Throughout the service, the people’s responses are in italics.
Announcements
Prelude
The people stand for the Processional Hymn.
Processional Hymn
Opening Acclamation & Collect for the Stewardship of Creation
Blessed be the One who creates all things.
The Holy One’s love is new every morning.
O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and remembering the account that we must give one day, grant that we may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Song of Praise – The Song of Judith
Dennis Davenport, Composer
Collect for the Day
The Creator be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may, for love of you, delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The people sit.
A Reading from Job
Do you know in what season the mountain goats give birth? Have you ever watched a red deer in labor? Do you know their gestation periods and their time of birth, when they crouch down to bring forth their young and get rid of their labor pains? Do you know how their young grow strong, how they thrive in the open, grow to maturity, then leave and never return?
Who freed the wild donkey, and removed the bridle from its head? I gave it the desert to roam in, and the salt flats to dwell in. It rejects the noisy city; it has no driver to give it orders. It ranges over mountains for a pasture, and seeks out green places. Is the wild ox willing to serve you, to spend its nights at your manger? Will it accept the harness for plowing, to plow the soil for you? Will you rely on its massive strength, or depend on it to do your heavy work? Will you trust it to return to its stall, and haul the grain to the threshing floor?
The wings of the ostrich flutter joyfully with elegant plumes and feathers. Yet it lays its eggs on open ground, to be warmed there in the sand, unmindful that a foot could smash them, or that a wild beast may trample them. It treats its young cruelly and virtually disowns them; it doesn’t care if all its labor was in vain. For God has deprived it of wisdom and given it no share of common sense. Yet, if challenged to a test of speed, it puts dust between the horse and its rider.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 121
The cantor will sing the antiphon once, and the congregation will repeat it. Cantor and congregation will sing the verses together, changing notes on the italicized words and switching between the A and B verses.
Antiphon.
[A] I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?
[B] My help comes from the Lord, *
the maker of heaven and earth.
Refrain.
[A] The Lord will not let your foot be moved *
and the One who watches over you will not fall a-sleep.
[B] Behold, the One who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep.
Refrain.
[A] The Lord, the Lord, watches over you; *
the Lord is your shade at your side,
[B] so that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.
Refrain.
[A] The Lord shall preserve you from all evil *
and shall keep you safe.
[B] The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, *
from this time forth for ever-more.
Refrain.
A Reading from The Art of the Commonplace by Wendell Berry
What is good for the world will be good for us. That requires that we make the effort to know the world and to learn what is good for it. We must learn to cooperate in its processes, and to yield to its limits. But even more important, we must learn to acknowledge that the creation is full of mystery; we will never entirely understand it. We must abandon arrogance and stand in awe. We must recover the sense of the majesty of creation, and the ability to be worshipful in its presence. For I do not doubt that it is only on the condition of humility and reverence before the world that our species will be able to remain in it.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
Canticles of the Creatures
By St. Francis of Assisi
Most high, all-powerful, all good, Lord
All praise is yours, all glory, all honor
And all blessing.
To you, alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy
To pronounce your name.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through all that you have made,
And first my lord Brother Sun,
Who brings the day; and light you give to us through him.
How beautiful is he, how radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Moon and Stars;
In the heavens you have made them, bright
And precious and fair.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
And fair and stormy, all the weather’s moods,
By which you cherish all that you have made.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
Through whom you brighten up the night.
How beautiful is he, how merry! Full of power and strength.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Earth, our Mother,
Who feeds us in her sovereignty and produces
Various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through those who grant pardon
For love of you; through those who endure
Sickness and trial.
Happy those who endure in peace,
By you, Most High, they will be crowned.
All praise be yours, my Lord, through Sister Death,
From whose embrace no mortal can escape.
How dreadful for those who die in sin!
How lovely for those found in Your Most Holy Will.
The second death can do them no harm.
Praise and bless my Lord, and give him thanks,
And serve him with great humility.
The people stand and sing.
Gospel Hymn
The Gospel
The Holy Gospel of Our Savior Jesus Christ According To Luke
Glory to You, O Christ.
The apostles said to Jesus, “Increase our faith!”
Jesus answered, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Uproot yourself and plant yourself in the sea,’ and it would obey you. If one of you had hired help plowing a field or herding sheep, and they came in from the fields, would you say to them, ‘Come and sit at my table?’ Wouldn’t you say instead, ‘Prepare my supper. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You can eat and drink afterward’? Would you be grateful to the workers who were just doing their job? It’s the same with you who hear me. When you have done all you have been commanded to do, say, ‘We are simple workers. We have done no more than our duty.’ ”
The Gospel of Our Savior.
Praise to you, O Christ.
The people sit for the Homily.
The Homily
Please stand and face the cross for the Affirmation of Faith, which comes from the Church of South India.
Affirmation of Faith
We believe in God, who creates all things, who embraces all things, who celebrates all things, who is present in every part of the fabric of creation. We believe in God as the source of all life, who baptizes this planet with living water. We believe in Jesus Christ, the suffering one, the poor one, the malnourished one, the climate refugee, who loves and cares for this world and who suffers with it. And we believe in Jesus Christ, the seed of life, who came to reconcile and renew this world and everything in it. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, who moves with God and who moves among and with us today. We believe in everlasting life in God. And we believe in the hope that one day God will put an end to death and all destructive forces.
Please stand or kneel for the Prayers of the People.
The Prayers of the People
Blessed God, whose love calls the whole creation into covenant with you, and who puts in our hands responsibility for the care of the earth and its creatures: we pray for all to whom you have given life and being, saying, “Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.”
For the well-being of the earth; for its resources of water, air, light, and soil, that they may be tended for the good of all creatures, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For the waters of the earth; for their careful use and conservation, that we may have the will and the ability to keep them clean and pure, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For the mineral and energy resources of the planet, that we may learn sustainable consumption and sound care of the environment from which they come, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For the animals of the earth, wild and domestic, large and very small, that they may know the harmony of relationship that sustains all life, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For the creatures of the earth who do us harm and those whose place in your creation we do not understand or welcome, that we may see them as beloved creatures of God, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For all who shape public policies affecting the planet and its creatures, that they may consider wisely the well-being of all who come after us, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For all those engaged in conservation, in agriculture and ranching, in aquaculture and fishing, in mining and industry, and in forestry and timber-harvesting, that the health, fruitfulness, and beauty of the natural world may be sustained alongside human activity, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For the creatures and the human beings of your world who are ill, or in danger, pain, or special need, and for all who suffer from the unjust, violent, or wasteful use of the earth’s resources or their devastation by war, that all may one day live in communities of justice and peace, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For the gifts of science and technology and for those who practice these skills, that they may be wise, visionary, and compassionate in their work, we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
For the creatures and the people of the earth whose lives and deaths have contributed to the fruitful abundance of this planet we pray:
Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.
We pray especially for…
We give special thanks for…
Celebrant: Author of creation, in wisdom you brought forth all that is to participate in your divine being and to change, adapt, and grow in freedom. You make holy the matter and energy of the universe that it may delight you and give you praise. We thank you for gathering all creation into your heart by the energy of your Spirit and bringing it through death to resurrection glory; through the One in whom all things have their being, Jesus Christ, your Wisdom and your Word. Amen.
Confession & Absolution
Let us confess our sins against God and God’s creation.
Holy and merciful God, we confess that we have failed to honor you by rightly claiming our kinship with all your creatures. We have walked heavily on your earth, overused and wasted its resources, taken for granted its beauty and abundance, and treated its inhabitants unjustly, holding future generations hostage to our greed. Have mercy on us and forgive us our sin. Renew in us the resolve to keep and conserve your earth as you desire and intend, with grateful and compassionate hearts, through your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Our Savior died and rose again so that for all who live in him there is a new creation. Therefore I declare to you: your sins are forgiven, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send out your Spirit, O Lord. Renew the hearts of your people. Renew the face of the earth. Amen.
Please stand for the peace.
The Peace
Peace with yourself. Peace with Creation. Peace with one another. The peace of Christ be always with you.
And also with you.
The Blessing of the Animals
Those who have brought animals to the service are invited to bring them or photos of them forward to the transept in front of the altar at this time.
Beloved God, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy. O God, you have made us and all living things. You are even more wonderful than what you have made. We thank you for giving us these pets who bring us joy. As you take care of us, so also we ask your help that we might take care of those who trust us to look after them. By doing this, we share in your own love for all creation. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The priest and deacon will bless the animals…
N., may you be blessed in the Name of God who created you.
and pray for their human companions…
May you be blessed in the Name God, the Creator, Redeemer and of the Sustainer. May you and your animals enjoy life together and find joy with the God who created you. Amen.
then the people and priest will say together…
Most high, almighty Lord, our Creator, yours are the praise, the glory, the honor and all blessings! To you alone do all things belong. We praise you for giving us the animals, birds and fish which fill your world. May we think of you and thank you when we play with and care for our pets. We praise you for making us so happy to have our pets and to have them to play with. We ask you, Lord, that we may be good to our pets always, so that they may be happy also. Help us always to take care of them so that they will be healthy. O God, your world is wonderful. May we all come into your even greater world of the kingdom of heaven where we shall see even more wonderful things and where we shall live and love for ever. This we ask to your eternal praise, and to our blessing. Amen.
Make Me a Channel of Your Peace
Text: St. Francis of Assisi. Music: Sebastian Temple, arranged by Tom Fettke.
Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me bring Your love
Where there is injury, Your pardon, Lord
And where there’s doubt, true faith in You
Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek
So much to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love with all my soul
Make me a channel of Your peace
Where there’s despair in life let me bring hope
Where there is darkness, only light
And where there’s sadness, ever joy
Make me a channel of Your peace
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
In giving to all men that we receive
And in dying that we’re born to eternal life
Doxology
As the offering plates are brought forward, we sing…
Praise God from whom all blessing flow, Praise God all creatures here below, Praise God above, ye heavenly hosts, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
The Holy Eucharist
Please stand.
The Lord be with you.
And with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is right in all times and in all places to thank and praise you Creator of all. We praise you here where the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers meet, where sycamores grow, mourning doves and bluejays make their nests, where human ingenuity and natural beauty are side by side. We praise you at a time when the body of earth is broken again and again.
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 gray squirrels and buckeye trees, with white tail deer and purple cornflowers, we join our voices with all creation in this ancient honor song:
We give thanks to you for Jesus, whose first bed was a feed trough. He was baptized in the Jordan, tested in the wilderness, he traveled in fishing boats and told parables of famers 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, 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 in them and are gathered together with everyone who shares this sacred meal of justice and community.
Fill us with the courage and love of Jesus, that we may strive for justice and peace, respect the dignity of every human being, and safeguard the integrity of creation.
Bring us with Saint Stephen and Saint Hilda and all your saints to your commonwealth of sparrow and lily, child and beggar which is both now and yet to come.
All honor and glory are yours, Creator, Christ, and Spirit, now and forever. AMEN.
As the Wisdom before Creation teaches us, we pray.
Holy One, our only Home, hallowed be your name. May your day dawn, your will be done, here as in heaven. Feed us today, and forgive us as we forgive each other. Do not forsake us at the test, but deliver us from evil. For the glory, the power, and the mercy are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
Fraction Anthem
Sung once by the celebrant or cantor and then repeated by the congregation.
The Celebrant offers the gifts to the people, saying
The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
The people are invited to come forward for communion.
Communion Hymn
Postcommunion Prayer
Holy One, you feed us with bread from heaven and the gifts of mother earth. In this communion, you have drawn us into your embrace and you call us to friendship with one another. You have given us the gift of reconciliation. May we, who have tasted that gift from you, offer ourselves in peace and humility to one another. And may you always walk among us as friend. Amen.
Blessing
Go forth now to care for God’s world. Use resources wisely. Share your knowledge. Sacrifice where necessary. Live in harmony with all creation. Go out into all the world as prophets of a new way of living and preach the good news to all. And the blessing of the Creator God, the Risen Son, and the Promised Holy Spirit bless you that you might be a blessing to others today and always. Amen.
Closing Hymn
Dismissal
Tend the earth, care for God’s good Creation; as you have received freely, so give freely. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!