July 21, 2013
This morning we will read togetherreadings from the book ‘Earth Prayers”. These prayers seek to heal the division that has grown between us andthe rest of nature. They tell us: Payattention. Attend to the relationships alive among all forms of life. The imagination to explore the binding curvethat joins us together. Join with it. Care for it as yourself. When the human spirit is understood in thissense, as the mode of consciousness to which we are connected to the planet asa whole, it becomes clear that our entire life is an Earth Prayer.
Call to Worship: Read in Unison
The beauty of the trees, thesoftness of the air, the fragrance of the grass,
speaks to me.
The summit of the mountain, thethunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea,
speaks to me.
The faintness of the stars, thefreshness of the morning, the dewdrop on the flower,
speaks to me
the strength of fire, the taste ofsalmon, the trail of the sun, and the life that never goes away,
they speak to me.
And my heart soars (by Chief Dan George)
Silence: Read the followingsilently
I ask for a moment's indulgence tosit by Thy side.
The work that I have in hand I willfinish afterwards.
Away from the sight of Thy face myheart knows no rest or respite,
and my work becomes an endless toilin a shoreless sea of toil.
Today the summer has come at mywindow with its sighs and murmurs,
and the bees are plying theirminstrelsy at the court of the flowering grove.
Now it is time to sit quiet, faceto face with Thee,
and to sing dedication of life inthis silent and overflowing leisure.
(by Rabindranath Tagore)
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Praise
Read in unison:
We give-away our thanks to theearth which gives us our home.
We give-away our thanks to therivers and lakes which give-away their water.
We give-away our thanks to thetrees which give-away fruit and nuts.
All beings on earth, the trees, theanimals, the wind and the rivers give-away to each other
so all is in balance. (by Dolores La Chapelle)
Please share brief words of thanksand praise.
Sing ending response: Let the people praise you O Lord, let all thepeople praise you.
Lamentations and Confession:
All: We have forgotten who weare.
First reader: We have alienated ourselves from theunfolding of the cosmos.
We have becomeestranged from the movements of the earth.
We have turned ourbacks on the cycles of life.
All: We have forgotten who weare.
Second Reader: We have sought onlyour own security.
We have exploitedsimply for our own ends.
We have distorted ourknowledge.
We have abused ourpower.
All: We have forgotten who weare.
Third Reader: Now the land is barren and the waters arepoisoned.
and the air ispolluted.
Now the forests are dying and thecreatures are disappearing,
and humans aredespairing.
ALL: We have forgotten who we are.
Forth Reader: We ask forgiveness. We ask for the gift of remembering.
We ask for thestrength to change.
All: We have forgotten who weare. (from UN environmental sabbathprogram)
Share your lamentations andconfessions out of the silence.
Comfort and absolution; Liturgistreads:
There is religion in everythingaround us. A calm and holy religion.
It has no terror no gloom It is a meek and blessed influence, stealingin as it were unaware upon the heart.
It is written on the arched sky; Itlooks out from every star;
It is on the sailing cloud and inthe invisible wind.
It is among the hills and valleysof the earth.
It is spread out like a legiblelanguage upon the broad face of an unsleeping ocean.
It is the poetry of nature. It isthat which uplifts the spirit within us.
And which opens to our imaginationa world of spiritual beauty and holiness. (byJohn Ruskin)
Sing together: God is forgiveness.Dare to forgive and God will be with you. God is forgiveness. Love and do not fear . (x2)
Passing of the Peace
Read in Unison: Long ago the ancients say this land was freeand we shared it all
With the mountains and the sea thebirds and the trees we lived in peace.
Long ago before those others cameand built fences by cutting the trees, dug mines by cutting the earth, revivedher blood, the oil that lies within formed long ago like us who lived in peace.
The birds sang less without thetrees, the land became dry without the birds to plant the flowers;
and we too became quiet watchingour mountains die, and listening for the birds that no longer flew—
But still we lived in peace.
What sustained us through all thoseyears, the nights of silence and the songs of the frog?.
We know as the ancients said, thisland will again be free
and we will again share it all withthe mountains and the sea, the birds and the trees.
For we still live in peace and wewish you the same for we are all one. (by Harriet Kofalk)
L. May the peace of God be with you
All: And also with you
L: Let us pass the peace to each other.
Hymn
Scripture
Teaching Liturgy
First Reader: We call upon the earth, our planet homewith its beautiful depths and soaring heights, its
vitality and abundanceof life and together ask that it;
All: Teach us and show us theway.
Second Reader: We call upon themountains, the high green valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers,
the snows that nevermelt, the summits of intense silence, and we ask that they:
All: Teach us and show us theway.
Third Reader: We call upon the waters that rim the earth,that flow in our rivers and streams, that fall upon
our gardens andfields, and we ask that they:
All: Teach us and show us theway.
Forth Reader: We call upon the land which grows our food,the nurturing soil, the fertile fields, the
abundant gardens andorchards, and we ask that they:
All: Teach us and show us theway.
First Reader: We call upon the forests, the great treesreaching strongly to the sky with earth in their
roots and theheavens in their branches, the fir and the pine and we ask them to
All: Teach us and show us theway.
Second reader: We call upon the creatures of the fields andforests and the seas, the wolves anddeer ,
the eagle and dove,the great whales and the dolphin, and we ask them to:
All: Teach us and show us theway.
Third Reader: We call upon all those who have lived onthis earth, our ancestors and our friends,
who dreamed the bestfor future generations and upon whose lives our lives are built,
and withthanksgiving we call upon them to:
All: Teach us and show us theway.
Forth Reader: And lastly we call upon all that we holdmost sacred, the presence and power of the Great
Spirit of Love andtruth which flows through all the universe … to be with us and:
All: Teach us and show us theway. (Chincok blessing litany)
Liturgist: For tens of thousands of years cultures havedeveloped in close attunement with the elemental energies of the cosmos. The Chinese recognized five primal elements:Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. NativeAmericans included sacred sound while the ancient Greeks identified the fourenergies of Earth, Air, Water and Fire. These weren’t simply ideas. Their power was expressed as real. Rivers, mountains, fire, hurricanes,lightning all spoke of the grandeur of the universe and the importance ofliving in the right relation with these elemental forces. What is our relationship with the earthtoday? And what can we do to help create a relationship that will sustain boththe earth and its inhabitants?
Sharings from others about honoring and caring for theearth
Gathering of Gifts
Responsive reading
Liturgist: We live by the sun; wefeel by the moon; we move by the stars
All: We live in all things. All thingslive in us.
Liturgist: We eat from the earth.We drink from the rain. We breathe of the air..
All; We live in all things, All thingslive in us.
Liturgist: We call to each other.We listen to each other. Our hearts deepen with love and compassion.
All: We live in all things. All things live in us.
Liturgist: We depend on the treesand animals. We depend on the earth,
Our minds open with wisdom andinsight.
All: We are full of life. We are full of death. We are grateful for all beings andcompanions.
(by Stephanie Kaza)
Community Prayers:
Liturgist.:
Here we are God—a planet at prayer.Attune our spirits that we may hear our harmonies and bow before your creativepower, that we may face our violent discords and join with your energy to makeheard in every heart your hymn of peace.
Here we are God—a militarizedplanet. Transform our fears that we may transform our war fields into wheatfields, arms into handshakes, missiles into messengers of peace.
Here we are God—a polluted planet. Purify our vision that we may perceive waysto purify our beloved lands, cleanse our precious waters, de-smog our lifegiving air.
Here we are God—an exploitedplanet. Heal our heart, that we mayrespect our resources, hold priceless our people, and provide for our starvingchildren an abundance of daily bread. Amen
(by JoanMetzner)
Community sharing of Prayers
Closing Prayer in unison;
O Great Spirit, You are ourShepherd Chief in the most high place
whose home is everywhere, evenbeyond the stars and moon.
Whatever You want done, let it alsobe done everywhere.
Give us Your gift of bread day byday.
Forgive us our wrongs as we forgivethose who wrong us.
Take us from all evil, foreverything belongs to You.
Let your power and glory shineforever. Amen. (by Hattie C. Enos Nes Parce)
Communion
Closing Communion Meditation
Group One:
Hear O humankind the prayer of my heart
For are we not one, have we not onedesire, to heal our mother Earth and bind her wounds.
to hear again from dark forests andflashing rivers the varied ever-changing Song of Creation.
0 humankind, are we not allbrothers and sisters, are we not the grandchildren of the Great Mystery?
Do we not all want to love and beloved, to work and to play, to sing and dance together?
Group two:
But we live with fear. Fear that ishate, fear that is mistrust, envy, greed vanity,
fear that is ambitious,competition, aggression, fear that is loneliness, anger, bitterness, cruelty…
and yet fear is only twisted love,love turned back on itself, love that was denied, love that was rejected.
Group One:
And love…Love is life—creation,seed and leaf and blossom and fruit and seed, love is growth and
search and reach and touch anddance. Love is nurture and succor andfeed and pleasure.
Love is pleasuring ourselves andpleasuring each other. Love is believing in itself.
Group Two:
And Life… Life is the SacredMystery singing to itself, dancing to its drum,
telling tales, improvising,playing, and we are all that Spirit, our stories all but one cosmic story
that we are love indeed, thatperfect love in me seeks the love in you and if our eyes could ever
meet without fear we wouldrecognize each other and rejoice for love is life believing in itself.
. (by Manitoncquat)
Silent reflection
Hymn
Announcments:
Benediction
Liturgist:
Oh hidden Life, vibrant in everyatom, O hidden light shining in every creature, O hidden light
Embracing all in oneness, may allwho feel themselves as one with You.
Know they are also one with everyother. (by Annie Besant)
Sung Benediction:
Go now in peace! God now inPeace! May the love of God surround youeverywhere, everywhere you go.
All: We go now to love and serveGod, our brothers and sisters and all of Creation.
AMEN AND ALLELUIA!