Bulletin – Sunday, September 12, 2021
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Season of Creation 2
Humanity / Baptism
Approach
Lighting the Candle
In the name of God, who creates planets, the name of Jesus Christ, born on planet Earth, and the name of the Spirit who envelopes our planet. We come to this place together knowing that to live in God’s creation is to be in a place that is filled with God’s presence. As we light this candle today, Christ, we come into your presence to worship in this sanctuary called Earth. Amen.
Response
O beautiful Gaia, O Gaia, calling us home.
O beautiful Gaia, calling us on.
Call to Worship
One: Peoples from every corner of creation,
All: Celebrate with all creatures on Earth!
One: Young and old across the planet,
All: Rejoice in the day that God has made!
One: Indigenous peoples of every land,
All: Help us sense the spirit deep in each land!
One: Black and white and brown and grey, red and yellow,
All: Celebrate with us the colours of creation!
One: All humanity on Planet Earth,
All: Praise God for our planet home.
One: Sing, peoples, sing!
All: Sing, creation, sing!
Hymn – “All Creatures of Our God and King”
All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing:
Hallelujah, hallelujah!
Bright burning sun with golden beam,
Soft shining moon with silver gleam,
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
O rushing winds and breezes soft,
O clouds that ride the winds aloft,
Sing praises, hallelujah!
O rising morn, in praise rejoice;
O lights of evening, find a voice:
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
And everyone of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part:
Sing praises, hallelujah!
All who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and yield up all your care:
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship God in humbleness:
Sing praises, hallelujah!
Praise God eternal, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, three in one:
Sing praises, sing praises,
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
Prayer of Approach
Creator God, out of the overflowing of your love you created all things with rich variety and great beauty, and entrusted us with responsibility for them.
From the very beginning you saw that what you had created was good. In the end it was all very good. But we have lost sight of your vision of creation. We have come to believe that creation exists only to fulfill our needs, only to support our health and well-being, we have put ourselves at the centre of your glorious creation, loving God, as if we were the only ones that matter. We are sorry.
As humans, we have slaughtered species without concern. As humans, we have sought to dominate nature. As humans, we have been cruel to our kin. We are sorry. Help us to see beyond ourselves. Help us to see all of creation, in all of its wondrous diversity and help us to know that creation exists for the benefit of all your creatures, not just humanity. You have created and cared for all this is, so give us hearts to understand that you value all creation, not just us, and that as we care for all of creation, we show our love to you.
We pray this in the name of the one who came to teach us to truly love, your son, Jesus. Amen.
Words of Assurance
Celebration of Baptism
Hymn – “Into the Unshaped Silence”
Into the unshaped silence sings the sound of God’s own voice.
The darkness bows to light newborn, the moon and stars rejoice.
Each day unfolds with wonders new, first grass, first tree, first bird!
Plain, peak, and vale all take their place, each shaped by God’s own word.
The Word sings out with power once more, into the new-made earth;
And in their Maker’s image formed, woman and man know birth.
A day of rest, and o’er the earth God’s voice again is heard:
A song of joy that celebrates the goodness of the world.
God calls us all to join and sing the wonder of the earth
And through our careful stewardship to guard creation’s worth.
The Word
Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:26-28
Then God said, ‘Let us make humanity in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the wild animals of Earth and over every creeping things that creeps on Earth.
So, God created humanity in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill Earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon Earth.
Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:7-8, 15, 19
Then the Lord God formed a human being from the dust of the ground and breathed into the nostrils the breath of life. And the human being became a living creature.
And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East. Then the Lord God took the human being and put the human being in the garden of Eden to serve and preserve it.
Then out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal in the field and every bird of the air and brought them to the human being.
Voice 1 I am the first human being, the voice of the human being in Reading One. I am Adam and Eve. I am humanity!
Voice 2 I am the first human being, the voice of the human being in Reading Two. I am Adam and Eve. I am humanity!
Voice 1 God made me in a special way. The word of God in Genesis One says so!
Voice 2 And God made me in a special way. The word of God in Genesis Two says so!
Voice 1 I am created in the image of God. Do you understand? The very image of God!
Voice 2 I have been made personally by God. Do you understand? By God’s own hands!
Voice 1 I am like God, created in God’s own likeness.
Voice 2 I am liked by God. I even live in a garden where God likes to walk and talk!
Voice 1 I have human reason. That makes me superior to all other living creatures! Superior! Get it!
Voice 2 I am flesh taken from Earth itself and breath that comes from God. So, I am kin with all other creatures. We are family! Do you understand family?
Voice 1 Family? Fiddlesticks! I have dominion over all creatures. I dominate! I tame! I rule all other creatures. Your family!
Voice 2 I have a partnership with all other creatures. We are friends. We are partners.
Voice 1 I am authorized by God to subdue Earth, to harness nature, to put creation under my feet. Yes, to control your friends!
Voice 2 I have been given the responsibility by God to serve Earth and preserve it, to care for Earth as God’s garden.
Voice 1 I can conquer creation. I rule! I rule!
Voice 2 I groan with creation. When you rule, I suffer. I suffer!
Voice 1 I am the king of Earth. I bear the image of God! I am king over creation! I rule!
Voice 2 I am a servant on Earth, caring for creation.
Voice 1 I am king! God said so! God said so!
Voice 2 I am a servant, God said so!
Voice 3 Wait just a minute! Stop your arguing!
Voices 1 & 2 I have God’s word on my side!
Voice 3 Sure you have! But do you have the final word? Do you have Jesus’ word? Do you? (Silence)
Voice 3 Who is the one who reflects the true image of God on Earth? Come on! Who?
Voices 1& 2 Jesus Christ!
Voice 3 Who is the true servant of God? Come on. Who?
Voices 1& 2 Jesus Christ!
Voice 3 And how does Jesus invite us to live? To rule like the Romans and dominate like their Caesars?! Or to follow the way of the cross and serve as Christ came to serve? Listen to his word from the Gospel for today!
Scripture Reading: Mark 10:42-45
So, Jesus called the disciples and said to them, ‘You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them and their great ones are tyrants over them.
But it is not to be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many.
Voices 1, 2 & 3 We hear these ancient words, we follow in the footsteps of Christ, we are called to serve as Christ served. Loving God teach us to serve.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!
Meditation – “Loving God, Loving Creation”
Anthem – “Kumbaya”
The Response
Prayers of the People
One: God, our Creator, as we reflect on the ways that humans have sought to dominate creation, help us to hear the cries of all creatures. Fill us with your risen power. Help us to serve and preserve our planet home and to celebrate life with people from all lands and nations. Let us pray for trees, plants, crops and forests. Creator God, we thank you for your gifts of trees, plants, crops, and forests. We repent the abuse we have given to these your creations. And we now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: Let us pray for water, oceans, rivers, streams, and ponds. Creator God, we thank you for your gifts of water, oceans, rivers, streams, and ponds. We repent the abuse we have given to these your creations. And we now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: Let us pray for air, wind, climate, and weather. Creator God, we thank you for your gifts of air, wind, climate, and weather. We repent the abuse we have given to these your creations. And we now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: Let us pray for the sun, clean energy, and prevention of global warming. Creator God, we thank you for your gift of the sun. We repent the abuse we have given to these your creations. And we now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: Let us pray for animals, especially endangered species. Creator God, we thank you for your gift of all the varied species of animals. We repent the abuse we have given to these your creations. And we now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: Let us pray for humankind. I will make you a new heart, breathe new spirit into you. I will remove your heart of stone, give you back a heart of flesh. I will give you my own spirit to lead you in many ways, faithful to what I command. Creator God, we thank you for your gift of life. May we always remember our roles as stewards of your creation and sisters and brothers to each other. We lift up to you today those in this community who we are holding in gentle prayer…, may they feel your presence in their lives. We repent the sins we have committed against all of your creations. And we now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: Let us pray for recycling and moderate personal consumption. Creator God, we thank you for the abundance of resources with which we are blessed. We repent the abuse we have given to these your creations. And we now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: Let us pray for the proper use of chemicals and disposal of toxic waste. Creator God, we thank you for your gift of chemicals which improve our lives We repent our abuse of them and our improper disposal of toxic waste that pollutes our Earth and your creations. We now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: Let us pray for the Earth and unity. Let us seek to know God, whose coming is sure as dawn, who descends like the rain, spring rain renewing the Earth. Creator God, we thank you for creating such a wondrous and magnificent home for us. We repent all our sins against creation. We now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth.
All: Guide us in your love and grace, God of Creation.
One: God has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? Creator God, we thank you for all of creation. We ask your forgiveness where we have failed to be just stewards. And we now ask for your guidance in restoring the face of the Earth. May we learn to live in harmony, safety, and just sharing of resources among all so that we achieve the kingdom of God. Hear us as we continue to pray in the words that Jesus taught us;
All: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Hymn – “For Beauty of Prairies”
For beauty of prairies, for grandeur of trees,
For flowers of woodlands, for creatures of seas,
For all you created and gave us to share,
We praise you, Creator, extolling your care.
As stewards of beauty received at your hand,
As creatures who hear your most urgent command,
We turn from our wasteful destruction of life,
Confessing our failures, confessing our strife.
Teach us once again to be gardeners in peace;
All nature around us is ours but on lease;
Your name we would hallow in all that we do,
Fulfilling our calling, creating with you.
Benediction
May the Risen Christ, who brings restored life to all our planet, fill you with this living presence so that as we leave this place we might go out into the world to praise the Creator and help revive creation. Go in peace! Serving Christ and loving Earth! Amen.
Response
Life a rock, like a rock, God is under our feet.
Like the starry night sky, God is over our head.
Life the sun on the horizon, God is ever before.
Like the river runs to ocean, our home is in God evermore.
