For Sunday, October
16, 2016, 2nd Sunday in the Season of Creation***, Readings: Daniel
3:74-81 [New American Bible], Psalm 8*, Chief Seattle**, Luke 18:1-8
Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt God above all forever! [Daniel 3:74 New American Bible]
Lord, our God, the whole world tells the greatness of your name.
Your glory reaches beyond the stars.
Even the babble of infants declares your strength,
your power to halt the enemy and avenger.
I see your handiwork in the heavens:
The moon and the stars you set in place. [Psalm 8, Liturgy Training Publications, see below]
The air is very precious to us, the air shares its spirit with all the life it support. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the children of earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. [Chief Seattle, see below]
And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?...And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" [Luke 18:6-7, 8]
On this Second Sunday in the Season of Creation***, we take time to celebrate Mother Earth, our temporal home. There is plenty to be concerned about in the life of our fragile island home, but today is about joy, and blessing, and exultation. Tomorrow let us return and be as persistent as the widow in the parable of the unjust judge seeking restoration, refreshment, and renewal for our planet. In the parable, a widow, poor and the lowest of the low, keeps bothering the judge seeking a resolution to her claim, continually coming and wearing him out until he finally concedes and gives her the settlement that she wants. Let us now breathe deeply and extol the virtue of this beautiful country of earth, revel in God's handiwork and marvel in the magnificence of this habitation. Then we shall return to the work of faith, seeking justice for the Earth, the Universe, and all that lives therein.
The air is very precious to us, the air shares its spirit with all the life it support. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the children of earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. [Chief Seattle, see below]
And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night?...And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" [Luke 18:6-7, 8]
On this Second Sunday in the Season of Creation***, we take time to celebrate Mother Earth, our temporal home. There is plenty to be concerned about in the life of our fragile island home, but today is about joy, and blessing, and exultation. Tomorrow let us return and be as persistent as the widow in the parable of the unjust judge seeking restoration, refreshment, and renewal for our planet. In the parable, a widow, poor and the lowest of the low, keeps bothering the judge seeking a resolution to her claim, continually coming and wearing him out until he finally concedes and gives her the settlement that she wants. Let us now breathe deeply and extol the virtue of this beautiful country of earth, revel in God's handiwork and marvel in the magnificence of this habitation. Then we shall return to the work of faith, seeking justice for the Earth, the Universe, and all that lives therein.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE,
PRAY
Leader: ~ Lord God, Constant Creator, renew our wonder
and restore our ability to marvel at the scope of Your handiwork in the heavens
and on the Earth. Refresh our willingness to conserve, rather than expend, our
planet’s resources, and the wisdom to protect all of her inhabitants – animal,
vegetable, and mineral.
O
God, our God
RESPONSE: We
praise and exalt You forever
~
Lord God, Constant Creator, awaken awareness of our individual and communal responsibility
to be the persistent conscience for the leaders of this world, our nation, and
our community, in the preservation and enhancement of Your sacred realm for all
generations to come. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
God, our God
We praise and exalt You forever
~ Lord God, Constant Creator, grant healing and
hope to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and revive the energy and
dedication of all who serve their needs. We
now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
O
God, our God
We praise and exalt You forever
~
Lord God, Constant Creator, Your holy wind gives first breath to our loved ones
and receives their last earthly sigh. We take divine comfort in Your heavenly and
eternal welcome for all whose footsteps on this earth and in our hearts will
never disappear. We pray especially for:
O
God, our God
We praise and exalt You forever
~
Lord God, Constant Creator, we pause
in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, aloud
or silently…
O
God, our God
We praise and exalt You forever
~
Lord God, Constant Creator, enrich the souls of all who bring us to Your Word
and Sacraments, and enfold their hearts in Your peace. We pray especially for:
O
God, our God
We praise and exalt You forever
The Celebrant adds: Holy God, Master
of all Creation, today we celebrate
the glory of our temporal Home. Tomorrow, help us to participate in its
regeneration and its progress for the benefit of this web of life that is
precious to all. We ask through Jesus, Son of Man, and the Holy Spirit, the
Breath of Life, who together with You are One God, above all, forever and ever.
Amen.
* Psalm 8
Lord, our God, the whole world tells the greatness of your name.
Your glory reaches beyond the
stars.
Even the babble of infants
declares your strength,
your power to halt the enemy
and avenger.
I see your handiwork in the
heavens:
The moon and the stars you set
in place.
What is humankind that you
remember them,
the human race that you care
for them?
You treat them like gods,
dressing them in glory and splendor.
You give them charge of the
earth, laying all at their feet: cattle and sheep, wild beasts,
birds of the sky, fish of the
sea,
every swimming creature.
Lord our God, the whole world
tells the greatness of your name.
From The Psalter: A faithful and inclusive rendering,
Liturgy Training Publications (International Committee on English in the
Liturgy, Inc.), 1994.
**A READING FROM CHIEF SEATTLE
Every part of this earth is
sacred to my people. Every shiny pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in
the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory
and experience of my people. We know the sap which courses through the trees as
we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and
it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer, the
great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the juices in the
meadow, the body heat of the pony, and humanity, all belong to the same family.
The rivers are our brother. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and
feed our children. So you must give to the rivers the kindness you would give
to any brother. The air is very precious to us, the air shares its spirit with
all the life it support. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath
also receives his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of
life. Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the
earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the children of earth.
This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All
things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web
of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to
himself. One thing we know: our God is also your god. The earth is precious to
god and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. Continue to
contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your waste. Excerpts from a speech to the President of the United
States, attributed to Chief Seattle, Duwamish Tribe, 1855
***for more information on the Season of Creation and the Earth Charter see: http://prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com/2016/10/prayers-of-people-very-beginning-1st.html
Requests for prayers or meditations for this space or private use may be sent to Leeosophy@gmail.com. All compositions remain the property of the owner of this blog but may be used with attribution as long as they are not sold or charged for in any way.
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