within the sanctuary.
It flows outward –
towards damaged places,
towards threatened creatures,
towards communities longing for life.
You call us not merely to stand
at the edge of this river
and admire its beauty,
but to enter its deep waters:
to relinquish the illusion of control,
to be carried by your grace
and to become participants
in the renewal of creation.
When we had forgotten
that we belonged to Earth,
you came among us in Jesus Christ.
The eternal Word became flesh—
Earth-born, water-borne,
carried within Mary’s body,
born among creatures,
nourished by the fruits of the land.
Jesus entered the waters of baptism.
He crossed lakes and calmed storms.
He sat beside wells
and offered living water to the thirsty.
He noticed seeds and soil,
birds and lilies, rain and harvest,
and taught us to recognise
the reign of God within the living world.
In Jesus, God did not love humanity
from a distance, but became part of Earth’s story –
sharing the vulnerability of creaturely life,
suffering the violence of human power
and revealing that no wound,
no grief and no part of creation
is beyond the reach of your love.
Therefore, with the rivers and oceans,
with wetlands and waterfalls,
with rainforests and grasslands,
with creatures of land, sea and sky,
with ancestors and generations yet to come,
we join creation’s unending song:
Holy, holy, holy God,
source of life and breath;
Earth and sea and sky
are filled with your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the One
who comes in the name of peace.
Hosanna in the highest.

The Institution
On the night before he died,
Jesus gathered with his friends at a table.
He took bread –
fruit of the Earth
and work of human hands.
He gave thanks, broke it
and gave it to them, saying:
“Take and eat
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.”
After supper, he took the cup –
fruit of the vine
and work of human hands.
Again he gave thanks
and shared it with them, saying:
“Drink from this, all of you.
This cup is the new covenant in my life,
poured out for you and for many
for the healing of the world.
Whenever you drink it,
do this in remembrance of me.”

Memorial Acclamation
Let us proclaim the mystery at the heart of our faith.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

In Christ, all things are held together.
In Christ, creation is being renewed.

Prayer for the bread and wine
Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts of bread and wine.
As rain falls upon thirsty ground,
as rivers renew the land,
may your Spirit flow among us.
Make this bread and this cup
a communion in the body and life of Christ.
Make us one with Christ,
one with each other
and one with the whole creation
for which Christ lived and died. Amen.

Breaking of the Bread
The bread we break
is a sharing in the body of Christ:
the Word who became flesh
and made a home within creation.

The cup we share
is a sharing in the life of Christ:
grace flowing like a river
for the healing of the world.

The gifts of God
for the people of God
and for the life of the world.

Come, for all is ready.

Prayer After Communion
God of bread and river,
we thank you for meeting us at this table.
You have nourished us
with gifts of Earth
and renewed us in the life of Christ.
Send us now as people of the river.
Where hope has run dry,
may we become channels
of your renewing love.
For the river of God is flowing,
and wherever it flows,
everything can live. Thanks be to God. Amen.

(Source: Rev Sandy Boyce)

This is a new category on this website, collating songs that could be used after prayers of the people/prayers for others, or on days with a justice theme etc. I’ll add more but here’s a great one to get started.

Sing a new world into being
Words: Mary Louise Bringle
Meter 8.7.8.7.D (Ode to Joy suggested or any others tune that fit the meter).
Youtube

Sing a new world into being, sound a bold and hopeful theme.
Find a tune for silent yearnings, lend your voice and dare to dream.
Dream a church where all who worship find their lives and loves belong.
Sing a new world into being, sing as Christ inspires your song.

Sing a new world into being, where each gender class and race.
Brings its rainbow gifts and colors to God’s limitless embrace.
Where the lines that once divided form instead the ties that bind.
Sing a new world into being, risk transforming heart and mind.

Sing a new world into being, where the homeless find a home.
Where no children ever hunger, but are filled with God’s shalom.
Where all people work for justice, where all hate and vengeance cease.
Sing a new world into being, raise the harmonies of peace.

Sing a new world into being, join the ancient prophets’ cry.
For a time of health and plenty, when all tears have been wiped dry.
When compassion flows like waters, pouring balm for all who grieve.
Sing a new world into being, live the promise you believe.

please ensure you register music used in services into your licensing account

Music suggestions (plenty more in hymnals)

Obviously, plenty of options in hymnals. This page is for a selection to keep ‘on hand’ for reference. Please ensure you register usage with the relevant copyright agency.

On August 9th, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Nagasaki, three days after doing the same on the city of Hiroshima.

The Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, issued this national apology on 22nd October 2018 on behalf of the Australian government and the nation to the victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.

A Uniting Church liturgy (2020)

Wear Orange Wednesday (WOW Day) is a national day of recognition to say ‘thank you’ to all SES volunteers across Australia.

18-24th May 2026

The week honours the millions of volunteers who strengthen communities, aligning with the UN International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development.

National Sorry Day has been held annually on May 26 in Australia since 1998 as a day of remembrance and commemoration honouring the Stolen Generations – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children forcibly removed from their families. It acknowledges the trauma caused by past government policies and promotes healing and reconciliation. The day allows Australians to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generations survivors and reflect on the ongoing impacts of forced removal.