Bulletin

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APRIL 27 ORDER OF WORSHIP

PRELUDE
“Be Still, My Soul”
by Jean Sibelius, Arr. Cindy Berry

WELCOME

CALL TO WORSHIP *                                             
One: What is Creation Justice?
All: Doing "creation justice" means protecting, restoring, and rightly sharing God's creation. 
One: We seek justice for all of God's creation, including the human beings who live in it. 
All: Our approach to creation justice is informed by respect and love for our Creator. 
One: We draw on the rich heritage of Christian scriptures and traditions.
All: they call us not only to till and keep the Earth, but also to act for racial, economic, and environmental justice.
One: Let us worship the God of creation and justice. 

OPENING SONG *
“For the Beauty of the Earth” (#14)
For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies:

Refrain: Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light: [Refrain]

For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind’s delight,
for the mystic harmony
linking sense to sound and sight: [Refrain]

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild: [Refrain]

For thyself, best gift divine
to the world so freely given;
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth and joy in heaven: [Refrain]

CALL TO CONFESSION *

PRAYER OF CONFESSION *
One: Living God, you call us to be good stewards of this earthly home, strengthen us to care for your creation. 
All: Forgive us when, through our greed and indifference we abuse its beauty and damage its potential.
One: Forgive us, for we too have contributed to damaging the earth’s climate, its resources, its animals and plants.
All: Help us to realize how fragile and unstable our surroundings are, because we are not looking after creation. 
One: Help us to recommit to the Christian vocation of responsible stewardship of God’s creation.
All: Empower us, through your Spirit to so nurture and love the world, that all creation sings to your glory.

WORDS OF FORGIVENESS *
One: God has not abandoned God’s creation; God’s faithfulness and love endure forever.
All: This world is not an abstract, cold, empty place, but a place living and breathing God's presence and love.
One: We are completely surrounded by God's handiwork; it is the home God has made for us and for all creatures who share it with us. We are called to live out lives of service and faith amidst this company of creation—a place of marvelous grace. Jesus died and rose again so that for all who live in him there is a new creation. Friend’s believe the good news of the gospel. You are loved, you are forgiven, you are made new.  Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Christ is risen!
All: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

GLORIA *
Glory to God, whose goodness shines on me,
and to the Son, whose grace has pardoned me,
and to the Spirit, whose love has set me free.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
World without end, without end. Amen.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Amen.

PASSING THE PEACE *

OFFERING

DOXOLOGY
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

CHILDREN’S TIME

SONG
“Welcome”
Let’s walk together for a while and ask where we begin
to build a world where love can grow and hope can enter in
to be the hands of healing and to plant the seed of peace,

Singing welcome, welcome to this place!
You’re invited to come and know God’s grace.
All are welcome, the love of God to share
‘Cause all of us are welcome here.
All are welcome in this place.

Let’s talk together of a time when we will share a feast,
where pride and power kneel to serve the lonely and the least,
and joy will set the table as we join our hands to pray,

 Singing welcome, welcome to this place!
You’re invited to come and know God’s grace.
All are welcome, the love of God to share
‘Cause all of us are welcome here.
All are welcome in this place.

SCRIPTURE (Genesis 1:26–31; Isaiah 24:4-6)

SERMON

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
One: God of Creation and Lord of Life, you entrusted us to care for our environment, but in many parts of the world we have failed. 
All: We need to be true stewards and to understand how the most insignificant little flowers, and the tiniest insects, each creature and individual people are all part of a wondrous whole.  
One: And so we lift those who have been harmed up to you. We hold brothers and sisters who suffer from storms and droughts intensified by climate change.
All: We hold all species that suffer.
One: We hold world leaders delegated to make decisions for life.
All: We pray that the web of life may be mended through courageous actions to limit carbon emissions.
One: We pray for right actions for adaptation and mitigation to help our already suffering earth community.
All: We pray that love and wisdom might inspire my actions and our actions as communities 
One: so that we may, with integrity, look into the eyes of brothers and sisters and all beings 
All: and truthfully say, we are doing our part to care for them and the future of the children.  May love transform us and our world with new steps toward life. 
One: We pray all these things in an environmental responsive version of the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, saying, “Our Father who art in heaven
All: You are also at home in the air, soil, forests, and oceans
One:  Hallowed be your name
All: By the care we take of your creation
One:  Your kingdom come
All: All that you see is good
One: Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven
All: Your will to till and care
One: Give us this day our daily bread
All: That all may have sufficient to live life in fullness
One: Forgive us our trespasses
All: Our greed, our exploitation, our lack of concern for other species and for future generations
One: As we forgive those who trespass against us
All:  By reconciliation with justice and peace
One: Lead us not into temptation
All: The temptation to equate dominion with exploitation
One: And deliver us from evil
All: The evil of destroying your gift of creation
One: For yours is the kingdom
All: Yours, Lord, not ours
One: The power and the glory
All:  In the cross and resurrection
One: For ever and ever”
All: You are the beginning and you are the end. Amen.  (So be it)

CLOSING SONG
“All Things Bright and Beautiful” (#20)
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors;
God made their tiny wings. [Refrain]

The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky: [Refrain]

The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them every one. [Refrain]

God gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God Almighty,
who has made all things well. [Refrain]

CLOSING MESSAGE *
One: Joining with all creation we celebrate
All: Christ has Risen, Christ has risen indeed!
One: May the God who established the dance of creation
All: who marveled at the lilies of the field
One: who transformed chaos to order,
All: who raised his son from dead,
One: lead us to transform our lives
All: to protect, restore, and rightly share  
One: that God’s glory might reflect in all creation. 

POSTLUDE
“God Will Take Care of You”
by Walter S. Martin, Arr. Cindy Berry

*Rise in body or spirit