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Care of Creation Sunday
April 19, 2023
April 23, 2023 | Care of Creation Sunday
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Prelude
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives,” (DUKE STREET), Setting by Wilbur Held
Call to Worship
The heavens declare the glory of God.
The firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world and those who live in it.
Come, let us worship God!
Hymn #15, “All Creatures of Our God and King”
1. All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
O brother sun with golden beam,
O sister moon with silver gleam,
sing praises! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
2. O brother wind with clouds and rain,
you nurture gifts of fruit and grain.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
O sister water, flowing clear,
make music for your Lord to hear.
Sing praises! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
3. O brother fire, so warm and bright,
chase off the shadows of the night.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Dear mother earth, who day by day
unfolds such blessings on our way,
sing praises! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
4. All who for love of God forgive,
all who in pain or sorrow grieve,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Christ bears your burdens and your fears;
so, even in the midst of tears,
sing praises! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
5. And you, most gentle sister death,
waiting to hush our final breath:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Since Christ our light has pierced your gloom,
fair is the night that leads us home.
Sing praises! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
6. O sisters, brothers, take your part,
and worship God with humble heart.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
All creatures, bless the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit, Three in One!
Sing praises! Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Prayer of Adoration
Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession
Giver of life, in the midst of a plundered earth we groan with creation:
Have mercy on us.
Giver of life, in the midst of poisoned water we groan with creation:
Have mercy on us.
Giver of life, in the midst of polluted air we groan with creation:
Have mercy on us.
Giver of life, in the midst of mountains of waste we groan with creation:
Have mercy on us.
Giver of life, forgive us and make us agents of healing for the good for your creation, through Jesus Christ our Lord we pray.
(Silent prayer)
Assurance of pardon
In the water of baptism, God pours out mercy and blessing. Know that you are forgiven, and be at peace as you share that blessing with others and care for this good earth, that all creation may declare God’s glory, and offer songs of thanksgiving. Amen.
Hymn 37, “Let All Things Now Living”
1. Let all things now living
a song of thanksgiving
to God our Creator triumphantly raise;
who fashioned and made us,
protected and stayed us,
by guiding us on to the end of our days.
God’s banners are o’er us;
pure light goes before us,
a pillar of fire shining forth in the night:
till shadows have vanished,
all fearfulness banished,
as forward we travel from light into light.
2. By law God enforces,
the stars in their courses,
the sun in its orbit obediently shine;
the hills and the mountains,
the rivers and fountains,
the depths of the ocean proclaim God divine.
We too should be voicing
our love and rejoicing;
with glad adoration, a song let us raise,
till all things now living
unite in thanksgiving:
to God in the highest, hosanna and praise!
Passing of the peace
Welcome
Thank you for joining us for worship! Explore the calendar of events and recent announcements to take another step into our life together this week. If you’re joining us for the first time or would like to learn more about Catonsville Presbyterian, you’re welcome to share your email with us. We’ll send some information that will help you get connected.
Award of Envision Grants
Children’s Message
Prayer for Illumination
Gracious God, your Word is a living word.
By your Spirit awaken us, that we may see
and hear your presence in the world and in the scripture that we read today.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Scripture, story, and song
Psalm 104:1-9
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 set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
Reflection: Ron Gunderson
Hymn #680
1. Soft rains of spring flow through the fields;
earth awakes and greets a new year.
Deep within the soil of our hearts
seeds of love begin to take root.
Summer brings floods, tempest and storm;
sun breaks forth; birds tend their young.
Then the day of harvest will come,
when we gather all that God gives.
2. Tender young shoots, green in the sun,
glisten with the beauty of spring.
God will watch and care for each one,
bring the growth and strength to bear fruit,
speaking the word, quenching their thirst,
hearing their prayer, feeding their souls.
God will love and care for each one,
till the bright day harvest will come.
3. Our hearts are filled: God gives us grace;
overflowing we give our praise.
We come humbly bringing our thanks,
bring our hearts and offer them back.
Our harvest here on God’s rich earth,
all is a gift God freely makes.
Lord and Savior, we sing your praise,
thank and bless you all of our days.
Psalm 104:10-23
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.
The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. In them the birds build their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. You make darkness, and it is night, when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in their dens. People go out to their work and to their labor until the evening.
Reflection: Jenny Hutton
Hymn #20, verses 1 and 2
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
1. Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colors;
God made their tiny wings.
(Refrain)
2. The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset, and the morning
that brightens up the sky:
(Refrain)
Psalm 104:24-30
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.
These all look to you
to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
and you renew the face of the ground.
Reflection: Betsy Hall
Hymn #20, verses 3 and 4
Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.
3. The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
God made them every one.
(Refrain)
4. 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)
Psalm 104:31-35
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 set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight. They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
Reflection: Laurie White
Call to Offering
Freely we have received, Jesus said, so let us freely give.
Let us return to God the offerings of our life and the gifts of the earth
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Offertory: “For the Beauty of the Earth,” Arr. John Rutter
For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.
For the beauty of each hour, of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars of light:
Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.
For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth, and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild:
Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.
For each perfect gift of thine to our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine, flow’rs of earth and buds of heav’n:
Lord of all, to thee we raise this our joyful hymn of praise.
Response: Hymn #36, “For the Fruit of All Creation”
1. For the fruit of all creation,
thanks be to God.
For the gifts to every nation,
thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping,
silent growth while we are sleeping,
future needs in earth’s safekeeping,
thanks be to God.
2. In the just reward of labor,
God’s will be done.
In the help we give our neighbor,
God’s will be done.
In our worldwide task of caring
for the hungry and despairing,
in the harvests we are sharing,
God’s will be done.
3. For the harvests of the Spirit,
thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit,
thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us,
for the truths that still confound us,
most of all that love has found us,
thanks be to God.
Prayer of Dedication
Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things.
Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts:
our selves, our time, our possessions, and this planet.
Use us, and what we have gathered
in caring for your world with love;
through the one who gave himself for us,
Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.
Prayers of the People and the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power
and the glory, forever. Amen.
Hymn #22, “God of the Sparrow”
1. God of the sparrow
God of the whale
God of the swirling stars
How does the creature say Awe
How does the creature say Praise
2. God of the earthquake
God of the storm
God of the trumpet blast
How does the creature cry Woe
How does the creature cry Save
3. God of the rainbow
God of the cross
God of the empty grave
How does the creature say Grace
How does the creature say Thanks
4. God of the hungry
God of the sick
God of the prodigal
How does the creature say Care
How does the creature say Life
5. God of the neighbor
God of the foe
God of the pruning hook
How does the creature say Love
How does the creature say Peace
6. God of the ages
God near at hand
God of the loving heart
How do your children say Joy
How do your children say Home
Benediction (Responsive)
Go and join the song of creation, singing out in praise to God.
Go and join the cries of creation, yearning for healing.
Go and work for the healing and wholeness of all the earth.
May it be so!
Postlude
Plein jeu, from the Second Suite by Louis-Nicolas Clérembault
Participants
- Dorothy Boulton, Associate Pastor
- Keith & Kathy Glennan, video production
- Wendy Johnston, Organist and Assistant Director of Music
- Greg Knauf, Director of Music
- Kenneth E. Kovacs, Pastor
- Vickie Lord, social media support
- Dottie Marshall, sanctuary set up
- Ron Gunderson, Jenny Hutton, Betsy Hall, Laurie White, speakers
Sources
- Book of Common Worship (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018).
- Glory to God: The Presbyterian Hymnal (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013).
- Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-734388; CCLI Copyright License B 20481088 + Streaming License B 481071