In a variety of ways, all across the country, Presbyterians celebrated Earth Day. In small and large congregations, in community celebrations or in church worship, certified Earth Care Congregations used the opportunity of Earth Day as a way to care for God’s good creation. Here are four snapshots, sharing one a day over the next few days.
Outdoor Earth Day service Kirk of Kildaire
Kirk of Kildaire, Presbyterian (Cary, NC), EARTH DAY 2016,DEDICATION OF THE POLLINATOR GARDEN (Saturday April 23, 2016)
WELCOME: Rev. Willem Bodisco Massink, Chair Earth Care Ministry Team
INTROITUS: “All Creatures of Our God and King” verse 6 No. 15
A LITANY FOR EARTH DAY
Praise and Recognition:
Leader: This is the world the Lord has made;
People: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Leader: The Bible tells us that on the sixth day of the Creation, God looked over everything God had made; it was so good, so very good!
People: The stars and the moon, the mountains and the valleys, the forests and the fields, the oceans and the babbling brook; all of it was good, so very good,!
Leader: The animals and the birds and humans created in God’s image; all of it was good, so very good!
Confession of individual and Collective Sins:
People: But our appetites for stuff grew big.
Leader: So the poor were exploited and the Creation was filled with the waste of consumption.
People: The water, soil and air were filled with toxins;
Leader: The poor were exploited so profits could be made.
People: This was not what you intended for Your Creation, O God, for we who were created in Your image.
Leader: Forgive us Creator God, for now we know not what to do.
People: Forgive us Creator God, for now we know not what to do.
Leader: Forgive us Creator God, for under our watch, we made co-victims of the poor and our environment.
Prayer for Hope and Collective Redemption
Leader: Who will speak for the poor?
People: “Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!”
Leader: I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.
People: Lord, You have called us to be good and faithful stewards of the earth.
Leader: Teach us how to reduce our demands upon the Earth.
People: Lord, You have called us to be good and faithful stewards of the earth.
Leader: Free us from coveting more than we need , to live and to share with our neighbors in need of better shelter and an environment that they too can call “good.”
People: Lord, you have called us to be good and faithful stewards of the earth;
Leader: Teach us to listen to Your Creation.
People: Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all humankind
Leader: Hope is found where we live in harmony with our neighbors and with the environment we call the Creation.
People: Hope will be found when we are committed to justice for all who call the planet HOME.
Leader: Have mercy on us Your people and make us advocates for Your Creation.
And all God’s people say:
All: AMEN AND AMEN!
HYMN: “God of the Sparrow” verses 3 and 6 No. 22
READING FROM THE HEBREW SCRIPTURE: Genesis 2: 15; Psalm 24: 1 and Ecclesiastes 3: 1 – 15
READING FROM THE GOSPEL: Luke 13: 6 -9
REFLECTION:” Why A Pollinating Garden” by Olivia Loyack
Kirk of Kildaire pollinator garden
SONG/HYMN: “In the Bulb There Is a Flower” No. 250
PASTORAL PRAYER and THE PRAYER OF JESUS CHRIST (Lord’s Prayer) by Rev. Willem Bodisco Massink
RESPONSIVE BENEDICTION: (based on Hebrews 12)
Leader: Certainly God is raising up people even today to bring us through this dark time.
People: Life-giving God, we offer ourselves in service to You, supported by a great cloud of witnesses who urge us on.
Leader: We are connected to other people of faith and conscience around the world who are working for a peaceful, just, and sustainable world.
People: This global community supports us – we support each other.
Leader: We are connected with those who have gone before us: the martyrs and the heroes, all the ancestors who invested themselves for the sake of future generations, and we are connected with those who will come after us.
People: Our ancestors and descendents support us – we are their champions.
Leader: We are related to the earth and all its creatures in a web that cannot be broken without injury to all.
People: The earth and our fellow creatures support us – we are their advocates.
Leader: We are connected to Jesus Christ, who reveals God to us, sends us the Spirit, and sends us out in His name.
People: The Holy Trinity – God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit – supports us – we are its followers.
Leader: Therefore, let us lay aside every weight and sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, resisting all powers that destroy, bringing healing and hope to the world.
People: O God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, we offer our lives in service to You.
ALL: AMEN
Closing hymn: “For the Beauty of the Earth” verse 1 No. 14