Prayers of the People, New Beginnings, 1st Sunday of Season of Creation

October 12, 2014, Readings: Gen 1:1-31, Ps 100, Hildegarde of Bingen*, John 1: 1-18

Welcome to the 

Season of Creation!

Our inspiration this week comes from the work of Professor Wangari Maathai,** 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, who implores us to re-read Genesis, 'the book for environmentalists...If we had been created on Tuesday,' she said, 'There would have been nowhere for us to stand! God, with infinite wisdom, waited until the last day!' 

 

         The Season of Creation originated in the Anglican Church of South Africa in 2008 and is designed for us to explore our faith from a Creation perspective. We are to realize our place in the order of God’s creating and to see and act upon the need to care for our entire life-support system - the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil in which we grow our crops - not merely humanity, but our total environment, as it pertains to ALL life. 

         From the early days of the Season of Creation at SsAM [www.ssam.org], we established that “the primary aim of the events of the season is to enable adults and youth to celebrate and experience the inextricable link which binds together the destinies of all of God’s creatures.” It is a moment of pause to remind ourselves that God calls us to see “what great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions” and for us to renew our commitment to making real the biblical vision of the earth at unity with itself. It is a vision of human beings of all races, backgrounds and walks of life in local communities and among the nations of the earth, living together in love and peace with justice for all. "As disciples of Christ, we are called through our Baptismal Covenant, to be instruments for the healing of our broken world," and with a renewed commitment to personal and communal prayer and action.

         We will use Biblical and other readings that pertain to the specific theme of each of the 6 weeks. Alternate readings used will follow the prayers on this page.



Week One's Theme is:  New Beginnings



LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY

Leader:  ~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, we, Your not-always-humble creatures, often need reminding of the wisdom of Your order of creating. Help us to be more consciously aware of our place as stewards, not only of all forms of life, but also of the environment that supports us all.

                               Holy and Almighty LORD, You are the Ground of our Being

RESPONSE:    Let us enter Your presence with joy and serve You always with gladness of heart

                                             

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, we must proclaim the Good of all Creation to those who make our political decisions for this Earth, for our country, and for all villages, towns, and cities. Let our stewardship require protections and ethical standards for the safety and health of eco-systems and livestock, wild birds and tigers, water sources and humanity, for current and future generations. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                         Holy and Almighty LORD, You are the Ground of our Being

                        Let us enter Your presence with joy and serve You always with gladness of heart

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, shine Your light into the shadows of those suffering through illness, emotional trials, and uncertain times. Let the Word of comfort they hear bring them, and those who love them, peace and rest. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Holy and Almighty LORD, You are the Ground of our Being

                        Let us enter Your presence with joy and serve You always with gladness of heart

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, please bring those who mourn, from the long night of grief, into the daylight of Your grace upon grace.  Receive those we love into the fullness of Christ who is the very expression of Your love for us all. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Holy and Almighty LORD, You are the Ground of our Being

                        Let us enter Your presence with joy and serve You always with gladness of heart

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, we pause in this moment to offer You our other heartfelt intentions and petitions, silently or aloud…

                        Holy and Almighty Lord, You are the Ground of our Being

                        Let us enter Your presence with joy and serve You always with gladness of heart

~ God of The Beginning, the Now, and the Always, refresh and excite those who are called as Stewards of Your Church so that they may bring the Word that is Christ, and the words that are of Christ, to inspire us to live in Christ through our every word and every action. We pray especially for: add your own petitions

                        Holy and Almighty Lord, You are the Ground of our Being

                        Let us enter Your presence with joy and serve You always with gladness of heart

The Celebrant adds: Holy God, Divine Architect of All Life, You proclaimed all of Your work to be Good, In the Beginning. Let our work in Your Creation be as songs of praise with delight and thanksgiving. We give glory to Jesus, the incarnate Word, and to the Holy Spirit, the vital Spark, who together with You, reign as One God throughout all time and the unknown expanse of the Heavens, the Earth and the Universe.  Amen.


* Second Reading, Hildegarde of Bingen:

Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of earths’s greenings. Now, think, What delight God gives to humankind with all these things. All nature is at the disposal of humankind. We are to work with it. For without it we cannot survive...The fire has its flame and praises God. The wind blows the flame and praises God. In the voice we hear the word which praises God. And the word, when heard, praises God. So all of creation is a song of praise to God. 

**Professor Wangari Maathai [1940-2011], a Kenyan environmental and political activist, Member of Parliament as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources, was educated in the United States and in Kenya. In 2004, she was the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She was honored for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace".

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