This bulletin includes the order of service as well as the readings for The Season of Creation. The items in italics are for congregational response.
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.
A Collect for the Season of Creation
Almighty Creator,
we thank you for the beauty and abundance of the earth.
Give us grace to cherish your creation,
strength to work for climate justice,
and hope to hand on a flourishing world
to generations yet to come;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
Amen.
The Ministry of the Word
Isaiah 40: 21-28
Have you not been paying attention?
Have you not been listening?
Haven’t you heard these stories all your life?
Don’t you understand the foundation of all things?
God sits high above the round ball of earth.
The people look like mere ants.
He stretches out the skies like a canvas—
yes, like a tent canvas to live under.
He ignores what all the princes say and do.
The rulers of the earth count for nothing.
Princes and rulers don’t amount to much.
Like seeds barely rooted, just sprouted,
They shrivel when God blows on them.
Like flecks of chaff, they’re gone with the wind.
“So—who is like me?
Who holds a candle to me?” says The Holy.
Look at the night skies:
Who do you think made all this?
Who marches this army of stars out each night,
counts them off, calls each by name
—so magnificent! so powerful!—
and never overlooks a single one?
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 136
Thank God! He deserves your thanks.
God’s love never quits.
Thank the God of all gods,
God’s love never quits..
Thank the Lord of all lords.
God’s love never quits.
Thank the miracle-working God,
God’s love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos,
God’s love never quits.
The God who laid out earth on ocean foundations,
God’s love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light,
God’s love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day,
God’s love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians of the night,
God’s love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time of need.
God’ love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all!
God’s love never quits!
Revelation 22: 1-5
A reading from the Book of Revelation.
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
UN Secretary General António Guterres at the World Economic Forum (Davos, January 2025)
Our fossil fuel addiction is a Frankenstein monster, sparing nothing and no-one. … We just endured the hottest year and the hottest decade in history. … A number of financial institutions and industries are backtracking on climate commitments. … I say to them: You are on the wrong side of history. You are on the wrong side of science. … This warning certainly also applies to the fossil fuel industry and advertising, lobbying and PR companies who are aiding, abetting and greenwashing. Global heating is racing forward — we cannot afford to move backward.
Words from the World. Let’s listen up!
John 3: 16-17
This is how much God loved the world.
God gave his Son, his beloved Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.
God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was.
He came to help. To put the world right again
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.
We believe you can help us, God.
We pray for those who suffer the effects of climate change: those facing extreme weather, rising seas, and loss of their homes and livelihoods. Empower us to work for climate justice and protect those who are most vulnerable.
We believe you can help us, God.
We pray for leaders and governments around the world. Give them wisdom and courage and push them to get their acts together to make decisions that honor your creation and protect the Earth for future generations.
We believe you can help us, God.
We pray for the Church, that we may be a beacon of hope and a voice for justice in the world. Help us to live out our calling to care for creation in all that we do.
We believe you can help us, God.
We pray for ourselves, that we may be mindful of our impact on the Earth and strive to live more sustainably. Give us the strength to become publicly active in a way that honors your creation.
We believe you can help us, God.
We pray for those we love, human and beyond human. For family and friends, pets, and plants, for all who suffer from illness, those on the prayer list, those hurt by pollution, greed and violence. For those suffering from hurricanes, fires, floods and all weather events due to climate change. Heal them all, relieve their suffering. Renew your image in everything that exists. We pray for those we name now, silently or aloud.
People name family or friends, animals or places for which they want to offer a prayer.
We believe you can help us, God.
We pray for those who have died, for those family members and friends, for beloved pets, and for species lost to extinction. We remember them all, silently or aloud.
People name family or friends, animals or species for which they want to offer a prayer.
We believe you can console us, God.
Prayers Reader is now done, the Minister/Celebrant continues:
Creator, you made all things and called them good. Hear our prayers, and grant us the grace to work for the healing and renewal of the Earth. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession of Sin
Celebrant: God is love and we are God’s children. Love welcomes honesty as the path towards wholeness. Let us confess where we’re struggling and where we’ve gone wrong in open honesty, as a step towards being made new.
Christ, forgive my sins.
Forgive the sins that I can remember, and also the sins I have forgotten.
Forgive the wrong actions I have committed, and the right actions I have omitted.
Forgive the times I have been weak in the face of temptation, and those times when I have been stubborn in the face of correction.
Forgive the times I have failed to protect your creation, and those times I have failed to boast of your works.
Forgive my harsh judgments of others, and the leniency I have shown to myself.
Forgive the lies I have told to others, and the truths I have avoided.
Forgive me the pain I have caused others, and the indulgence I have shown to myself.
Have mercy on me, and make me whole.
Almighty God have mercy upon us, forgive us all your sins through our Savior Jesus Christ, strengthen your body, mind and spirit, and keep you close to the heart of God. Amen.
The Peace
Peace be in your thinking. Peace be in your hearts. Peace with creation. Peace with one another. The Peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Announcements and Offering
The Holy Communion
Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
During the Offertory, a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.
Doxology
(Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748), para. of Psalm 117; Music: Old 100th, melody from Pseaumes octante trois de David, 1551, alt.; harm. after Louis Bourgeois (1510?-1561?); Licensed for Use: CCLI Copyright License 20716203; CCLI Streaming License 20716210
Representatives of the congregation bring the people’s offerings of bread and wine, and money or other gifts, to the Altar. The people stand while the offerings are presented.
At the Presentation
All things come of you, O Lord;
And of your own have we given you.
Celebrant: God is with us.
People: God is present here.
Celebrant: Rejoice! Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift our hearts to the Creator of the Universe.
Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Holy One.
People: It is right to offer thanks and praise.
Celebrant: We praise you, God, Creator of this beautiful earth and this awe-inspiring universe. From atoms to galaxies you have created all. We are a strand in your creation, living in our strange and wonderful home, the open sky above, the stars and planets, and unfathomable galaxies beyond us. You have blessed us with a world of infinite variety and beauty, a land of mountains and meadows, oceans and deserts.
We praise you here in Secaucus where the Hackensack River expands through Meadowlands before meeting the Atlantic Ocean, home to eagles and egrets, coyotes and cattails, Snake Hill and Sam’s Club. We praise you knowing that the body of earth is broken again and again, and resolved to protect our island home.
We give thanks for our place in the story of salvation. Our ancestors journeyed with you in creation and migration. They depended on the land, were displaced from the land and displaced others from their lands. They knew you in tents and cities, on mountains and by wells, in families and in dreams, and through wilderness prophets who spoke of cedars and listened to ravens.
Together with angels and ancestors, with red winged blackbirds, crows, herring gulls, and horns on the New Jersey Turnpike, we join our voices with all creation in this ancient honor song:
The people join together in the Sanctus:
Holy, holy, holy God
Source of power, source of strength
Here and beyond are filled with Your Glory
We praise you in the highest!
Here and beyond are filled with Your Glory
We praise you in the highest.
We give thanks to you for Jesus, whose first bed was an animal’s feed trough. He was baptized in a river, tested in the wilderness, traveled in fishing boats and told parables of farmers and seeds, labor and wages, yeast and bread.
On the night before he died, Jesus took bread, food of the poor, the work of field and hearth. He gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his friends saying: Take and eat, this is my body, given for you, do this to remember me.
Again after supper he took the cup of wine, fruit of the land and the work of human hands, gave thanks and gave it to his friends saying: This is my blood, which is shed for you. When you do this, do it in memory of me.
Remembering Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and awaiting his coming kingdom, we offer you this bread and this cup.
Creator, send your Spirit on these gifts so that we know Jesus, the power at the heart of the universe, in them. Gather us together with everyone who shares this sacred meal of community and justice.
Fill us with Jesus’ courage and love, that we may strive for what is right, respect the dignity of every human being, and safeguard the integrity of creation.
Bring us with all your saints to your commonwealth of sparrow and lily, child and beggar, galaxy and black hole – a commonwealth suffused with your love which is both now and yet to come.
All honor and glory are yours, Creator, Christ, and Spirit, now and forever.
Amen.
An Ecological Lord’s Prayer
Our Creator, who art in all things,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy ecosystem of love come, thy will be done,
On Earth, as it is in the heavens.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our sins
As we forgive those who harm your creation.
Lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the destruction of our Earth.
For you create an extended kinship of love, filled with your power and glory,
Now and forever, here and everywhere.
Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
The gift of God for the people of God.
(AT THE COMMUNION: We encounter the Real Presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in this Sacrament of Holy Communion. All who desire a closer relationship with God are encouraged to come forward: for a Blessing or, if you are baptized, for the Bread and Wine.)
Post-Communion Prayer
Holy, gracious, and loving God, through the fruits of the Earth you have drawn us to your heart, nourishing us at your table with holy food and drink, the Body and Blood of Christ. Now send us forth to be your people in the world, to proclaim your truth, and to heal your precious planet. Amen.
Blessing
The blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all, be with you now and always. Amen.
Closing Hymn
Dismissal
Alleluia! Let us go forth in the name of Christ
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
Prayers and text for this service drawn from:
https://vivatdeus.org/library/prm0145/
https://newcreationliturgies.org/seasonofcreation/#_idTextAnchor019
https://www.staidan.org/documents/greenfaith/SA%20Eco-service%20(Rogation,%20St.%20Pat’s%20Creed,%20New%20Zealand)%205-29-11%20bulletin.pdf