Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Seasons of Creation 1 – 1 September 2024 – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
During this service we will share in Communion.
If you would like to participate, you might like to have the elements ready.
Introit: “Like A Rock” – (Seasons of the Spirit)
Like a rock, like a rock
God is under our feet.
Like the starry night sky
God is over our head.
Like the sun on the horizon
God is ever before.
Like the river runs to ocean,
our home is in God evermore.
Candle Lighting:
This is Christ’s place,
and Christ is the One who welcomes us all.
As we light the Christ candle today,
may its light brighten our spirits,
and may the light of Christ shine through us
continue to brighten the world.
Acknowledgement of Country:
This land is God’s land and God’s Spirit dwells here.
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung
People of the Kulin Nations
traditional custodians of this land under God.
I pay my respects to their elders and leaders,
past and present,
and to all their descendants.
From the depths of the earth,
flowing in the waters,
moving in the breeze,
stirring in the trees,
the Creator is revealed.
May we move in harmony
with the Creator and with one another.
Call to Worship:
(World Council of Churches, Eco-School at the Orthodox Academy of Crete, Greece, 2023)
Come, let us worship God,
who has gifted us with life and Creation to sustain life.
We praise God for the wondrous Creation.
Come, let us follow Jesus Christ,
who inspires us to hope and act for justice and righteousness.
We give glory to God, who restores the groaning Creation and the vulnerable.
Come let us move with the Holy Spirit,
striving to establish justice and produce the firstfruits of hope.
We praise God for the abundant life that is assured to all creation.
Heavenly Triune God and creator of all,
we gather here, made in the image of the Creator,
who created in love.
We gather in the name of the redeemer,
our Saviour Jesus Christ,
who reconciles all of Creation.
We gather in the presence of the life Giver, your Holy Spirit,
who inspires new life and instils hope.
We Sing: “Let all creation dance” – (TiS 187)
Let all creation dance in energies sublime,
as order turns with chance, unfolding space and time,
for nature’s art in glory grows, and newly shows God’s mind and heart.
God’s breath each force unfurls, igniting from a spark
expanding starry swirls, with whirlpools dense and dark.
Though moon and sun seem mindless things, each orbit sings: ‘Your will be done.’
Our own amazing earth, with sunlight, cloud and storms
and life’s abundant growth in lovely shapes and forms,
is made for praise, a fragile whole, and from its soul heaven’s music plays.
Lift heart and soul and voice: in Christ all praises meet
and nature shall rejoice as all is made complete.
In hope be strong, all life befriend and kindly tend creation’s song.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
God of the heavens and the earth
you breathed your holy breath
and said ‘Let there be light’.
Your light shines in the darkness,
the darkness of destruction and despair
and yet is not overcome.
You breathe your holy breath,
nourishing potential,
showing us the wonders of your creation.
We adore you.
God of the day and night, the waters and land,
you breathed your holy breath
and birthed abundance.
Your Spirit dances in our souls
opening our hearts to your Word,
freeing us from apathy.
You breathe your holy breath
embracing the human
and more than human world with love.
We adore you.
God of all living things,
you breathed your holy breath and saw that all was good.
Your gifts are beyond our comprehension,
sparking joy and delight, waking us from our fearful slumber.
You breathe your holy breath
and call us to action, to nurture and care for all that is good.
We adore you.
God of all creation forgive us.
Forgive us for the many ways in which
we fail to live in harmony with your good creation.
Forgive us for our quiet apathy
when your creation is in such desperate need.
Forgive us and inspire us
to raise our voices to speak, and act, for the more than human world.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
God created the heavens and the earth
and on the seventh day God rested.
Come then, let us rest with God from all that troubles us,
and know that in the name of Jesus, the risen Christ,
we are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
A Time for All:
Today I’d like to share a story with you. It’s called ‘A Child’s Garden: a story of hope’. It is written by Michael Foreman, and goes like this.
The boy saw it after a night of rain, a speck of green in the rubble peeping up towards the sunlight. He moved some broken bricks so that nothing would fall and crush the tiny plant. He didn’t know what sort of plant it was, a flower or a weed, he just knew it would struggle to survive.
The boy searched around and found an old can which held a little rain water. He brought it to the plant. ‘Drink up’, he whispered, ‘drink up’. The sun was climbing in the sky and the boy gave the plant shade with some old sacking and wire.
The boy’s world was a place of ruin and rubble ringed by a fence of barbed wire. In the hot, dry summer the air was thick with dust. Far away hills shimmered in the haze. The boy knew that cool streams flowed in those hills. He used to go there with his father, but now the hills were the wrong side of the wire.
Over the following weeks he cared for his secret garden. Soon the green tendrils reached to the high barbed wire fence. Now the boy could tell it was a vine – a grape vine. It spread along the fence and gave shade to its own tender roots which, in turn, sent out more shoots.
Birds and butterflies came bringing seeds and pollen on their wings. The garden grew, it was no longer a secret. Friends came to sit in its shade and it became a playground for the children.
Then, one day, soldiers came and destroyed everything. They threw the vine in a ditch on the other side of the wire. The boy thought his heart would break.
Winter came. The boy and his family shivered in the cold and damp of their ruined home.
Spring came late. After the first night of rain for weeks the boy noticed green shoots all along the ditch. Some seeds from his vine must have survived the winter. He worried about the new shoots. He couldn’t get close enough to water them. They were on the other side of the wire.
Then, one evening, he saw a little girl playing by the ditch. She had a bucket and she was sprinkling water on the tiny plants. Each evening she returned. The boy hoped the soldiers wouldn’t notice, but they didn’t seem to mind plants growing on their side of the fence.
Then, one day, the boy saw tiny specks of green peeping from the rubble where his garden had been. ‘Look’, he yelled. ‘Come and see, my vine has come back!’
He began collecting water and once more tended his garden. Soon it reached the wire where it became entwined with the green tendrils from the little girls side.
The barbed wire disappeared under leafy shade and the new garden became home once more to birds and butterflies. Let the soldiers return thought the boy. Roots are deep and seeds spread.
One day the fence will disappear forever and we will be able to walk again into the hills.
There are times when it is easy to despair, yet just like the boy in the story we can all have hope, and we all have the opportunity to be agents of hope. What are the hopes you have for creation, and how might you be able to be agents of these hopes becoming reality?
Why not make this your prayer.
We Sing: “O Lord hear my prayer” – (TiS 741)
O Lord hear my prayer, O Lord hear my prayer: when I call answer me.
O Lord hear my prayer, O Lord hear my prayer. Come and listen to me.
Bible Reading: Matthew 9:35-38
– The Harvest Is Great, the Labourers Few
35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; 38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.”
Bible Reading: Romans 8:18-25
– Future Glory
18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God, 20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its enslavement to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning together as it suffers together the pains of labour, 23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what one already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Reflection:
Today marks the beginning of the Season of Creation, a time when many Christians worldwide engage in a celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home. During this season we are called to celebrate God as Creator, and acknowledge Creation as the divine continuing act that summons us, as collaborators, to love and care for the gift of all that is created. As followers of Christ, Christians from all around the world share a common call to care for Creation. We are co-creatures and a part of all that God has made. Our well-being is interwoven with the well-being of the Earth.
In 2024, the theme and symbol for the season are both inspired by the passage we have just read in Romans 8:19-25. The theme is ‘to hope and act with Creation’ and the symbol is ‘the firstfruits of hope’. Both of these emphasise hope, but the hope we are called to is not without action. Rather, hope is embodied in concrete actions of prayer and conversation, service and solidarity.
This theme emphasizes that Creation is not an object that has been created for human use, but rather a subject that we are called to relate to and collaborate with as fellow creatures. ‘Creation’ in this context refers to both the created order and the mystery of God’s continuing act of creation. There is also an acknowledgement that the whole created order, or the whole cosmos, including all living and non-living parts of God’s Creation need to be treated with respect.
It is clear that humanity has got things wrong when it comes to our relationship with the whole of Creation. The times we live in show that we are not relating to the Earth as a gift from our Creator, but rather as a resource which is ours to exploit. With the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, along with many people beginning to despair and suffer from eco-anxiety, this has never been more evident. Along with Mother Earth, creatures of all kinds, including humans, cry out because of the consequences of our destructive actions which cause human suffering as well. Yet, as people of faith we are called to live into the hope that our faith inspires, so how might we ‘hope and act with Creation’?
In the reading from Romans 8, the Earth is imaged as a mother, groaning as in childbirth. The Earth is in pain, yet just like in the intense pain of childbirth, there is hope that new life will come forth and the future will be better. Just like childbirth can be a struggle, actively striving for new life can be a struggle, especially when we see how things are. But having hope does not mean standing still and quiet. In the context we are living in, we need to call out the world’s selfish and unsustainable actions that harm our Earth – Mother Earth cannot look after us if we do not look after her.
Creation and all of us are called to worship the Creator, working together for a future of active hope and action. Only when we work together with the whole of Creation can the firstfruits of hope be born. Paul reminds us that both Creation and humanity are conceived from the beginning in Christ, and therefore, are entrusted to each other. We, as children of God, need to recognise ourselves as fellow creatures. We need to praise and respect God, and at the same time love, respect, care for and learn from God’s gift of creation. More than being a common home, Creation is also a cosmic family that calls us to act responsibly in the manifestation of God’s kin-dom of justice.
So where do we find the hope that enables us to ‘act with Creation’, especially when it seems that we are just a few small voices calling into a much larger cacophony? Our hope comes through the God-one Jesus, who has already overcome all things for us.
Yes, there is a lot of pain on Earth because of our shortcomings – the structural and ecological abuses of individuals and corporations have caused a lot of damage to Creation. Sometimes we have been ignorant, but many times it has been our unrelating wish to satisfy selfish dreams that leads to the exploitation of our Earth and those who live within it. Yet we can hope in a better future and act for it because our shortcomings have already been overcome.
We also have hope because we know that our cries are heard and answered. Just as Jesus had compassion on the crowd who were lost, God has compassion on all that suffer and cry out. God hears and acts to put things right, and invites us to be part of that action.
A phrase commonly attributed to Saint Augustine says that: ‘Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” As we witness the cries and sufferings of the Earth and all creatures, may holy anger move us towards the courage to be hopeful and active for justice. This hope is not merely optimism, but trust that our action makes sense even if we don’t see the immediate results. Sometimes we don’t know what our actions should look like, but we should trust the whispers of the Spirit that calls us to action.
So may we listen, and act, and live into being the good caretakers and stewards of creation that God intended us to be – for all of God’s children and all of God’s world. Even when it seems impossible or futile, even when it means we’re putting ourselves out there. May this be our call: not just being satisfied with the present, but living into the future promised by God. For this, all of creation cries out.
Amen.
We Sing: “Touch the earth lightly” – (TiS 668)
Touch the earth lightly, use the earth gently,
nourish the life of the world in our care:
gift of great wonder, ours to surrender,
trust for the children tomorrow will bear.
We who endanger, who create hunger,
agents of death for all creatures that live,
we who would foster clouds of disaster,
God of our planet, forestall and forgive!
Let there be greening, birth from the burning,
water that blesses and air that is sweet,
health in God’s garden, hope in God’s children,
regeneration that peace will complete.
God of all living, God of all loving,
God of the seedling, the snow and the sun,
teach us, deflect us, Christ re-connect us,
using us gently and making us one.
Prayer for Others (adapted by Peta Lowe):
This morning, on the first day of the Season of Creation, I would like to share a prayer adapted from ‘A Prayer for World Environment Day 2023’ by Adam Gowen, an Aboriginal Christian Leader. I will then add some brief prayers for Father’s Day.
Let us pray:
Eternal Creator, we first give you thanks.
Thanks for the beauty, and complexity of the world, the natural home you have crafted.
We thankfully express our gratitude for the way that your world provides for our needs; our need for shelter, for nourishment, for beauty, for connection.
We are sorry for when we have taken these interconnected and intricate systems for granted. When we have greedily used more than what these systems can replenish.
We are conscious of the need for us, as humans, to reduce our consumption and prioritise our relational connection, over our habit to merely transact. This tendency has become true of the way we relate to you, with our world and with each other.
We ask for your forgiveness and for the guidance of your Spirit, to lead us into a better way.
A way that honours you and your plan for creation. A way that humbly and soberly accepts our position as both creatures within your creation and ones created in your image: creative, intelligent and powerful.
Help us to use these attributes to seek relationality and mutuality, knowing our place and our capacity. We seek community and communion with you, with this beautiful world, and with each other.
We eagerly anticipate the assistance of your Holy Spirit to minister in us, through us, and in the sacred work of reconciliation.
We can confidently ask for these things and seek your blessing through Jesus, the firstborn of all creation, our resurrected redeemer. Amen.
And let us continue to pray:
We pray for our world.
Wherever there is conflict, we pray for your peace.
Wherever there is disease or injury, we pray for your healing.
Wherever there is suffering or distress, we pray for your comfort.
Wherever there is hunger and need, we pray for food and helping hands guided by you.
We pray for the church.
Strengthen and guide your church to work for your justice and peace.
Father God, on this Father’s Day, we pray for all fathers.
We give you our thanks for all the good fathers we have known.
We hold before you fathers who struggle to provide for their families, and all fathers who are facing challenges.
We remember those who longed to be fathers but did not have the opportunity.
We think of all those people who had to grow up without a father in their lives,
those who grieve today,
and anyone who finds Father’s Day a difficult day.
We pray for ourselves, our families, friends and congregation.
Guide our thoughts, our words and our actions that we might please you, and build up one another in faith and love.
In Jesus name, Amen.
Communion:
The Peace
The peace of God be with you and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
They are lifted up in sacred celebration.
Let us give thanks.
It is right and good to offer thanks.
Prayer
Holy is this cosmos,
whirling, expanding, living, dying,
yearning for abundance and freedom,
imperfect holiness, reaching for a promise of wholeness,
yet always, already a perfect reflection of Spirit.
We come to this table, awe-struck creatures,
conscious that as we take a small move to the bread and cup,
the whole cosmos – gathered up in us –
journeys with us and in us into the heart and mind of Christ.
We come to this table of Christ,
the One who was in the beginning with you as sacred creative principle,
and the One who is now the love that fills the Cosmos.
We join in with all creation singing:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of love and light,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
On the night of Jesus betrayal and arrest, as he shared a meal with his friends,
Jesus took bread; gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his followers, saying:
“Share this bread among you; this is my body which will be broken for justice.
Do this to remember me.”
When supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to his disciples, saying:
“Share this wine among you; this is my blood which will be shed for liberation.
Do this to remember me.”
Invocation
Creating, Redeeming, Sustaining God, let your Spirit come upon your people gathered here.
Spirit of compassion, bless us and this bread and wine.
May this meal be food and drink for our journey –
renewing, sustaining and making us whole.
When we eat and drink may we experience again
the presence of the risen Jesus in our midst.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
Distribution
The bread we take is a sharing in the body of Christ.
The wine we take is a sharing in the blood of Christ.
These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
The bread of life – the cup of hope.
May this meal nourish and refresh you, strengthen and renew you,
may it remind you that you are loved.
Amen.
(eat and drink)
Prayer
God of love, we give you thanks for satisfying us with this meal.
Send us from here to walk gently on the Earth and reveal your love to all creation.
Inspire us to use our words to point others to the Word.
Inspire in us the resolve and the courage, the compassion and passion
to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with you.
Amen.
We Sing: “Sent forth by God’s blessing” – (TiS 531)
Sent forth by God’s blessing,
our true faith confessing,
the people of God from
this table take leave.
The supper is ended:
may now be extended
the fruits of his service
in all who believe.
The seed of God’s teaching, our hungry souls reaching,
shall blossom in action for all humankind.
His grace shall incite us, his love shall unite us
to work for his kingdom, his purpose to find.
With praise and thanksgiving to God ever-living
the tasks of our everyday life we will face,
Our faith ever sharing, in love ever caring,
embracing as neighbours all those of each race.
One feast that has fed us, one light that has led us,
unite us as one in his life that we share.
Then may all the living, with praise and thanksgiving,
give honour to Christ and his name that we bear.
Blessing:
May God who can set Creation free,
show us God’s glory.
May God who knows our groaning and crying,
bring about new life.
May God who helps us in our weakness,
give us the firstfruits of hope.
And the blessing of the Triune God,
who sprinkles our hearts with the dew of Grace
be with you always.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. I have also utilised the following resources: Season of Creation Celebration Guide and Seasons of the Spirit. A Child’s Garden: a story of hope written by Michael Foreman.