Sept. 28, 2025 - Creation 4 - Episcopal Church of Our Saviour

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.

God of Word and Light, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of all creatures above and below. Mercifully grant that, as the disciples were granted to see Christ on earth, our eyes would be opened to the spiritual reality all around us today; through Jesus the Wisdom of Creation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

The Ministry of the Word

Genesis 28: 10-17

Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. He came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set. He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep. And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and going down on it.

Then God was right before him, saying, “I am God, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. I’m giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they’ll stretch from west to east and from north to south. All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants. Yes. I’ll stay with you, I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground. I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you.”

Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, “God is in this place—truly. And I didn’t even know it!” He was terrified. He whispered in awe, “Whoa. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s House. This is the Gate of Heaven.”

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 103

O my soul, bless God.
From head to toe, I’ll bless his holy name!
O my soul, bless God,
don’t forget a single blessing!

God forgives your sins—every one.
God heals your diseases—every one.
God redeems you from hell—saves your life!
God crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.

God wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
God renews your youth—you’re always young in his presence.

God makes everything come out right;
    God puts victims back on their feet.
God showed Moses how he went about his work,
    opened up his plans to all Israel.
God is sheer mercy and grace;
    not easily angered, and rich in love.
God doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,
    nor hold grudges forever.
God doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
    nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
    so strong is God’s love to those who fear her.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
    God has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
    God feels for those who fear her.
God knows us inside and out,
    keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.
Men and women don’t live very long;
    like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,
But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
    leaving nothing to show they were here.
God’s love, though, is ever and always,
    eternally present to all who fear her,
Making everything right for them and their children
    as they follow God’s Covenant ways
    and remember to do whatever she said.

God has set her throne in heaven;
    God rules over us all. God’s in charge!
So bless God, you angels,
    ready and able to fly at her bidding,
    quick to hear and do what he says.
Bless God, all you armies of angels,
    alert to respond to whatever she wills.
Bless God, all creatures, wherever you are—
    everything and everyone made by God.

Revelation 22: 1-5

Then the Angel showed me Water-of-Life River, crystal bright. It flowed from the Throne of God and the Lamb, right down the middle of the street. The Tree of Life was planted on each side of the River, producing twelve kinds of fruit, a ripe fruit each month. The leaves of the Tree are for healing the nations. Never again will anything be cursed. The Throne of God and of the Lamb is at the center. His servants will offer God service—worshiping, they’ll look on his face, their foreheads mirroring God. Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. And they will rule with him age after age after age.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

A Contemporary Reading

Brianna Fruean, 22-year-old Samoan-New Zealand climate activist

“When I was a little girl I was taught the importance and power of words. In my culture in Samoa there is a proverb that goes ‘E pala ma’a ae le pala upu’, it means that even stones decay, but words remain.

As you meet at the United Nations and as your countries set your policies, please remember how your words, your text can change everything, how each word you use is weighted. How switching one word or number decides existence for others.

1/2 of a degree means hundreds of millions of people. It makes the difference of whether my country, my home, will survive.

In your words you wield the weapons that could save us, or sell us out.

I don’t need to remind you of the reality of vulnerable communities. If you are here today you know what climate change is doing to us. You don’t need my pain or my tears to know that we are in a crisis.

The real question is, whether you have the political will to do the right thing, to wield the right words, and to follow it up with long overdue action.

If you’re looking for inspiration on this, look no further than the climate leadership of young Pacific people. We are not just victims to this crisis, we have been resilient beacons of hope. We are the Pacific Climate Warriors! Pacific youth have rallied around the cry: “We are not drowning, we are fighting.”

Words from the World. Let’s listen up!

Matthew 21:33-46

“Here’s another story. Listen closely. There was once a man, a wealthy farmer, who planted a vineyard. He fenced it, dug a winepress, put up a watchtower, then turned it over to the farmhands and went off on a trip. When it was time to harvest the grapes, he sent his servants back to collect his profits.

“The farmhands grabbed the first servant and beat him up. The next one they murdered. They threw stones at the third but he got away. The owner tried again, sending more servants. They got the same treatment. The owner was at the end of his rope. He decided to send his son. ‘Surely,’ he thought, ‘they will respect my son.’

“But when the farmhands saw the son arrive, they rubbed their hands in greed. ‘This is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all for ourselves.’ They grabbed him, threw him out, and killed him.

“Now, when the owner of the vineyard arrives home from his trip, what do you think he will do to the farmhands?”

“He’ll kill them—a rotten bunch, and good riddance,” they answered. “Then he’ll assign the vineyard to farmhands who will hand over the profits when it’s time.”

Jesus said, “Right—and you can read it for yourselves in your Bibles:

The stone the masons threw out
is now the cornerstone.
This is God’s work;
we rub our eyes, we can hardly believe it!

“This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life. Whoever stumbles on this Stone gets shattered; whoever the Stone falls on gets smashed.”

When the religious leaders heard this story, they knew it was aimed at them. They wanted to arrest Jesus and put him in jail, but, intimidated by public opinion, they held back. Most people held him to be a prophet of God.

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.