Worship Suggestions

For your soul's sake, simplify your life.

This service in celebration of God's Creation is offered to congregations as a way to help with their planning of Earth Sunday or environmental Sabbath services. The theme of the 1999 service is "Sustainable Living"with a focus on consumerism. For Christians, the goal of living simply is not just consuming less or becoming less busy. It's using our time and resources so that God is glorified and that the rest of creation might simply live.

Plan early so that you can incorporate local elements into the service. Flowers and other greenery can be used to decorate the worship space. Plan to have children and youth assist in the service as much as possible. Some churches use this Sunday as a time to bless pets and animals of their members.

The Scripture selections suggested follow the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A for the Fourth Sunday in Easter. In 1999, This Sunday is on April 23. These scriptures lift up the basic Christian theme that Christians find their "abundant living" in God and Christ. Security comes from God, not from things.

Call to Worship
Gracious God, The whole each belongs to you and still you care for each of us even as you care for the sparrows and wild flowers. You have prepared such a wonderful place for us. Help us worship you in all that we do. Lead us to your wonderful places. Keep us from substituting an abundance of things for your abundance living. Keep us from confusing a busy life with a faithful life. Challenge us to make every act of worship another step toward following you. Amen

Hymn: "Spirit of the Living God"

Prayer of Thanksgiving
We praise and thank you, O God for you are with us always You are with us when we are hungry and cry out to you for food and justice; you are with us even when we use our wealth to pile up treasures instead of worshiping you. We thank you for sending us Jesus as the way out of a life of fear and greed. Keep us following the example of Jesus. Through Christ and the Holy Spirit, we learn to offer you all glory and honor. Amen.

Scripture: Acts 2:42-47 Psalms 23

Hymn: "Your Love, O God is Broad Like Beach and Meadow"

Children's Story
Even if your church does not normally have a children's story, this Sunday is a good day to have a children's story. Many children know the 23rd Psalms, but most have not explored the rich images of God leading us to lush natural places, protecting us from enemies, even making us meals in front of enemies. Explore the images of blessing with the children, explain that anointing with oil was a sign of blessing as is the image of a cup overflowing. This psalm makes clear that our blessings come from God, not our own creations.

Sermon

Response to the Word
"We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God's gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing the gifts to idolatrous ends. We affirms the natural world as God's handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind." -from United Methodist Church Social Creed.

Litany of Concerns
For the times when we fail to live simply
So others can simply live,
LORD, have mercy.
For the times we waste your precious gift of energy,
LORD, have mercy.
For all the times we forget the effects
Our actions have on the rest of creation,
LORD, have mercy.
For all the times we have been too
Busy to worship you,
LORD, have mercy.
For building bombs instead of loving communities,
LORD, have mercy.
For polluting the air, water, and land,
LORD, have mercy.
For not sharing the fruits of creation justly,
LORD, have mercy.
For not participating in the church's mission to help, heal, and
Defend your creation,
LORD, have mercy.

Assurance of Pardon
God, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, forgives us and will restore all of creation. We have been given another chance to live faithfully. We are able to become new creations. We can live a simpler, more faithful life. We can witness to and participate in God's redemption of creation. Amen.

Offering
In addition to monetary gifts, your congregation can use this time to offer ways in which they will change their lives to be more
ecologically responsible. One congregation uses a wooden cross and asks worshipers to nail their resolutions for change to the cross.
The result is a cross decorated with paper prayers. Another congregation uses a rock altar for this Sunday reminding worshipers of
the charge to the Israelites after the golden calf episode, i.e. that they were not to worship God with altars made of hewn stones (Exodus 20:25). They are not to worship their own creation in the form of golden or silver idols, but worship God. Other congregations use this as a time for offerings of letters to Congress on issues like global warming.

Hymn: "God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale" or "Cuando El Pobre" (When the Poor Ones)

Prayer: The Sufficiency of God
God, of your goodness give me yourself; for you are sufficient for me. I cannot properly ask anything less, to be worthy of you. If I were to ask less, I should always be in want. In you alone do I have all. Amen. -Juliana of Norwich, England 15th Century

Blessing:
The Earth is precious to god, and to harm the Earth is to heap contempt on its Creator. So love it...care for it...and with all your
mind, with all your heart, preserve it for your children and love as God loves us all. -Chief Seattle, 1855

These worship suggestions were prepared by Jaydee Hanson, Assistant General Secretary, Ministry of God's Creation, United Methodist Board of Church and Society.