You can watch some parts of the service in this video here (mostly bible readings and the message) or scroll down and read the prayers and songs in the order they happened.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Dharawal people, the first inhabitants of this place. We honour First Peoples’ deep care for Creation, recognising that this is not an easy task especially in the hard harsh times. What many may see as empty or lifeless in fact holds much life. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and to all who continue to uphold culture and care for Country today.
As we light our Christ candle we remember Christ’s light that shines through creation
God is the light of the world, shining in even in the darkest places Reminding us that God’s love is for all, all creatures and all creation. May be people who carry it into the world.
Opening Prayer
Creator God, you saw all you had made And called it good.
Teach us to see as you do: Every star a treasure; every weed a masterpiece.
God of wilderness and rain, when earth is dry, when hope feels distant, when grief feels heavier than prayer,
help us to remain present. Help us to listen to creation’s cries,
to resist easy answers, to trust that your Spirit prays and moves with us.
teach us to touch the earth as you do: Gently, bringing life. Amen.
SONG – God the Maker of the Heavens
God, the maker of the heavens, and the planet that we share, show us how to live, like Jesus, lives of gratitude and care.
Make us mindful of the footprints from the lives that we pursue. Make us partners in your mission: you are making all things new.
God, the gardener of Eden, teach us how to tend this earth, learning from the changing seasons, times of fallow and new birth.
Lord, have mercy when we’re careless, rich resources we misuse. Use our hands to heal creation: you are making all things new.
God of labour and vocation, Lord of science, trade and art, take our efforts and our passions make them mirrors of your heart.
Every habitat and creature loved and valued, God, by you. May our lives reveal your Kingdom:
you are making all things new.
CCL# 7126825 © Sam Hargreaves / Resound Worship
Prayer of Lament and Confession
Creator God, in this season of creation we lament what we have done to the earth, our home. We lament that we have not listened to the wisdom of those who know this land best, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We lament that we’ve done little when there is much to do and often feel overwhelmed by the undoing of your good world that you’ve given to all your creatures to enjoy.
We look around and we are troubled, but we bring this world before you; its peoples, its creatures, its waters, air, and soils – we bring them to you in prayer.
Creator God, we confess that we often look away from suffering– human suffering, animals, birds and plants suffering, the suffering of earth. Remove that which keeps the harsh realities of life at an arm’s length from our hearts.
(Silence is held)
Forgive us for our belief that someone else will solve what belongs to all of us. Forgive us when we choose comfort over compassion and ease over empathy.
(Silence is held)
Open our eyes and our hearts to see your world. Amen.
Words of Grace
Hear the good news:
The Spirit groans with us. God has not abandoned us or creation to suffer alone. Christ has walked the wilderness before us, and resurrection has already begun its quiet work. Hope remains.
Thanks be to God.
Uniting Climate Action Network: As part of Seasons of Creation Uniting Climate is calling the Uniting Church to raise our voices to call on the Australian Government to be bold in their leadership on the World Stage during COP31 the yearly United Nations Climate Talks. As a church, we are invited to pray for the people carrying responsibility for climate decisions.
Australia will play an important role in the United Nations climate talks, working in partnership with the Pacific to host the Pre-COP meeting. UCAN is asking congregations to pray for the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, and for all those carrying responsibility in this year’s talks. After the service, you are invited to write a short prayer. You might pray for wisdom and courage for our leaders, for Pacific communities, for workers and communities experiencing change or for creation.
After writing the prayers, we will post our prayers to the Minister as an expression of support and encouragement. Another coordinated action is an invitation to support the global multifaith call for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. Judy is going to tell us a bit more about this.
SONG – All Creatures Lament
All creatures of our God and King Lift up your voices let them ring Fill the earth with lamentation
Cry out abuses of our pow’r Tell what we lose with every hour To our greed and depredation
Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have mercy
All creatures winging in the air Cry out the failures of our care Fill the sky with lamentation
Shout through the clouds of smoke and ash Choked with the fumes of poison gas Tell us of our degradation
Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have mercy
All creatures hidden in the seas Lift up your anguished prayers and pleas Fill the sea with lamentation
Teach us to see your wonders now Help us to make a holy vow Here to halt your devastation
Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have mercy
All creatures dwelling on the land Join as we lift each heart and hand Fill the world with lamentation
Mourn the destruction of our home Weep with the fear of worse to come Hear the groans of all creation
Lord have mercy Christ have mercy Lord have mercy
Isaac Wardell, Kate Bluett, Paul Zach CCLI Song #7198055 CCLI License #31951
BIBLE READINGS
Joel 1:8-10 and 17-20
Cry, you people, like a young woman who mourns the death
of the man she was going to marry.
9 There is no grain or wine to offer in the Temple;
the priests mourn because they have no offerings for the Lord.
10 The fields are bare;
the ground mourns
because the grain is destroyed,
the grapes are dried up,
and the olive trees are withered.
17 The seeds die in the dry earth.
There is no grain to be stored,
and so the empty granaries are in ruins.
18 The cattle are bellowing in distress
because there is no pasture for them;
the flocks of sheep also suffer.
19 I cry out to you, Lord,
because the pastures and trees are dried up,
as though a fire had burned them.
20 Even the wild animals cry out to you
because the streams have become dry.
Mark 1:1-15 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b] 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”[c]—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”[d]
4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[g] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
Leaf activity – Kathy
The prophet Joel speaks of a sad time for creation. Seeds have shrivelled because of a lack of rain. Animals wander in the paddocks looking for food. Fire has swept across the land.
We know what it is like to have these experiences sometimes. We experience or hear about droughts, floods, crops failing, and bushfires. What can we do with the hard feelings these experiences might bring? Joel encourages us to lament. Lament means we share with God how we are honestly feeling about the sad things happening
Take a moment:
🌿 What is something about creation that makes you feel sad?
🌍 If you could express one lament for the earth what would it be?
Reflection – Kathy
Offering
As we bring these gifts, we remember that all generosity begins in creation:
rain that falls on the just and unjust, soil that nourishes wheat and weeds, sunlight that feeds, and communities that sustain one another.
Receive what we offer today and use it for the flourishing of people and places, for justice and restoration, and for the healing of your world. Amen
Prayers for Others; Lord’s Prayer
SONG: God of Creation – Craig Mitchell
God of creation Gentle life-giver
Present at birth, and all through our days
Author of sunrise Song in the night sky
Here in this place, we offer our praise.
Jesus, Companion teacher and healer
friend of the grieving, suffering, the poor
Stand with your people. whisper among us
promise of mercy goodness for all.
Spirit of Comfort blow through Creation
stir up new life, breathe peace through our world.
Healer of hearts, and hope for tomorrow.
weave all our sorrows into new dawn
Here we give thanks for life in its fullness
blessings received your gifts to us all
Make us a people filled with compassion.
selflessly giving serving your world
Craig Mitchell, 2010 May be used in worship with acknowledgement
Blessing/Benediction
Go now into the wilderness places of the world and of your own lives. May the God who hears creation’s groaning give you compassion. May Christ who walked the wilderness before you give you courage. May the Spirit who intercedes with sighs too deep for words, give you hope strong enough to endure and tender enough to love this world well.
We go in peace, to listen deeply, to grieve honestly, and to join God’s work of renewal. Amen.
Blessing Song ‘For you deep stillness’
For you, deep stillness of the silent inland
For you, deep blue of the desert skies
For you, flame red of the rocks and stones
For you, sweet water from hidden springs.
From the edges seek the heartlands and when you’re burnt by the journey may the cool winds of the hovering Spirit soothe and replenish you. In the name of Christ, In the name of Christ.
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