Suggested service order for a time of prayer
This service order includes components from the Celebration Guide of the Season of Creation, a document crafted by an ecumenical group. The complete celebration guide can be accessed at this link
You should feel free to adapt the music according to your local situation, as well as the arrangement of the space for the prayer.
Greeting – A Four Direction Prayer
Let us turn our hearts to the West
From there the Thunders bring us cleansing rain
Creator God, heal us and our relatives
Let us turn our hearts to the North
Winter comes to us from there and calls us to rest
Creator God, restore our strength
Let us turn our hearts to the East
The morning Sun begins each day there
Creator God awaken us and help us to walk with a renewed life
Let us turn our hearts to the South
Where the warm winds come from to give us comfort and joy
Creator God soothe our aching souls
Let us turn our hearts to the Sky
From there our Creator sees all around us
Creator God help us to trust you to lead us
Let us turn our hearts to the Earth
From there quiet wisdom comes to teach us
Creator God hear us as we pray
(Adapted from Diocese of Western North Carolina – Anglican Indigenous Ministries)
Song 1: “Let justice roll down”
Psalm 85
You, Lord, showed favor to your land;
you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people
and covered all their sins.
You set aside all your wrath
and turned from your fierce anger.
Restore us again, God our Savior,
and put away your displeasure toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever?
Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
Will you not revive us again,
that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your unfailing love, Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
I will listen to what God the Lord says;
he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants—
but let them not turn to folly.
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,
that his glory may dwell in our land.
Love and faithfulness meet together;
righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps.
Bible reading
Exodus 18 :19-22
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
Song 2 “Louvor Amazônico”
Silence
Prayers of Intercession
Creator and Redeemer, as we approach you in prayer, make us walk in beauty and balance.
Make us open our hearts and minds. Make us speak the truth. We pray for your community, the Church, the Body of Christ. We pray for all our relatives in the circle of life throughout all Creation, forthose chosen to be our leaders and teachers.
In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.
We call upon the Earth, our planet home, with its beautiful depths, soaring heights and deep waters, its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask:
That it may teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the mountains and deserts, the high green valleys and meadows filled with wild flowers, the snows, the summits of intense silence, and we ask:
That they may teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, the fertile fields, the abundant gardens and orchards, and we ask:
That they may teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with earth in their roots and the heavens in their branches, the fir and the pine and the cedar and we ask:
That they may teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the seas, our brothers and sisters the wolves and deer, the eagle and dove, the great whales and the dolphin. We ask:
That they may teach us and show us the way.
We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, our ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built, and with thanksgiving, we call upon them too …
That they may teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the nations of the world to hear the cry of those who have suffered loss of homes, lives and hope because of climate change. May they hear the cry of those whose schools, churches, hospitals, roads and infrastructure have been damaged. We pray for justice and for peace:
That they may teach us and show us the way.
We pray for all victims of war and violence. We pray for countries where the greed for oil and gas are leading to war. We hold in our hearts those areas where fossil fuel projects have destabilised communities and human rights abuses have occurred. We pray for areas where climate change
has led to drought and conflict over water and resources is taking place. May we respond to the cry of the Earth and those living in poverty, as peacemakers who challenge the violence that threatens us all. We ask:
That they may teach us and show us the way.
Creator, you made the world and declared it to be good: the beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass speaks to us; the summit of the mountains, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the lakes speak to us; the faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrops on the flower speak to us. But above all, our heart soars, for you speak to us in Jesus the Christ, in whose name we offer these prayers.
Amen.
(Adapted from Prayers of the People, the Church of the Four Winds, Portland Oregan.)
Prayer of conclusion: The Lord’s prayer
To watch and reflect on
The Letter, tells the story of a journey to Rome of frontline leaders to discuss the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ with Pope Francis. The exclusive dialogue with the Pope, included in the film, offers a revealing insight into the personal history of Pope Francis and stories never seen since he became the Bishop of Rome.
https://www.theletterfilm.org/watch/
Bible reflection on Exodus 14: 19-22
The following Bible reflection is part of a series of meditations for the Season of Creation offered by an ecumenical group on the website preachingforgodsworld.org. Additional Bible reflections for the various Sundays of September are accessible here: https://preachingforgodsworld.org/category/2022-2023/
In the eyes of the Lord, there is a oneness of all of creation’s participation when His purposes are accomplished. Creation participated in the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Both the Red Sea and the Jordan rolled back for them. Creation celebrated when the Israelites were finally freed from bondage in Egypt. Creation is part, not apart from us.
In this passage we see nature as an actor in the story of salvation – first of all the pillar of cloud moves to hide the fleeing Hebrew slaves from the army of Egypt. Then as Moses holds out his arm over the sea the Lord drives back the sea with a strong east wind. The cloud, the wind and the waters save the people of Israel from the Egyptian oppressors. Nachmanides a leading mediaeval Jewish scholar wrote that God made the sea parting appear less like a miracle and more like a ‘natural occurrence’ by using the wind, so that the Egyptians would be enticed into the sea.
A recent computer modelling study by researchers at the US National Center for Atmospheric Research shows how the movement of wind as described in Exodus could have parted the waters. There is a bend where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon. A strong wind, blowing hard all night could have pushed water into the two waterways, opening up a land bridge on the bend, and allowing people to walk across the mud flats to safety. As soon as the wind stopped blowing, the waters would have rushed back in.
Poignantly, these researchers were actually investigating how Pacific ocean typhoons can drive storm surges, with sudden increases in water levels causing severe destruction on land. Increasingly strong typhoons (known as hurricanes in other parts of the world) are a result of human caused climate change. Warmer ocean temperatures super charge typhoons. As the Earth’s atmosphere warms, so does the surface temperature of the ocean. When the ocean is warmer, it increases the rate of evaporation, leading to the formation of more water vapor in the atmosphere. This additional moisture acts as fuel for typhoons, contributing to their strength and the potential for heavy rainfall
Although this Exodus story tells us of the salvation of the Hebrew nation it is also a tale of destruction – an army of young men and horses drowning, a blow to the nation, its economy and political leadership. As hurricanes increase in frequency and intensity, so does the damage to infrastructure and loss of life and livelihoods increase.
In Exodus 18 :31 it is said: When Israel saw the wondrous power that the Lord had wielded against the Egyptians, they feared the Lord. The people of Israel found faith when they saw the might of the Lord. We often look for miracles before we believe in God, and yet we only need to look at the wonders for God’s creation to believe: “Lift high your eyes and see: who created these?” (Isaiah 40:26)
Questions for a time of sharing
- “Lift high your eyes and see: who created these?” (Isaiah 40:26) Can you remember a time when the beauty of the world seemed to you as a sign of God’s presence?
- Creation is part, not apart from us. How do you connect with creation in your daily life, or how would you like to do so?
- How can our Christian communities initiate a dialogue of awareness about the climate crisis?
Art-based Activity : The human-centred collage
The subsequent group activity is one of the suggestions from the “Art Facilitation Guide for Churches,” created by Christian Aid. The full guide is available here: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/resources/get-involved/art-facilitation-guide-churches
Artist instruction:
‘We often centre the human subject or even further; ourselves. Could we expand or shift this viewpoint? Make a collage using printouts of your own photos or found images. Start with the human (perhaps an image of yourself or perhaps another representation) but then expand. Grow the collage outward so that the human, who was so central, becomes one element within a far larger, more complex composition. Perhaps you could make folds in your collage, closing it in, to again isolate the human. The viewer might then unfold the work, shifting their view. A digital collage could be similarly created. Instead of unfolding, perspective could shift with a zooming out.‘
Supplies needed:
Paper, glue, images, scissors, pens
Instructions to participants:
Use cut out images to make a collage. Start by putting an image of yourself or something that represents you in the middle. Add images that represent different things to the collage that you feel connected to. These might be things in nature that you feel connected to like the trees in the forest, or they might be communities of people in far-away places that help you see yourselves and the world differently. Once the collage is complete explore by folding and framing the collage to shift the focusing and centre on different perspectives.
