Bulletin – Sunday, September 26, 2021

Sunday, September 26, 2021
Season of Creation 4
Mountain

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:   We invited the mountains to worship with us:
All:      mighty boulders and deep forests, sliding glaciers and swirling snow.

One:   We invite the wild to join us in wonder:
All:      gliding eagles and mountain goats, mysterious moths and magic mushrooms.

One:   We join the mountain creatures in praising God:
All:      leaping trout and crawling creatures, exotic orchids and honey bees.

One:   We call the depths of the mountains to celebrate:
All:      precious gems and sparkling stones, volcanic lava and rich red ore.

One:   We enter the mountain of God today:
All:      and we worship in God’s presence, a sacred place on our planet.

One:   We celebrate the song of the mountain!
All:      Sing! Mountain! Sing!

One:   We invite you to join us in worship as we celebrate the song of the mountain!
All:      Sing! Mountain! Sing!

Hymn – “The River is Here”

Down the mountain the river flows and it brings refreshing wherever it goes.
Through the valleys and over the fields the river is rushing and the river is here.

The river of God sets our feet a-dancing,
The river of God fills our hearts with cheer.
The river of God fills our mouths with laughter,
And we rejoice for the river is here.

The river of God is teeming with life and all who touch it can be revived;
And those who linger on this river’s shore will come back thirsting for more of the Lord.

The river of God sets our feet a-dancing,
The river of God fills our hearts with cheer.
The river of God fills our mouths with laughter,
And rejoice for the river is here.

Up to the mountain we love to go to find the presence of the Lord.
Along the banks of the river we run- we dance with laughter giving praise to the Son.

The river of God sets our feet a-dancing,
The river of God fills our hearts with cheer.
The river of God fills our mouths with laughter,
And we rejoice for the river is here.

Prayer of Approach

God, our Creator, as we descent from the mountains, we celebrate the wonders of the wild that surround us. Help us to see in the surrounding landscape the places where the planet has been polluted and to empathize with the groaning of creation beneath us. Teach us to recognize that the hills are alive with your Spirit and to rejoice with all our kin, especially the creatures of the wild. We are sorry.

We have become alienated from Earth and viewed mountains as little more than tourist spots, hills for mining uranium, other minerals, and riches, or a wild beast to be tamed. We have polluted rivers with waste from mountain mines. We have turned the wonders of the wild into a commodity. We have killed creatures in the wild with chemicals. We are sorry.

We are sorry. We remember the mountains where God chose to reveal a special presence, Mount Sinai and Mount Zion, a presence that also fills our planet. We remember our excitement as a child climbing a peak and viewing creation, wonders that extended almost forever and fascinating creatures around us, the mysteries of God’s wild world. We remember and rejoice asking your forgiveness in the name of the one who came in love, Jesus. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Hymn – “Soil of God, You and I”

Soil of God, you and I, stand ready to bear
Seeds of faith nourished by God’s tender care.
Growing in everyone for here God is found.
All stand together, we are…
Holy ground.

Soil of God, you and I, now ready to be
Part of God’s promise, for others to see.
Open to everyone for here God is found.
All stand together, we are…
Holy ground.

Soil of God, you and I, now called to rebirth,
Joining as partners with all of the earth.
Living in harmony for here God is found.
All stand together, this is…
Holy ground.

Baptism

The Word

Scripture Reading:           Psalm 48:1-11

¹Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain,
² beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
³ Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.
⁴ Then the kings assembled, they came on together.
⁵ As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic, they took to flight;
⁶ trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a woman in labor,
⁷ as when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish.
⁸ As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever.
⁹ We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
¹⁰ Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with victory.
¹¹ Let Mount Zion be glad, let the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments.

Scripture Reading:           Isaiah 65:17-25

¹⁷ For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind.
¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.
¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.
²⁰ No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.
²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
²² They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
²³ They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD—and their descendants as well.
²⁴ Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.
²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God!

Meditation – “Mountain Top Experiences”

Anthem – “Remember”

The Response

Prayers of the People

One:   Christ Jesus, like your disciples we join you on your mountain today. Surround us with your light. Stir us with your voice. Heal us with your touch. Fill us with your love. Refresh us with your blessing and hear our prayers. Creator God, you make all things, from the earth beneath our feet to the sky above our heads, from the looming mountains to the ocean depths, and weave them together in an intricate tapestry of life. Teach us to respect the fragile balance of life and to care for all the gifts of your creation.
All:      Refresh us with your blessings and hear our prayers.

One:   God of wisdom, guide by your wisdom those who have power and authority, that, by the decisions they make, life may be cherished and a good and fruitful Earth may continue to show your glory and sing your praises.
All:      Refresh us with your blessings and hear our prayers.

One:   Bountiful God, open our hearts that we might see how we have been blessed and so that we might hear your call to share the blessings, the bounty of creation, with all peoples, not just a privileged few.
All:      Refresh us with your blessings and hear our prayers.

One:   Almighty God, you have called us to tend and keep the garden of your creation. Give us wisdom and reverence for all your plants and animals who share this planet with us and whose lives make possible our own.
All:      Refresh us with your blessings and hear our prayers.

One:   Loving God remind us of your connection to all creation, to those who live on the land, those who live in the waters, and those in the air. Stir in us compassion for all humanity so that we might see the struggles of so many and we ask for your presence with them all, especially those whom we lift up to you in prayer…
All:      Refresh us with your blessings and hear our prayers.

One:   We offer all of these prayers to you 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 – “God, The Mountains Tell Your Glory”

God, the mountains tell your glory, lifting praise to you above!
In your Word, each mountain story shows your presence and your love.
Noah built as you commanded; soon the waters swirled around.
Those you saved, Lord, safely landed, you set them on mountain ground.

Lord, when Moses was returning to the mountain that he knew,
There a bush was brightly burning. There it was he heard from you.
Later Moses felt your presence; in the heights he knew your grace.
He brought down the Ten Commandments from your holy mountain place.

Christ, you taught upon a mountain, showing us God’s kingdom view.
In the heights when you were praying, God’s own glory shone on you.
Climbing to a quiet garden, in your grief and faith you cried.
On a hill for our own pardon, you, O Lord, were crucified.

Thank you now for blue-green mountains, red-brown mesas, high peaks, too.
Here may we enjoy creation, know your presence, learn from you.
Here may we sing out your glory, hear your call and find your grace.
Risen Christ, we’ll tell your story, from the heights to every place.

Benediction

Christ calls you to be his disciples, to come down the mountain and serve him by caring for creation, especially the mountains where we celebrate God’s presence with our kin. We will care for creation, we will rejoice in the mountains, we will celebrate God’s presence with us today and every day. May the Spirit of God blowing from the mountains, fill you with the knowledge of God’s presence in Earth and the pulsing of Christ within you. 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.