‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎Creation 2: September 14, 2025

Prelude – Sounds from Nature

Opening Hymn

Opening Acclamation

Blessed be our God, Creator of the galaxy, solar system, planet Earth, and us!
And blessed be God’s creation, now and always. Amen!

O heavenly Creator, who has filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your wild and artful hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your creation, we may learn to serve you with passion and joy; for the sake of the Christ-force through whom all things were and are made. Amen.

Song of Praise

The Collect of the Day

May our God be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

O God, because in our ignorance and selfishness we so often fail to care rightly for your Creation, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may soften and unite our hearts with all living beings who suffer; through Jesus Christ the Wisdom of Creation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.

The Ministry of the Word

Exodus 14: 19-31

The angel of God that had been leading the camp of Israel now shifted and got behind them. And the Pillar of Cloud that had been in front also shifted to the rear. The Cloud was now between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. The Cloud enshrouded one camp in darkness and flooded the other with light. The two camps didn’t come near each other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and God, with a terrific east wind all night long, made the sea go back. He made the sea dry ground. The seawaters split.

The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground with the waters a wall to the right and to the left. The Egyptians came after them in full pursuit, every horse and chariot and driver of Pharaoh racing into the middle of the sea. It was now the morning watch. God looked down from the Pillar of Fire and Cloud on the Egyptian army and threw them into a panic. He clogged the wheels of their chariots; they were stuck in the mud.

The Egyptians said, “Run from Israel! God is fighting on their side and against Egypt!”

God said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea and the waters will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots, over their horsemen.”

Moses stretched his hand out over the sea: As the day broke and the Egyptians were running, the sea returned to its place as before. God dumped the Egyptians in the middle of the sea. The waters returned, drowning the chariots and riders of Pharaoh’s army that had chased after Israel into the sea. Not one of them survived.

But the Israelites walked right through the middle of the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall to the right and to the left. God delivered Israel that day from the oppression of the Egyptians. And Israel looked at the Egyptian dead, washed up on the shore of the sea, and realized the tremendous power that God brought against the Egyptians. The people were in reverent awe before God and trusted in God and his servant Moses.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 114

After Israel left Egypt,
    the clan of Jacob left those barbarians behind;
Judah became holy land for him,
    Israel the place of holy rule.
Sea took one look and ran the other way;
    River Jordan turned around and ran off.
The mountains turned playful and skipped like rams,
    the hills frolicked like spring lambs.
What’s wrong with you, Sea, that you ran away?
    and you, River Jordan, that you turned and ran off?
And mountains, why did you skip like rams?
    and you, hills, frolic like spring lambs?
Tremble, Earth! You’re in the Lord’s presence!
    in the presence of Jacob’s God.
He turned the rock into a pool of cool water,
    turned flint into fresh spring water.

Romans 14:1-12

Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don’t see things the way you do. And don’t jump all over them every time they do or say something you don’t agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.

For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ’s table, wouldn’t it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn’t eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God’s welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.

Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.

What’s important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God’s sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you’re a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It’s God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.

So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:

“As I live and breathe,” God says,
“every knee will bow before me;
Every tongue will tell the honest truth
that I and only I am God.”

So mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

A Contemporary Reading

Author Terry tempest Williams, from Red: Passion and Patience in the Desert

The eyes of the future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.

They are kneeling with hands clasped that we might act with restraint, that we might leave room for the life that is destined to come.

To protect what is wild is to protect what is gentle.

Perhaps the wildness we fear is the pause between our own heartbeats, the silent space that says we live only by grace. Wilderness lives by this same grace. Wild mercy is in our hands.

Words from the World. Let’s listen up!

Matthew 18: 21-35

At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?”

Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.

“The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn’t pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.

“The poor wretch threw himself at the king’s feet and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.

“The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, ‘Pay up. Now!’

“The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, ‘Give me a chance and I’ll pay it all back.’ But he wouldn’t do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.

“The king summoned the man and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn’t you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?’ The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that’s exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn’t forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy.”

The Gospel of Jesus. Praise to you, O Christ!

The Sermon

An Environmental Creed

Let us recite a creed, an affirmation of our faith:

We believe that the world belongs to God, Creator, Sustainer and Redeemer, who in mercy has revealed God’s own self in the universe and in Jesus Christ.

We believe that God the Creator sustains and loves all creatures, that each human being is a unique member of the community of life on Earth and has a responsibility to care for life in all its forms. We believe God wants us to live in a way that preserves Earth’s natural life processes and respects all species and their habitats.

We believe that God wills that all creatures have the right to a healthy environment and access to the fruits of the earth. We believe we have a duty to work to make these rights a reality for present and future generations, and for all life. As we follow Christ, we realize that we are trapped in structures that spread injustice, violence, waste, and destruction. We also believe that Christ’s truth, and our hard work, will set the world free.

We believe in the Holy Spirit who can empower us beyond the paralyzing idea that we do not matter. The Spirit energizes us to persevere so that justice can be done, peace established, the Earth defended.

May we be empowered to do so. Amen.

The Prayers of the People

The Leader and People pray responsively. During the silence after each bidding, the people offer their own prayers, either silently or aloud.

As we gather in the Season of Creation, let us pray for all communities of faith everywhere, the world, and all of God’s creation.

Creator, you made the world beautiful and sustain it with your love. We pray for the Earth and all its creatures. Help us to care for the land, water, and air, and to live in harmony with all living things.