The Great Thanksgiving, Part 2

In last week's Word and Table service at OKC First Church of the Nazarene, we were especially  struck by a portion the communal prayer incorporated into The Great Thanksgiving section of the liturgy (right before the blessing of the Eucharist).

As Christians, we are (obviously) called to emulate the life and person of Jesus...this prayer is a great reminder of what that looked like here on earth:

"Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ. Your Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to announce that the time had come when you would save your people.

"He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners. By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection you gave birth to your Church, delivered us from slavery to sin and death, and made with us a new covenant by water and the spirit. At his ascension you exalted him to sit and reign with you at your right hand.

"On the night in which he gave himself up for us, our Lord Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread gave it to his disciples, and said: 'Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.' When the supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his 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.'

"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."

Amen!!