This Eucharistic prayer was written and copyrighted by the Rev. Martin L. Smith who ministers with us at All Saints every summer. He shared his personal reflections on writing this prayer on August 5, 2025 during our Tuesday morning Porch Discussion. To view this discussion on our YouTube channel, click here.
Eucharistic Prayer of Thanksgiving for use in the Diocese of Maine
Written Text by Martin L. Smith
Presider: The Holy One be with you.
People: And also with you.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up in joy.
Presider: Let us give thanks to God.
People: It is right to praise the One who is above all, and through all, and in all.
Presider: Our hearts rejoice to praise you, source of all life and light, and to give
you thanks at the heart of the church, offering worship on behalf of all
who share this earth. With all the angels and those who have gone
before us into glory, we sing in adoration,
Presider and the People
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Presider: Your Spirit breathes within us to inspire our thanks and praise for the
whole creation. In this land, which is your gift, the Maine we love, we
praise you for all the splendors your hands have formed over countless
ages. We give voice to the mountain ranges that extol you, the teeming
forests that acclaim you. We sing the music of our rivers, coastlands and
ocean waters, alive with myriad creatures.
Presider: We offer you our wondering praise for bringing our human race into
being. You endowed us with the power to love you in return, and to care
for one another and this earth. We bless your Name for the ancestors who
peopled this northern land in distant times and hallowed it, and for those
who came here in the latter days from every corner of the world, shaping
our cities and towns.
We thank you for sharing with us the gifts of your people Israel and for
all that we learn from prophets and judges, priests and sages. The history
of your chosen people, the brightness of their obedience and the shadow
of their rebellion, holds up a mirror in which we see our need for your
redeeming grace. Our hearts fill with grief as we confess that we have
resisted your will in our land and failed to live in justice and peace in our
own day.
Above all we give thanks for Jesus, the Prince of Peace, your beloved
Son in whom you are well- pleased. You sent him to call us into a new
life, free from violence and greed. He gave us power to pioneer, as his
companions, a realm of enfolding mercy, love and truth. Rejection did
not deter him from offering his life for us, so he willingly plunged to the
depths of our brokenness, suffering shameful death on the cross. But the
grave could not hold him; you raised him up to share in your undying
glory so that he might draw all to himself.
Before his passion, sharing his final meal with his friends, Jesus
summoned us to unite us to himself in his offering until the end of time
through communion in his body and blood. He took bread, gave you
thanks, and broke it. He gave it to his disciples, saying “Take, eat. This is
my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper, he took the cup of wine, and when he had given thanks, he
gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you: this is my Blood of the
new covenant, which is shed for you and for all, for the forgiveness of
sins. Do this for the remembrance of me.” So now we offer you these gifts
of bread and wine, in celebration of the offering he made, his life poured
out for our salvation. We rejoice in the triumph of self-giving love over
the power of evil and death.
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.
People: Christ has died and is alive! His Spirit fills our hearts! In him shall all
be gathered into one!
Presider: Now renew for us the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which our Risen
Savior breathed into his disciples. May these holy gifts become for us his
living body and life-giving blood, so that we might dwell in him and he
in us. In the power of the Spirit may we live as Christ’s body in the
world, sharing the good news and serving all in need.
Bless the ministries through which we spread your love among the
people of Maine. In our parishes, our summer chapels, our partnership
with the Wabanaki people, and our endeavors dedicated to the Care of
Creation, may your resourceful grace abound among us.
May this Holy Eucharist bring blessings to all the church. Accept our
prayers for all who live in the land we cherish — those who come to
Maine seeking refuge, or adventure, rest and play. Receive into your
arms of mercy all who have gone before us in the faith of Christ.
To you, one true and living God, we offer heartfelt thanks and joyful
praise, for you are the Source of all life, upholding us in suffering and in
joy: you are the Word made flesh in Jesus our brother: you are the Spirit
who renews the face of the earth,
AMEN