Caring for Creation
Dear friends, Grace and peace be with you.
These days of COVID 19 are difficult … many are feeling very isolated …
Now I don’t want to try to paper over the reality of how many of us are feeling … but at least we are in the season of Spring … with signs of new life all around us.
If you are like me and suffer from hay fever there can be some negatives about all the pollen in the air … but wow isn’t it amazing to see what a few weeks ago was a bare branch suddenly now covered in bright blossom.
Today we celebrate God’s gift of creation and we will be showcasing some of the ways that local people are going about caring for it.
By the way next week .. September 26th … given it is close to the feast day of St Francis of Assisi … we will be giving thanks to God for the blessing of animals. And we are inviting you to send us pictures of animals that have been a blessing to you. Simply email your pictures to linda.salamy@stlukesuca.org.au and let us know that you’re happy for these to be used in the video and on social media.
Opening Prayer
The prayers for today’s service are adapted from resources on the Church of Scotland website.
Holy Creator God,
Whose knowledge is too wonderful for us,
Who created the world and all that it contains,
Who knows each blade of grass and hair upon our head,
We are grateful for the part we play in Your vision for creation
And we offer You praise for Your infinite love for us and our world.
Merciful God,
we confess that we think we know what is best.
We go our own way instead of Yours.
We fill our needs before the needs of others.
Forgive us for relying on our own wisdom instead of Yours.
Forgive us for the ways in which we place ourselves at the centre of Your creation
instead of part of it.
Amend what we are,
direct what we shall be,
so that we may delight in Your wisdom
and walk in Your ways,
To the glory of Your holy name.
We pray all of this in your name,
One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
September 19th | The Church of Scotland
Introduction to the reading
Listen now, to some selected verses from a wonderful Psalm which celebrates the creative activity of God, Psalm 104.
The Psalm is quite long and so I would encourage you to get out your Bibles and read it in its entirety. There are so many wonderful images in this Psalm.
What is clear from this Psalm is that the creative activity of God lies behind all the wonders of the world around us.
Francis Collins is currently the head of the National Institute of Health in the USA and has a key role in that country’s response to COVID-19.
Collins is a Christian, actually a member of the United Methodist Church. In a recent interview he spoke humbly about the role of a scientist.
“You get a chance once in a while as a scientist, to discover something that no human knew before, but God knew it. … It’s a little glimpse of God’s mind. In a way that’s what science is doing. It’s glimpsing God’s mind and being in awe of it.” [1]
Psalm 104: 1-4, 10-15, 24-26, 33.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind,
you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.
You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills,
giving drink to every wild animal;
the wild asses quench their thirst.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
and bread to strengthen the human heart.
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
Prayers of intercession
God of heaven and earth,
through Jesus Christ You promise to hear us when we pray to You in His name.
Confident in Your love and mercy
we offer our prayer.
Empower the church throughout the world in its life and witness.
Guide the rulers of the nations.
Inspire them to strive for peace and justice,
that all Your children may dwell secure,
free of war and injustice.
May the world’s poor and suffering have their rightful share of food, medical care, and shelter,
and so have the necessities of a life of dignity.
Give us respect and profound care for all you have created, so your whole creation may resound in an anthem of praise to Your glorious name.
Sustain and comfort all you suffer … all who need your healing touch.
Make the sick whole,
Give hope to the dying
Comfort those who mourn
Uphold all who suffer in body or mind,
not only those we know and love
but also those known only to You,
that they may know the peace and joy of Your supporting care.
O God,
in Your loving purpose
answer our prayers and fulfil our hopes.
In all things for which we pray,
give us the will to seek to bring them about,
for the sake of Jesus Christ Amen.
September 19th | The Church of Scotland
The Lord’s Prayer
Thanks to Michelle
Today we want to recognise and thank Michelle Walker for many things … but particularly given our theme … her amazing leadership as part of the St Luke’s environment group and the Repair Café. You can read more about this in a story featured in Humans in Geelong:
Blessings Michelle as you return to Queensland – it was great to have you in the neighbourhood!
Word of mission
Go forth into the world in peace;
be of good courage;
hold fast that which is good;
render to no one evil for evil;
strengthen the faint-hearted;
support the weak;
help the afflicted;
honour all people;
love and serve the Lord,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious unto you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace. Amen.
Unless otherwise stated prayers are either by the author or based on resources from Uniting in Worship 2 © Uniting Church Press, Sydney, 2005. And images are from Wikimedia Commons and are in the public domain.
[1] “Francis Collins: Science ‘a glimpse of God’s mind, ’From Faith and leadership, Publication of Duke Divinity School, 30/8/2021 https://faithandleadership.com/francis-collins-science-glimpse-gods-mind?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Read%20more&utm_campaign=fl_newsletter
[2] Joint Statement on the Environment.pdf (archbishopofcanterbury.org)
