Gathering Music

Be With Us, Lord

Be with us, Lord. Be with us, Lord.
Be with us, Lord, we pray.

Welcoming Invocation

Soil
One: We bring a sample of the good earth of our community garden as a symbol of all that God has created.
All: Let the people praise you, O God, let all the people praise you. Then the earth will yield its fruitfulness, and God, our God will bless us. (Psalm 67)

Water
One: We bring a simple glass of water, a symbol of our dependence upon God for life, and of the new life God gives us in baptism.
All: You tend the earth and water it. You drench its furrows, you soften it with showers and bless its early growth. (Psalm 65)

Roots
One: We bring the harvest of carrots, beets, root crops for humankind and animals.
All: Blessed are those who trust in the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. (Jeremiah 17)

Greens
One: We bring the harvest of lettuces and arugula, peppers, tomatoes, salads, hops and grasses from the pastures.
All: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. God makes me lie down in green pastures; God leads me besides still waters; God restores my soul. (Psalm 23)

Seeds
One: The harvest of corn, tomato seeds for next year’s crops, grasses and flowers of every kind.
All: As the rain comes down from heaven and waters the earth, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be; it shall not return to me empty. (Isaiah 55)

Prayers of the People

One: Loving Creator God, The whole earth proclaims your glory. Everywhere we look we see your handiwork.
Forgive us Lord, for the damage we have done to your earth
Forgive us that rivers and seas have been polluted by the waste of our civilization.

Lord in your mercy…
All: Hear our Prayer.

One: Forgive us that the air has been fouled by our emissions of pollutants.
Forgive us that flowers and animals have gone extinct through our relentless invasion of their natural habitat.

Lord in your mercy…
All: Hear our Prayer.

One: Forgive us that we have so often valued profit more than the quality of our surroundings.
Help us to see the links between our lifestyle and the damage to your creation.
All: May our repentance lead to change, and change set a pattern for others to follow. Amen

Time of Confession and Prayer

Hymn of Preparation

For the Fruit of All Creation

For the fruit of all creation, Thanks be to God.
For God’s gifts to ev’ry nation, Thanks be to God.
For the plowing, sowing, reaping,
Silent growth while we are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safe keeping, Thanks be to God.

In the just reward of labor, God’s will is done.
In the help we give our neighbor, God’s will is done.
In our worldwide task of caring
For the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests we are sharing, God’s will is done.

For the harvests of the Spirit, Thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit, Thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us,
For the truths that still confound us,
Most of all, that love has found us, Thanks be to God.

Meditation

Benediction

Sending Forth

We Are Called

Come, join in the feast!
Share in the harvest and bounty of love
We are called to make room at the table
And welcome the stranger
To share in God’s grace

We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God

Come, care for the land!
Safeguard the waters, the creatures and plants
We are called to attend to creation
A sacred vocation
As stewards of life

We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God

Breathe, breathe with the Earth!
Be in communion with land, sea, and sky
All of life whether lofty or lowly
Is sacred and holy
Anointed by God

We are called to act with justice
We are called to love tenderly
We are called to serve one another
To walk humbly with God