Table Liturgy for Dec 28
Advent 2025
In place of gathering together as a congregation on Sunday, December 28, we are meeting in homes to remember and renew—to reflect on the work of renewal that God has been up to in our lives over the last year and to recommit to walking in step with that transformational work in the year to come. The following liturgy is written to be read out loud word-for-word, with facilitator notes in parentheses and italics. Before you begin this liturgy, make sure you have communion elements (e.g. juice or wine and bread or crackers), something to keep time, and something for people to jot down notes as they listen and pray. Consider having instrumental music playing throughout to help people focus during moments of silent reflection.
Note: If you are part of a family with young children, we’ve created a family activity for this liturgy which you can find here.
Read Psalm 100
What we call Psalms was the prayer book for the early church. This collection of prayers that reflected the spectrum of the human experience: joy, despair, trust, gratitude, hope, anger, repentance, and peace. And while each of these emotions likely surfaced in us this last year, we are going to begin our time together by reading out loud a psalm of gratitude: Psalm 100. Hear these words of praise:
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Overview
On this threshold between years—the ending of one and the beginning of another—we pause in a moment of intentionality to remember and renew. We will remember by recalling God’s faithfulness to us this last year and the transformation, healing, and deepening he has worked in our lives, celebrating with gratitude by receiving communion together. And then we will renew by committing to continue walking in step with his faithfulness in these areas of our lives over the coming year. By taking time to consider what God was up to in our previous year and what he may be up to in the next one, we allow him to draw a throughline in our consciousness, partnering with him by consenting to his loving presence.
Remember
As we begin a time of remembering our past year by reflecting through a few guided questions, find a comfortable posture that helps you reflect your openness to God, like opening your hands on your lap.
Come, Holy Spirit. As we turn our attention now to the year we just lived, we ask for your help to guide us back through it. As we walk through the library of moments, we acknowledge that more happened than we will be able to remember. So we ask that, like an expert librarian, you would guide us to the titles that stuck out to you—the ones that you want to place together that we might see common themes and get a fuller picture of what you were up to.
What happened this year? What were the big moments you lived through? Where did you go? Who did you meet? What were the highs and lows of this last year? (Facilitator note: Let people sit with each question for 2 minutes or so before asking the next one.)
What felt heavy? What felt light? As you reflect on this last year, what about it feels or felt heavy to you? Where did you experience weariness or overwhelm? And what about your last year felt light? Where did you experience a victory or growth, or feel joy? (Facilitator note: Let people sit with each question for 2 minutes or so before asking the next one.)
Where was God? Over this last year, where did you experience God’s presence? Where might you have missed his presence? Where did God show up in your home, your work, your family, your friends, your celebrations and grief? Where was God in your life this last year? (Facilitator note: Let people sit with each question for 2 minutes or so before asking the next one.)
What was God up to? As you consider God’s presence to you, begin to ask him about the work of renewal, healing, deepening, or transformation he was working through it all. How might you give name to what he was up to in your life through this last year? (Facilitator note: Let people sit with each question for 2 minutes or so before asking the next one.)
Express gratitude. Before we move on to the next movement, let’s take some time to pray out loud, one at a time, thanking God for where he revealed himself last year—for experiences we had, people we met, ways he provided, and the themes of transformation that he was growing in us. (Facilitator note: Allow at least 5 minutes for people to pray out loud. If there are any periods of silence, do your best to resist the urge to move on too quickly. Then close with the following prayer.)
Jesus, thank you for where you met us this last year. Thank you for letting us live these moments then, and for letting us relive them now with you. Every good and perfect gift comes from you. Amen.
Receive Communion together
At this point, with the last year in our focus, we are going to receive communion. On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he took bread and broke it into pieces for his disciples to eat, symbolizing his own body that was about to be broken so that they (and we) might feast at the resurrection. He then poured wine for his disciples to drink, symbolizing his own blood that was about to be poured out so that they (and we) might be washed clean. He invited his disciples, as he invites us, to eat and drink, remembering his love and renewing our commitment to him.
As we hold the plate of bread/crackers for the person next to you to receive Christ’s body, we will say, “The body of Christ, broken for you.” And we will hold onto the elements until each person has them and then, after a moment in silence holding our last year before God, we will eat and drink together. (Facilitator Note: After each person has the elements, hold 30 seconds of silence.)
The body of Christ, broken for you. And the blood of Christ, shed for you. Take, eat and drink, and remember him.
Renew
For the next movement of our time together, we will turn our attention from the year behind to the year ahead. As we do, we will begin by reflecting with curiosity about whether there are themes from last year that God may want to continue this year—themes of renewal, healing, and transformation. Re-entering our postures of prayer, we will dream together with God about the next year with hope and desire, taking some time to silently reflect over a few questions, letting God guide our attention and imagination. After that, we will share our desires for the coming year with one another.
Come, Holy Spirit, guide our imaginations as you guided our memories. Would you speak to us about your desire for us this next year, that our desire might be stirred towards the same.
What does God want to do? Based on what the Spirit did last year, begin a conversation with him about how he may want to continue or deepen that work in the coming year. How may he want to heal you or transform you? (Facilitator note: Let people sit with each question for 2 minutes or so before asking the next one.)
What symbol represents this? As this work begins to take shape—even if just a wisp or stirring—continue talking to him by exploring what word, phrase, symbol, song, Scripture, or something else could represent the work he wants to do over this next year, to help us remember and return to his invitation to you. (Facilitator note: Let people sit with each question for 2 minutes or so before asking the next one.)
How will you say yes? Part of why God shares with us the work he wants to do in us is that he wants our permission and consent to do it. Give him your “yes” and then begin wondering: How do I keep in step with God’s transforming love this next year? How can I be faithful to show up to this work? (Facilitator note: Let people sit with this question for 2 minutes or so before moving on.)
Jesus, thank you for beginning to share with us—even if just faintly—what you might be up to in our lives over this next year and how we can keep in step with you. Every good and perfect gift comes from you. Amen.
Now, we’re going to share what we sensed God saying to us about this next year, starting with what he seemed to be up to last year, as a way of bearing witness with each other to where God might be moving in our lives. As we share, do your best to be fully present to each person’s words, giving them your attention and focus. We’ll take a good chunk of time for everyone to share something. Sharing hope or desire may be vulnerable for some, so assume that if people are sharing vaguely, they are doing so on purpose.
Share. What did God do in you this last year? What might God want to do in you this year? How will you say yes? (Facilitator note: Set a timer so that each person has equal time to share. While a timer may feel off-putting at first, it both allows people to stay present to what’s being shared, and it allows the person sharing to not get self conscious about how much time they’re taking. After each person shares, thank them and move to the next.)
Pray together
Before we close, we are going to lift these hopes up to God together, asking that we would receive all the good that he has in store for us. To do this, we are going to break into groups of 2 or 3 to commission each other into the coming year to pray for what each person shared. We’ll take 10 minutes to pray in these groups and then I’ll call us all back to end our time. (Facilitator note: After 10 minutes, call everyone back. It could be helpful to give everyone a 2 minute warning before closing.)
God, thank you for bringing us together today for this time. Thank you for helping us reflect on last year and renew our desire for the next one. Thank you for the vulnerability we witnessed and the community we experienced together. We covered so much ground today, so let each of us go in peace, filled with your love. We love you, Jesus, and we’re so grateful for your presence to us in and through each other. We give you praise for this last year and head into this next year with as much hope as we can muster. Help us to love you and one another well. Teach us, guide us, and guard us. Thank you, Father, Son, and Spirit. Amen.
