BELLS CORNERS UNITED CHURCH

Third Sunday of EASTER – EARTH SUNDAY

April 18, 2021

The video recording of this service can be found here.
You can also dial-in by phone to listen to the audio recording at 613-820-8104

Gathering Music: All Things Bright and Beautiful - Voices United #291 – Music team

In memory of our parents (Rev. Lorrie and Neil Lowes)

Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful: in love, God made them all.

1. Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings,
God made their glowing colours, God made their tiny wings.

2. The purple-headed mountains, the river running by,
The sunset and the morning that brightens up the sky.

3. The cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden: God made them every one.

4. The rocky mountain splendour, the lone wolf’s haunting call,
The great lakes and the prairies, the forest in the fall.

5. God gave us eyes to see them, and lips that we might tell
How great is God our maker, who has made all things well.

Words 1848 Cecil Francis H. Alexander, alt. Music: Trad. English melody; adapt. 1915 by Martin Shaw
Song # 94233 Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-733214. All rights reserved

Welcome & Announcements Rev. Lorrie Lowes

Good Morning! On this Earth Sunday I welcome you to today’s service of worship from wherever you are on this amazing planet we call home. In the stories we share through song, scripture, reflection and prayer today, I hope you find whatever you need – inspiration, insight, connection, comfort or hope. We are so happy that you are joining us!

Although we are not able to meet in person these days, the work of the congregation at BCUC continues! There are many items in the announcements that are posted on the website and I will only highlight a few.

The Interfaith committee with members from both BCUC and the Jami Omar mosque invites you to take part in a joint outreach project to thank and recognize a group of frontline workers who are often overlooked but absolutely necessary to the health and safety of our local hospital. The Environmental department of the Queensway Carleton Hospital are the folks responsible for the cleaning and sanitizing so necessary to keep both patient and health care providers safe, especially in this time of pandemic. We hope to provide them with required scrub hats and with a treat to let them know that they are loved and appreciated. If you would like to sew some hats, Alison Bridgewater will be happy to provide you with the pattern and material if needed. As the hospital does not accept home-made goods at this time, we are looking for donations of store-bought, individually packaged, nut free snacks or small financial donations so we can purchase these in bulk. Contact Alison for more details.

Did you know that you can listen to the wonderful music of BCUC on YouTube? Abe has uploaded more than 60 of our recorded hymns to date. You can find the link in the announcements on the webpage.

The Service, Outreach, and Social Action Committee has embarked on a project to encourage back yard and balcony gardeners this summer with free workshops - beginning this Tuesday - from some of our wonderful experts here at the church, and an opportunity to purchase rain barrels, composters, and accessories with proceeds going to Famsac. Details can be found on the website and on our Facebook page. Here is Karen Boivin to tell you more about it!

SOSA Moment for Mother Earth Karen Boivin

(Karen is seen lying on her garden bench)

You may think I am vegging out on a beautiful spring day. But that’s not how we Veg Out at BCUC. Veg Out is an initiative to encourage everyone to grow more vegetables this summer for our homes and to share with neighbours and food programs.

Last summer with the pandemic providing more time on people’s hands and more concern about food security many people turned to vegetable growing for the first time or with more gusto.

(Rainbarrels in the background)

The 100 mile diet is great, but 20 ft is even better in reducing carbon emissions. And it’s wonderful knowing what has gone into our food.

To provide healthy, natural, free food and water for growing vegetables,

VEG Out includes the sale of a variety of rain barrels, and their accessories, plus composters with curbside delivery on May 15 th, just before the May long weekend planting. It’s recycling at its best; rain and plant material to make more veg! Rain barrels also prevent runoff and the flooding and pollution it can cause.

(View of the garden and public path)

At my house we also expanded our veg gardening last year into what I’ve jokingly referred to as Fiddlers Farm. There were some unexpected results. The Pandemic led a lot more walkers to use the public path behind our house. Wonderful conversations went on over the back fence with neighbours and newcomers to our area where garden tips and questions were shared, children were shown where their tomatoes came from and excess cucumbers were shared.

Now, I am not much of a farmer or a fiddler and I look forward to learning from the many experienced gardeners at BCUC. There is a VEG OUT Facebook page setup where novice to expert can share questions, tips, successes and challenges.

And a series of VEG OUT Zoom Workshops will unfold to match the gardening season with the first Apr 20th on constructing Raised Beds, Hoop Gardens, Cold Frames and Choosing Soil.

In Genesis God says, “I give you ever seed bearing plant on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with see in it. They will be yours for food.”

Let us encourage friends and neighbours to join us in growing this bounty to eat and to share. Please check out the details of the Veg Out Program in your bulletin.

Lighting of Christ Candle Acolytes: Clarke and Ellie Topp

In the very first book of the Bible, in the very first chapter, we read that God’s first act of creation was “Let there be light.” Just as God brings light out of darkness and chaos, we light this candle to acknowledge that holy presence with us - our very first step as we prepare our hearts and minds for worship.

Sung Response: Halle, Halle, Halle – Voices United #958 – BCUC choir

Halle, halle, hallelujah! (3X)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Call to Gather Rev. Lorrie Lowes

As bees gather to collect the nectar of blossoms, we gather to be nourished by the love of the great Creator.

As turtles bask in the warmth of the sun, we long to soak in the warmth of God’s Spirit.

As parched plants stretch deep in search of water, we pray to the one who is the Living stream to keep us rooted and strong.

As all life is sustained by the delicate balance of our planet, we pray for the wisdom to protect and respect all that God has blessed us with.

Come, let us worship our Creating God.[1]

Prayer of Approach

O God, who cracks open the seed, the soil, and even the grave and brings forth new life, we praise you for your wondrous touch.

You, the one who stretches the daylight, warms the air, melts the shadows and cold within us, we praise you for your healing touch.

You, the one who sets birds singing and hearts laughing, we praise you for your renewing touch.

This day we bring everything to you, in us, in our lives, and in our world, that is wrapped in winter coldness. Work your wonder in us. Let patience and strength take root. Let hope bud where none seems possible. Let passion and a courage for what is right flower in us. May life rise out of empty hearts and broken places. Work your Easter wonder in us. All praise be yours. Amen.[2]

Hymn: Morning Has Broken - Voices United #409 - BCUC choir

1. Morning has broken like the first morning,
Blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing fresh from the word.

2. Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven,
Like the first dew-fall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass.

3. Ours is the sunlight! Ours is the morning
Born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning,
God’s re-creation of the new day!

Storytime: “Rhythms of Creation” Karen Boivin

(Sound of Karen playing the djembe drum)

Hi! It’s Karen, back from the garden. Welcome to Story Time and a special welcome to the children and youth with us today. I am excited to be talking to you on Earth Day Sunday because my drum always makes me think of the earth and how to care for it.

Let me introduce you to my djembe drum. Can you guess what the body is made of? Right, it’s wood! In fact, its carved from one tree trunk. And what is the head of the drum made of? It’s the skin of a goat. The wood reminds me of all the vegetation on the planet: trees, shrubs, flowers, and all the other plants. And the top, of all the creatures the animals, reptiles, birds, fish and insects. Who is missing? The people! Playing it with human hands we add humanity! All living things are represented by the drum.

One more thing is needed for sound to come out. If you could put your hand inside the bottom you would feel a big rush of air coming out when I hit it that creates the music. In the book of Genesis, it talks about God’s Spirit coming like a big wind or a big breath to create everything on earth.

I am always very careful not to drop my drum or knock it over because the wood could crack. And I never wear jewelry when I’m playing in case it puts a hole in the skin. If either of those things happened, it wouldn’t play well anymore. And drummers tighten their hands when we play to bring our fingers and thumbs up so we don’t whack them on the wood edge which hurts a lot. Being careful around the drum is a reminder to be careful around all of creation; treating our bodies well and caring for all of nature; the creatures and vegetation, waters, earth and sky.

Did you notice these strings on the drum? They hold the skin on. Sometimes over time the skin stretches, and the drum goes from saying “BOOM BOOM” to “plop plop”. Then I have to weave more of these diamonds to tighten it. But not too many…because then what might happen? Pop! The skin tears and no more music. It’s about getting the balance right on how tight to make it. Caring for the earth is also about getting the balance right but this time it’s about how much we take from nature for our own use; not taking so much that nature can’t recover. Drummers treat their drums with great respect out of gratitude to the trees and animals that made them possible. It’s good to give thanks and respect to nature in gratitude for the food, housing, and good things that we get from the earth.

We play rhythms on drums. A rhythm is a pattern that repeats itself. The earth has lots of repeating patterns too. Can you think of some? The days and nights, the four seasons, the ocean tides, and our heartbeat and breath are some. Drum rhythms are usually played in a group with each person playing a different rhythm at the same time and yet it makes a beautiful song. Doesn’t that sound tricky! It works because 1) Everyone listens carefully to one another too hear how the rhythms go together. 2) Each person leaves space for the other person’s rhythm to fit in.

If I just wailed away on the drum everyone else in the group would think what’s the use trying to play and would go home. There are two hints as to how we can care for the Earth. Making sure everything and everyone has space to live comfortably and safely. And to listen closely to what nature and other people are telling us about what they need.

So, let’s play together. You can push the computer back and use the table top, or sit on the floor and use the seat of a hard chair, or put a book in your lap. Remember, keep your hands tight so thumbs and fingers are up. And you don’t need to hit hard to make music. We are going to hit near the edge of our drum with the pads just below our fingers. First our right hand and then our left. There is a saying “if you can say it you can play it” so say “Da….Da” as you hit the edge. Now we will hit further in on our drum with the heel of our palm “Boom….Boom”. Let’s put the two together “Da, Da, Boom….Boom” Let’s do the same thing but on the Boom Boom but this time make them a little closer together “Da, Da, Boom Boom”. Now we put those two patterns together “Da, Da, Boom….Boom / Da, Da Boom Boom. Now I will get you started with the rhythm and you keep playing it when I switch to another rhythm. This is where the listening comes in. The internet often causes a lag so you may have to adjust a bit to make them sound good together.

I bet that sounded awesome. Let’s offer a prayer now:

Holy God, we thank you for the rhythms of the earth and all the creatures that live on it. We ask you to help us to listen carefully to its needs and to help provide the right balance so everything on earth has the space it needs for abundant life. Amen.

Hymn: “O Beautiful Gaia” - More Voices #41 - Music team

Refrain:
O beautiful Gaia, O Gaia, calling us home.
O beautiful Gaia calling us on.

1. Soil yielding its harvest, O Gaia, calling us home.
Soil yielding its harvest, calling us on.

2. Waves crashing on granite, O Gaia, calling us home.
Waves crashing on granite, calling us on.

3. Pine bending in windstorm, O Gaia, calling us home.
Pine bending in windstorm, calling us on.

4. Loon nesting in marshland, O Gaia, calling us home.
Loon nesting in marshland, calling us on.

Prayer for Illumination Reader: Ruth Howes

The light of Christ has entered this place. Now let the light enter our hearts, as we receive the words of scripture. Send your light, O God, like the first morning; send your Spirit like the first bird. Amen[3]

The Reading: Genesis 2: 4b-9, 15 Another Account of the Creation

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6 but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.

May we find ourselves renewed and re-created in this ancient reading. Thanks be to God!

Sermon: “Which Story is True?”

Today in the church calendar we celebrate Earth Sunday. It’s a time to celebrate the wonder of this place we call home and a time to focus our attention on the effect our way of life has on it. It’s also a good time, I think, to look at the creation stories found in the Bible. Yes, I said “stories” because there are more than one. There is the beautiful poetry of Genesis 1 – “In the beginning…” where God creates the Earth over six days, adding more wonder each day and declaring at the end of each one, “And God saw that it was good.” Humans appear at the very end of the work on the sixth day – first come all the other creatures of the water, the sky, and the land. And then, humankind is created in the image of God, male and female.

“And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.”

This was the end of God’s work week and on the next day God rested. God was satisfied with a job well done and a world functioning smoothly.

And then, just a few verses later, we read a different creation story, the one we heard Ruth read for us today. In this one, God creates humankind right at the beginning, as soon as there is dry land to stand on. In fact, this story tells us that “the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground.” God breathes life into him and then creates a garden from that same dust, with every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden to till it and keep it.” After that God uses that same dust to form every animal of the field and bird of the air… and finally, a partner for man is created from his very body – the same body that was created from that same dust.

Of course, millennia have passed since these stories were first told. The world has progressed and science has added a lot of information and understanding about not only the beginnings of life on this planet but also on the context of this planet we call Earth in the vastness of the universe. Today we know much more about evolution and how living things adapt to the changes that have happened over the eons of time. We have a new creation story to add to our repertoire.

All of these stories have common elements but each one is unique. The problem for our modern minds is that they seem to be totally different stories… Which one are we supposed to believe? …Which one is true?

Thomas King is an award-winning author and scholar of Native descent. One of his areas of scholarship is aboriginal oral traditions and storytelling. In his Massey Lecture series for CBC, captured in his book, “The Truth About Stories”, he talks about how our view of the world is connected to the stories we hear and the stories we tell. “There are no truths,” he says, only stories.” We build our truths from the stories we hear, the stories we live, and the stories we tell. Each time a story is told, it changes slightly depending on who is doing the telling, or where, or when. It might change because of the mood of the storyteller or the reaction of the audience. When a story is passed from person to person, it can change to emphasize the things the teller found most important or what they think is most important for you to know. The story might change, but it always contains some element of the original.

Each lecture or chapter in King’s book begins with a creation story that he knows about the world being built on the back of a turtle. He’s heard the story many times and every telling is different, he says, but in every telling, the world never leaves the turtle’s back and the turtle never swims away. That’s the important part, the part we need to hear.

To me, that’s the place we find our truths. The way we learn about the world. I think of it like this: “I don’t know if it really happened this way, but I know this story is true.”

In our first creation story, humankind is created last. What does this tell us about our place in the evolution of the world? It certainly seems to fit with what Darwin and science have shown us, doesn’t it? Everything was in balance, all needs were addressed – food, air, water, companionship. It’s interesting that men and women arrive just when God is ready for a rest. God gives humans a job, puts them in charge, gives them dominion over it all, and then settles into a blessed and hallowed day of rest.

In the second, man is created first, then all of the other living things, both plant and animal, and finally woman. This time man is present to witness the wonder of creation, to marvel at the diversity of life that comes from the same dust, to see how each piece fits into the whole, to witness the intricate weaving of the needs and gifts of all living things, the interdependence built in to the whole amazing picture. Man was there to witness the beautiful choreography from the very beginning. And, once again, God gives man a job. Man is placed in the heart of it all, to till it and keep it. Up to this point, man is set apart from the other living things created by God. He is a separate entity, with all this incredible world in his hands. God brings each new living thing to man and asks him to name them. He is unique – one of a kind, in the same way God is unique – there is no other one. Man is given a role in creation by naming and categorizing each thing God creates. Man is given a responsibility to care for creation and to help it grow – to till it and keep it. But man is not God; he needs companionship, he needs a partner. When God sees this, woman is created – not as a new creation from the dust of the earth but out of the very man himself. She is the same, but unique in her own right. She is separate and yet part of the whole. Together they are given the gift of choice, the gift of free will.

I don’t know if it really happened this way, but I know the stories are true.

The first “truth” in the creation stories, for me, is that in creating this incredible world, humans are just one small part of that creation but an important part, unique and different from the rest. Whether we came at the very beginning or at the end, we humans were given special responsibility to maintain creation and to help it grow.

Another “truth” I hear in these stories is that we humans have a unique relationship with God. We are trusted with knowledge and insight into the workings of this amazing world – not just of our planet home but, more and more, of the universe itself.

Whether man and woman were created together or whether they are part of the same body, I hear the truth that they are equal in the eyes of the Creator and are meant to work together as partners in carrying out the responsibility they were given.

The truth in each of these stories – including the science that we now know – is that everything was created from the same elements, the same dust, the same “star dust” that was swirling about in that chaos before Creation.

The question, perhaps, is not “did things really happened this way?”, but rather “what do we do with these truths?”

Today, Earth Sunday, and Thursday on Earth Day, we are reminded to celebrate the beauty and complexity of the world, and our place in it. It is not a religious holiday, although the premise certainly fits with our beliefs and those of many other faiths. The message of this focus on the Earth is one that transcends religious beliefs. It is a vital call to all of us who inhabit this planet. It is a call to all of humanity to see, not only the beauty and bounty Earth has to offer us, but also the effect we are having on it – to remind us of our responsibility.

I recently watched a documentary by David Attenborough called “A Life on This Planet”. In it, he reflects on the changes that have happened to our natural world over the ninety years he has been alive. It’s very powerful and I highly recommend that you watch it. It features the incredible beauty of our world that we expect from David Attenborough, but it also lays out, in stark statistics and disturbing footage, the places and species that are wounded and dying. Underlying it all is the clear message that this devastation is happening because of us. We humans, the ones entrusted with the responsibility and the ability to “till and tend” Creation, have instead exploited the gifts it offers to the point where it is struggling to survive. Maybe we’ve been caught up in the power of that “dominion over” and of naming everything rather than the responsibility that came with them. He begins with a walk through the city of Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. When it happened, 35 years ago, the city was evacuated. Because of the intensity of the radioactive fallout that will last for hundreds of years, it remains uninhabited. What we might expect to be a dry, burnt out place, is anything but. In the decades that have passed, nature has made a comeback. Plants have come up through the concrete, trees flourish – some even growing through buildings! Wild animals have come back and are multiplying. The truth that David Attenborough wants us to hear is that Creation will survive in spite of whatever disaster strikes – natural or man-made. It may not be the same, in fact it will likely be transformed, but life of some kind will rise again.

Spring is a perfect time to be reminded that the force of life is strong and resilient. After months of freezing temperatures, of ice and snow, of short hours of daylight, our gardens are coming alive! Forsythia bushes burst into bloom, flowers push their way up through the earth, buds appear on branches, birds and frogs begin to sing a chorus of love songs. Some of it happens because we have taken good care to protect the plants and to feed the wildlife through the hard months, and some of it happens in spite of us.

In this season of Easter, resurrection is the source of our celebrating and the source of our hope. We read last week about the disciples, huddled in a locked room after Jesus’ execution who found him once again among them. We read on Easter Sunday about how Mary, devastated by the loss of her teacher, encounters him again in the voice of a stranger in the garden outside the empty tomb. In the season of Easter, we encounter the story of the disciples meeting Jesus in a stranger on the road to Emmaus who shares a meal with them, and again on a beach sharing an unexpected bounty of fish. Jesus is resurrected over and over again in the weeks following his crucifixion. Most of the time he is not recognizable as the man they knew, even to those who loved him most – but he is alive again in words spoken, in meals shared, in the ordinary but amazing blessings of their lives. His body had been broken but his spirit and his dream lived on. For me, in many ways, he is that part of the creation story that never changes, the truths… use the gifts you have been given to care for creation, help it grow and flourish… there is enough here for all… there is wisdom and order in the diversity and complexity… life is eternal… We hear it all again in the stories of Jesus.

A meteor devastated the life on earth in the time of the dinosaur, but new life emerged from the dust. Chernobyl was poisoned but new life emerged from the rubble. Winter kills the green of our summer gardens but new life emerges every spring. The new may not look like the same as what was lost but the life that God breathed into the dust at the time of Creation continues to grow and evolve in new and sometimes even stronger ways. We are surrounded by resurrection.

What is humankind’s role today? Is it any different from the role given to the first humans in our creation stories?

The miracle of Creation is that it thrives on diversity and bio-diversity. Each living thing depends on others for life and provides the necessities of life to another. It is beautifully designed to provide enough for all. The world is designed to carry on living. We have the power to help it flourish or to exploit it to the point where it can’t sustain us anymore. It all depends on how we interpret our role of “dominion over every living thing” or “till and keep the garden”.

Two creation stories in our faith tradition and many more in the traditions of other faiths and cultures throughout the world… Many creation stories in our modern world, stories of our beginnings, stories of our past, and stories about what is to come. I believe there are truths in every one of them, lessons to be learned, lessons to warn us and guide us and lessons to help us remember the glorious miracle of this world we live in with all its beauty and complexity.

Some of the stories in Thomas King’s book are traditional tales; many are personal experiences. Like the stories in the Bible, the truths and the lessons aren’t spelled out for us in black and white. We are expected to find in them the truth we need to hear in our context, from our place in the world.

Thomas King begins each chapter of his book just the way the Bible begins, with a Creation Story. In both cases, this serves to ground us and prepare us for what is to come. At the end of each chapter, he reminds us of the power stories wield – all stories. Stories may change over time and over the telling – even the stories that convey the facts of science and history change as we gain new information and insight and understanding – but they are vital to who we are and who we will become. And so, on this Earth Sunday as we contemplate our own creation stories, I leave you with Thomas King’s parting words:

“Take this story; it’s yours. Do with it what you will. Cry over it. Get angry. Forget it. But don’t say in the years to come that you would have lived your life differently if only you had heard this story. You’ve heard it now.”

Prayers of the People Rev. Lorrie Lowes

(A prayer written by Pope Francis in 2015)

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures. You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light. We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.[4]

All these things we ask in the name of Jesus, who showed love for all creation in his actions and his teachings, and the words he taught his disciples:

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kin-dom come, thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kin-dom, the power and the glory,
Forever and ever, Amen.

Invitation to Offer Rev. Lorrie Lowes

On this Third Sunday of Easter, as we celebrate the gifts of new life and the beauty of creation, we are invited to share our gifts of time, talents and resources as expressions of our gratitude to God’s blessings. If you are not on PAR and wish to send in your offering and donations, you can drop them in the mail slot by the kitchen door of the church. You can also send in your support through e-transfer. Thank you for your continued love and support to BCUC.

Offertory Prayer

Your love, O God, is evident as we look around us: birds and flowers, sky and sea, animals and plants, all work together toward the perfection you intend for the world.

Help us, as we look upon your world, to live out our praise as we respond to you for your great self-giving love. Amen[5]

Sending Forth Rev. Lorrie Lowes

May we be blessed by air and water, by earth and fire, by land and sky.
May we be a blessing to all that blesses us.
May we go with the brightness of Earth in our blood, attuned to the sacredness of the world where we live, and listening for our parts in the healing of the planet.
May we go as kindred of tree and seal and dear, of moss and flower, eagle and orca, as kindred of all the living world.
May we go to love and serve the God of Creation.[6] Amen.

Hymn: Called By Earth and Sky More Voices #135 - BCUC Choir

Refrain:
Called by earth and sky,
promise of hope held high.
This is our sacred living trust,
treasure of life sanctified,
Called by earth and sky.

1. Precious these waters, endless seas,
Deep oceans dream,
Waters of healing, rivers of rain,
The wash of love again.

2. Precious this gift, the air we breathe;
Wind born and free.
Breath of the Spirit, blow through this place,
Our gathering and our grace.

3. Precious these mountains, ancient sands;
Vast fragile land.
Seeds of our wakening, rooted and strong,
Creation’s faithful song.

4. Precious the fire that lights our way,
Bright dawning day.
Fire of passion, sorrows undone,
Our faith and justice one.

Departing Music: All Things Bright and Beautiful – arr. Rutter Abe – synth sounds

Zoom Fellowship – 11 am

[1] Juanita Austin, Gathering L/E 2016, p46. Used with permission.

[2] Bill Steadman, Gathering L/E 2018, p48. Used with permission.

[3] Robin Wardlaw, Gathering L/E 2021, p47. Used with permission

[4] Pope Francis, https://catholicclimatemovement.global/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Aprayerforourearth.pdf with permission to share.

[5] Beth W. Johnston, Gathering L/E 2016, p47. Used with permission.

[6] Brian Day, Gathering L/E 2021, p52. Used with permission.

Sunday Worship Service - April 18, 2021