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.
Welcome
Last week we reflected on forests and hidden growth.
Today we turn our attention to the land beneath our feet, exploring how God teaches us to live with enough, to rest, to share, and to trust.
Thank you to all those who shared photos with me for our Seasons of Creation Project. Too many to include all others but will include in upcoming services.
Acknowledgement of Country (Video)
Welcome
God loves and accepts us just as we are.
Engadine Uniting is a safe and welcoming place for all people to gather, regardless of age, ability, sexuality or culture. We gather today to seek the heart of God, to find joy in God’s presence, joy in God’s beautiful creation and to celebrate our belonging to one another.
Again as we continue through this Season of Creation, we are reminded that we are part of the beautiful, interconnected web of life that God has made and loves.
Know that you are loved – that you belong here, and that your presence enriches each one of us and our worship together – here in this place, those on Zoom, and those watching later online.
Christ Candle
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 we be people who carry it into the world.
Call to Worship
Come, people formed from dust and breath.
We come to remember the ground beneath our feet.
Come, children of earth and sky.
We come with gratitude for the land that sustains us.
We come with your grief for what has been wounded.
We come with hope for what may yet be restored.
We come and worship God whose love reaches to the ends of the earth.
We come to listen, that we might learn to tend what has been entrusted to us.
Opening Prayer
God of mountains and riverbeds, of volcanic soil and coastal dunes, you formed us from dust and placed us upon the earth not as conquerors but as caretakers. Teach us to walk gently, to take only what we need, and leave room for those who come after us.
Where land has been exhausted, teach us restoration. Where communities have been displaced, teach us care and justice. Where despair threatens to overwhelm, teach us hope that is rooted in action. Amen.
SONG – God Walks with us in Shimmering Heat – Leigh Newton
Verse 1
God walks with us in shimmering heat
And thundering skies of grey
In nature’s wildest alchemy
And stone of regal majesty
Such glory on display
Such glory on display
Verse 3
God hovers ‘round this captured rock
And all the universe
Yet Christ comes here to show God’s face
To make the holy common-place
To let God’s voice be heard
To let God’s voice be heard
Verse 6
6 Come Jesus walk with us each day
Forgive our blinkered ways
Bring hope when storms assail the land
Turn hearts and hands to work your plan
Inspire us all our days
Let love lead all our ways
Congregational Activity – Season of Creation Tree – “Something in creation that brings me joy.”
Song: My Jesus, My Saviour
Prayer of Confession
Gentle God, we come before you just as we are, carrying what is known and what is hidden. Hold us close, and help us set down what does not belong to us. When we have taken more than our share, or treated your creation carelessly, give us courage to see clearly and respond with love. You meet us not with condemnation, but with love. Restore what is weary within us.
Teach us to make amends where we can, to walk more gently upon the earth, and to trust that your grace is always larger than us. Ground us again in your love, and lead us in the way of healing, justice and peace. Amen.
Introduction to the Readings
Today’s readings invite us to reflect on God’s provision, care for creation, and call to trust.
In Exodus, God provides manna in the wilderness and teaches the people to gather only what they need.
In Leviticus, God establishes rhythms of rest and renewal through the Sabbath year and Jubilee.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus encourages us not to be consumed by anxiety, but to trust in God’s loving care and seek first God’s kingdom.
Exodus 16:4-5, 13-21
Leviticus 25:1-4, 8-12
Matthew 6:25-34
Sermon: John McK
Song: Have Faith in God
Offering: Loving God, as we bring our gifts today, we remember that every harvest begins in soil and every future begins with hope. Receive these offerings and use them for healing, justice and renewal. Amend
Prayers of the People & The Lord’s Prayer (Jan)
Song: Joyful, Joyful
Blessing:
Go now as people of dust and breath.
May God who formed humanity from the earth
give you humility.
May Christ, who entered the ground and rose again,
give you hope.
May Spirit, who renews the face of the earth,
give you courage for the work ahead.
Go in peace to tend, restore,
and leave the ground better than you found it.
Amen.
Song: Shalom
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