Creation liturgy #6: Prayers of Commitment & Blessing

The final words of our Creation season liturgy, after sharing communion together, include the Notices! At best, these are an opportunity for people to share invitations into various forms of collective activity/action - seeking the 'shalom' of the Earth, as well as our human kin. Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone's book 'Active Hope' has been influential in shaping our liturgy, our gatherings, our conversations and our actions this Creation season - and, we expect, in the months and years to come. Joanna's 'Commitment' here, slightly tweaked, was a powerful invitation to collective commitment at the end of our gatherings each week.

Sending

NOTICES

…including invitations to get involved in actions we’re taking individually or collectively as a church.

PRAYER OF COMMITMENT

God is here:
God’s Spirit is with us!

            Let us make this vow to God and to one another:

I vow to commit myself daily to the healing of our world
and the welfare of all beings;

            to live on Earth more lightly and less violently
            in the food, products, and energy I consume;

            to draw strength and guidance from the living Earth,
            the ancestors, the future generations,
            my siblings of all species
            and from God, the breath of life;

            to support others in their work for the world
            and to ask for help when I need it;

            and to pursue a daily practice
            that clarifies my mind, strengthens my heart,
            and supports me in observing these vows.

Amen. May it be so.

[adapted from Joanna Macy & Chris Johnstone, Active Hope]

SONG

BLESSING & DISMISSAL

We reach down (as far as we are able) to touch the ground again, to re-connect ourselves with the earth, and then open our hands ready to receive and share God’s blessing:

We go out from this place,
knowing that all ground is holy ground;
breathing with the breath of God,
aflame with the passion of God,
and drenched in the blessing of God,
life-giver, pain-bearer, love-maker,
for us, and for all creation.
Amen.

Creation liturgy #5: Eucharistic Prayer

 As an ecumenical partnership church, our eucharistic prayers vary between an Anglican structure, and a format more familiar to those from a United Reformed Church tradition. This year's Creation season liturgy is in the latter style.

Sharing

BRINGING BREAD AND WINE

P:         What do you bring to Christ’s table?

C:         We bring bread, earth-grown and fire-baked,
the work of human hands in an unjust world
where some have plenty and most go hungry.

P:         At this table, all are fed, and no one is turned away.

All:       Thanks be to God.

P:         What do you bring to Christ’s table?

C:         We bring wine, earth-grown and water-nourished,
the work of human hands in an unjust world
where some have leisure and most struggle to survive.

P:         At this table, all share the cup of pain and celebration,
and no one is denied.

All:       Thanks be to God.

P:         These gifts shall be for us the body and blood of Christ:

All:       Our witness against hunger,
our cry against injustice,
and our hope for a world
where God is fully known
where every child is fed
and where the earth breathes freely.
Thanks be to God.

[adapted from prayers in Janet Morley (ed), Bread of Tomorrow]

STORY OF THE LAST SUPPER

P:         Now let us hear the story of this meal.

C:         In the shadows of oppression,
            on the night of his betrayal,
            our brother Jesus had a meal with his friends,
            where he took bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and said:
            ‘This is my body. Given for you all.’

            And he did the same with the wine, sharing it, saying:
            ‘This is my life-blood, the new covenant of God
            with all creation. Do this in remembrance of me.’

P:         So as Jesus gathered with his friends to thank God,
            let us too raise our voices in thanks and praise.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

P:         God is here!
God’s Spirit is with us!
Let down your hearts!
We root our hearts in God!
Let us give our thanks to God!
It is right to give God thanks and praise!

God our Maker,
we thank you for your creating:
for the swirling galaxies and our radiant sun;
for this planet Earth, our shared home;
for the air we breathe and the water that refreshes;
and for all your wonderful creatures:

The president names some of the creatures from our ‘Gathering’ conversation, concluding by saying…

With all of these creatures of your delight and joy,
we join to sing your praise:

We sing together words of praise to God (‘Holy, holy, holy’),
repeating line by line after the solo singer.

Our brother Jesus,
we thank you for taking flesh:
earth-creature like us,
you blazed with the wild-fire of the prophets
as you called your kinfolk to repent,
and return to your way of love.

You spoke of the wild, untameable wind
and offered us living, overflowing water,
and the forces of death had you nailed you to a cross
and buried in a stone-cold tomb.

Yet God’s wild life can never be contained,
and in the garden of resurrection you walked anew,
and came to us through our locked doors,
breathing God’s forgiveness.

Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Holy Spirit,
we thank you for your re-creating:
renewer of our fire-scorched soil,
re-planter of our barren wastelands,
living water quenching parched earth,
mighty wind breathing life into dry bones.

Come to us afresh, we pray:
bring these gifts of bread and wine alive with your presence;
kindle us your children aflame with your passion;
bless our creature-kin and all creation anew with your power;
that we may see your goodness,
and know your healing,
and share in your joy,
in your good and gracious time,
and in the urgency of now.
Amen?
Amen!
Amen?
Amen!
Amen?
Amen!

Creation liturgy #4: Entering afresh into God's peace

After our prayers of lament, confession and intercession, in the 'fire' week, we came forward to receive an ash cross on our forehead, as a sign of our sorrow and penitence for our complicity in the destruction of God's good creation. During the ashing, we sang the song 'If the fields are parched', in Resound Worship's book 'doxecology'.

We were then led in these prayers of forgiveness and peace:

ENTERING AFRESH INTO GOD’S PEACE

From the dust of the earth
God created.
From the fire and ashes,
God renews.
With living water,
God refreshes.
With the breath of life,
God revives.

A minister sprinkles us all with water, saying:

May we know ourselves forgiven,
brought down to earth.
May we know ourselves liberated,
released to breathe anew.
May we know ourselves reconnected,
empowered to join together
in your work of peace-seeking, kin-making, joy-bringing.
Amen.

SHARING PEACE

The peace of God be always with you.
And also with you.

Creation liturgy #3: Litanies of Lament, Confession & Intercession

Only after we affirmed together our dignity and interconnectedness as God-created beings, did we turn to lament, confession and intercession - the three strands intertwined and inseparable in our praying this month.

We wrote a litany for each of the 4 elements, with this common introduction:

LITANY OF LAMENT, CONFESSION & INTERCESSION

We human beings are part of the glory of God’s creation,
but we are also part of its destruction.
With the attentiveness of the Spirit,
let us hear creation’s groaning,
and with hearts broken open,
let us seek God’s forgiveness and healing for all things.

WATER

We have choked the seas with our plastic rubbish
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have polluted the estuaries with our sewage
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have melted the ice caps with our energy consumption
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have dammed the rivers,
dried up the waterfalls,
and dishonoured the Source
of the water of life.
God our Maker, have mercy.

For the sea-creatures killed by our carelessness
God our Maker, have mercy.

For the places and peoples overwhelmed by flooding
God our Maker, have mercy.

For our creature-kin in parched lands dying of thirst
God our Maker, have mercy.

For the victims of conflicts over access to water
God our Maker, have mercy.

For those who have no choice but to make dangerous journeys over the sea
God our Maker, have mercy.

For those who dig life-giving wells and irrigation channels, and those who maintain water pipes and sewage works
God our Maker, have mercy.

For those who bring rescue and relief from floods, droughts and pollution
God our Maker, have mercy.

For those who campaign for accessible, clean water for all
God our Maker, have mercy.

For all those who thirst for justice and peace and healing in our world
God our Maker, have mercy.

For all those who long for the water of life to be undammed, undivided, untamed
God our Maker, have mercy.

For all who have plunged into the waters of baptism (and especially for N, to be baptised here today)
God our Maker, have mercy.

AIR

We have taken for granted the breath of life
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have imagined the air is ours to conquer, flying high and far as if it would cost nothing
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have forgotten that we are connected together by the air we share
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have polluted the air that others must breathe
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have choked our kin-folk with our violence and indifference
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have chopped down the forests, the lungs of the earth
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those wonderful creatures of the air, insects and birds,
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all who seek to make the air clean again
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those who work on wind energy, and carbon capture
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those who plant trees in hope for the future of others
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those who work, and campaign, and fight, and struggle, so that others might simply breathe
God our Maker, have mercy.

FIRE

            We have plundered the earth for fuel to burn
            God our Maker, have mercy.

We have poured petrol into our vehicles as if it cost the planet nothing
God our Maker, have mercy.

            We have sought ‘security’ in the fire power of war and conflict
            God our Maker, have mercy.

We are letting our planet get hotter and hotter
            and remain indifferent or paralysed
            God our Maker, have mercy.

We have been too slow to invest in alternative energy,
when your sun has shone on us every day.
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those in places becoming too hot to live
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those whose homes are at daily risk of fire
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those victims of deadly fires and the indifference of others,
especially the many residents of Grenfell Tower who died, or lost loved ones
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those who struggle to heat their homes, and all who are anxious about this coming winter
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those places scorched by forest fires, for their renewal and regrowth
God our Maker, have mercy.

On fire-fighters, and all who put their lives on the line to rescue human and non-human life
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those working on alternative energy sources, and those campaigning for better insulation
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all your creatures,
that we may bask in the warmth of your Son,
and that the flame of your loving-kindness may unite us
in solidarity and commitment
God our Maker, have mercy.

EARTH

               We have forgotten we are earth-creatures,
               and treated the earth as our possession:
               God our Maker, have mercy.

We have over-farmed the land,
and forgotten that it too needs rest:
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have sought to control what grows and what doesn’t,
and poisoned the soil and its creatures
with our fertilisers and weedkillers:
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have broken open the earth to plunder its treasures,
extracting for our needs until the earth itself groans and shakes:
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have dug and built wherever we have wanted to,
disrupting and destroying complex and wonderful ecosystems:
God our Maker, have mercy.

We have built dividing walls and fences
to make private what you have given us to share in common:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all victims of landslides and earthquakes,
and those whose land has become arid and infertile:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all who are displaced by environmental change or conflict,
seeking safety and security far from home:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all who struggle to feed themselves and their children,
without land or livelihood that they can rely on:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all those who love the land:
gardeners and conservationists, guerrillas and green connectors:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all those involved in planning our built environments,
and protecting areas of ecological richness:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all who work the land, on the road, in factories and in shops,
to bring food to our tables:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On those involved in changing our means of food production,
developing organic, animal-friendly and low carbon footprint foods:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all those involved in waste collection and disposal,
and those who help us reduce, reuse and recycle:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all who campaign for an opening of access to land,
and a fair distribution of the earth’s resources:
God our Maker, have mercy.

On all of the earth’s creatures,
that we may find new ways to live in harmony and mutual care:
God our Maker, have mercy.

Creation liturgy #2: Affirmation of Dignity and Interconnectedness

We began the liturgy by 'earthing our bodies'. We the introduced the theme for the week (one of the four 'elements'), through a bible reading, some conversation together (naming aspects of this element that we're thankful for, or that stir other feelings for us), and an action (e.g. pouring water, blowing bubbles, lighting candles, holding a pot of soil).

Some weeks we used a breathing exercise, to remember that we all breathe with God's breath. We've had 'information' presentations on forms of energy that use each of the 4 elements, and reflections that have sought to connect current world issues, our own experience, the Christian faith tradition, and opportunities for action.

After the reflection, we moved towards lament, confession and intercession (covered in the next few posts), by way of a South African prayer which affirms our dignity and interconnectedness:

AFFIRMATION OF DIGNITY AND INTERCONNECTEDNESS

God created human beings in God’s own image,
earth-creatures, Spirit-breathed,
part of the glorious, interconnected web of created life.
Let us stand together (if we are able)
and all affirm our dignity and our interdependence before God.

We stand (if we are able) and join together in saying:

I stand tall and dignified in the presence of God
and among my fellow human beings.
I accept myself as a precious and unique person,
created through Christ
to be the image of the living God.
Together with animals, trees and rivers
we are one living community,
belonging to the earth, our common home.
Guided by the Spirit,
we discover who we are, as a family:
I am who I am because of others.

[from the Uniting Reformed Church of South Africa]

Creation liturgy #1: Earthing our bodies

 In September 2022 at Hodge Hill Church we crafted a new communion liturgy for Creation season, focusing on the traditional 'four elements': water, air, fire and earth. We took one element a week to explore further, but the liturgy worked across the season. I'll post here individual elements of the liturgy over the next few days...

Gathering

We are called to worship, as we join in singing together:

Come, all you creatures. Come, praise your Maker!     (x3)
Come now and worship the Lord!

EARTHING OUR BODIES

After a brief welcome, a minister begins with these words:

God said to Moses, “Take off your shoes,
for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  (Ex. 3:5)

Those who feel able are invited take off their shoes.

We are all invited to reach down towards, or to touch, the ground, as we say:

We meet on holy ground:
we honour the earth from which we have been made;
we honour the creatures who share the earth with us;
we honour the presence of God in the earth beneath our feet,
in whom we are rooted and grounded and find fullness of life.

God is here:
God’s Spirit is with us!

creationtide sermon series

In Hodge Hill we decided to commit a full two months to a 'season of creation', in September and October 2019. I've posted the liturgy we used here.

We also put together a series of Scripture readings, based on different aspects of our living-in-the-world - and we invited different members of our preaching team to reflect on those themes in our sermons. You'll find here those themes, suggested readings, some questions to prompt the sermons/reflections, and summaries of the sermons/reflections. Huge gratitude to all involved in putting this together, and being willing to share their reflections here - it's been (and continues to be) an ever-expanding team effort!

Week One (1st September): Introduction to season
Suggested readings: Genesis 2:4b-17, Luke 10:25-37
What does it mean to follow God’s call to care for creation? Setting the scene for the
weeks to follow…

“Who is my neighbor?” Not just humans but the whole of creation. In the context of climate catastrophe, we are called to care for and love the planet, as well as people affected by climate change. We don’t have to have all the solutions, but we do need to work together, from a position of hope and love, to be better stewards of God’s creation.

Ruth Harley

Week Two (8th September): Food
Suggested readings: Matthew 14:13-21, Leviticus 25:1-17, Proverbs 12:10
What impact do our decisions about what and where to buy food have on our global
neighbours and on our environment? What can we do to follow God’s call to care in our
decision making as individuals and as a church?

Eating meat isn’t just bad for animals – it’s bad for the planet (because of how much CO2 it produces). But it’s almost as if we’re in denial about the consequences of our meat-eating. We keep doing something we know is bad news.

So as Christians, we need to find ways of supporting each other to change, one step at a time (a bit like the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 step programme). And the first step is gratitude: becoming more aware of what we eat, as grace, as costly gift – and of our interdependence as earth-creatures...

Al Barrett

Week Three (15th September): Energy
Suggested readings: Romans 8:21-22, Psalm 104
What choices do we make in what energy we use, and how we use it? What impact does
this have on our neighbours? How does creation provide energy naturally? What can we
do to follow God’s call to care as individuals and as a church?

One of the important questions Jesus asks in the gospels is “Who is my neighbour?” That is a really important question when we think about energy. How do we define the term neighbour? How big is our picture? What principles do we need to bear in mind, here are some suggestions:
· Cherish and protect life as a gift from God;
· Accept an appropriate share of responsibility for the welfare of creation;
· Live in solidarity with others for a common good, namely, the sustainability of an abundant Earth;
· Strive for justice in society; give special attention to the needs of the poor and members of minority groups;
· Contribute to the widespread participation in decision-making processes.
What small steps can we take to reduce our energy consumption to play our part in seeking to combat the ecological crisis facing us?

Sally Nash

Week Four (22nd September): Finance
1 John 3:17-18, Luke 16:1-13
What choices do we make in our personal and cooperate banking? Do we know how our
banks use our money? How can we use what God has given us to safeguard the earth?
What changes can we make as individuals and as a church to follow God’s call to care?

The way we spend our money matters – the example of fast fashion showed us that people aren’t paid fair wages and that human-made fabrics damage the earth when washed and then disposed off.

When we or the companies we buy from are motived by profit it can have huge ramifications on our planet.

As Christians the way we use our money matters and we can to make a  positive difference.

Jen Walters

Week Five (29th September): Harvest festival: Rest

God made the Sabbath for humans to rest, but also told the people of Israel to give the land a rest every 7 years. Our response to climate change and species extinction is often “we’ve got to do something!” – but sometimes what we really need is to stop doing things: to stop working the earth so hard, extracting so much from it; to learn to “let it be”, to give it space to let nature take control again. And when we do, amazing things can happen!

Al Barrett

Week Six (October 6th): Travel
Suggested readings: Psalm 24, ??
How do we get around locally? Where do we like to go on holiday? What impact do our
choices have on the earth? What does God have to say about all of it? Is sabbath just
about us, or also about the earth we live in? What could we do as a church to ensure the
way we travel protects the earth? What choices can we make as individuals about the way
we travel?

Travel brings gifts – discovering different places, new people, the wonders of creation. But it comes at a cost – producing huge amounts of CO2 (especially planes and cars), contributing to climate change, creating climate refugees (an unchosen form of travel). Our cars help connect us to others, keep us alive, give us independence, enable us to explore – but we can try to share journeys with others, and switch to public transport (or walk/cycle) where we can. We need to hold the gifts of travel in tension with the Benedictine commitment to stability – an ongoing conversion by ‘the otherness of here’ – re-localise our lives (finding what we need closer to home), as well as always being ready to welcome people who arrive in our neighbourhood from other places.

Al Barrett

Week Seven (October 13th): Waste
Suggested readings: Ezekiel 34:18, Matthew 6:19-21
What do we dispose of? What do we reuse? How does industry and culture affect our
attitude to waste? How does our waste impact the earth? What are the ways we can
reduce our waste as individuals and as a church? Why does God care about our waste?

My sermon was about waste. I covered ideas thinking about our earth being God’s treasure and asked the congregation to think of it in the same way.  Also we looked at how we care for our treasure and try to apply it to the earth and how we can reduce, recycle and reuse to cut down what we throw away.  I included how  we dispose of our waste. The congregation came up with their own ideas of how to reduce waste. 

My question to the congregation was -‘ Do I need it or do I just want it’ This applies to when buying new things and it was a question I asked the congregation to consider, along with all the suggested ideas for reducing what we dispose of. 

Gloria Smith

Week Eight (October 20th): Nature
Suggested readings: Colossians 1:16-17, Job 12:7-10
How do we encounter nature? How can we encounter God through the natural world? In
what ways do we connect with the earth and how can we do more as individuals and as a
church?

Nature is everything in God’s created world, while there are things that cause us concern, even fear (earth quakes, hurricanes etc.), there are many things that give us wow moments every day, from sun rises to the antics and activities of animals to new birth. As a young child my grandmother taught me that when I was stung by nettles there was always a doc leaf to sooth the pain away. A wow moment for me as a child. For my grandma this was proof positive that God’s love was active in the world. We are more aware today of the healing properties of nature from the wows that give us a lift in spirit (important in mental health treatment for example), to the plants that provide healing for so many ailments. God’s healing love active in the world today. 

David Walton

Week Nine (October 27th): Power (and re-cap the season)
How to engage with those who hold power and make decisions. Campaigning for the safeguarding of the earth.
Suggested readings: Luke 18:1-8