Merciful God and Father of our Lord
Prayer before communion
(To the tune of "Abide me")
1. Merciful God and Father of our Lord,
we thank you for the bread and wine
outpoured.
In this Lord's Supper we recall the
death
of your dear Son who breathed his final
breath.
2. O may your Spirit work within our
hearts
that we may have the faith which he
imparts.
Grant that our contrite hearts may now
be fed
with Jesus' flesh and blood, the
heav'nly bread.
3. Forgive our sins and turn to us your
face.
Include us in your covenant of grace.
Let us not doubt your love for us, your
heirs.
Free us, we pray, from all our worldly
cares.
4. Grant us your grace that we may bear
our cross,
deny ourselves and count this world as
loss.
In tribulation we await the One
who will perfect us—yes, your risen
Son.
5. All this we ask of you, our God and
King,
of you, our Father, who rules
everything
throughout the ages and eternally.
We trust in you, Amen, so shall it be.
We trust in you, Amen, so shall it be.
(Based on the prayer before communion, Book of Praise, p. 606)
