21 April 2026 – Chapel – Drew Theo Chapel

Opening Remarks

Praise Mapanda

Confession

Ndaie Paul Lumbala

Call to Worship

Rachel Parker

(Adapted from Worship Words)

All: Eloi, Eloi, look upon our brokenness with mercy.

Leader: We know that in all creation

All: Only us humans have walked away from the path of faith

Leader: We are fully aware that we are the ones who are divided

All: And it is our responsibility for us to return to walk in the path of faith.

Leader: God, Holy One,

All: Teach us love, compassion, and honor.

Leader: That we may heal the Earth

All: Amen.

Opening Song

Opening Prayer

Rin McLaughlin

remember the trees – breath prayer

Breathe in your inherent belovedness.
Breathe out the lure of toxic cycles.

Breathe in love that makes your heart soft.
Breathe out any anger that is being misdirected.

Breathe in acceptance that all cannot be immediately solved.
Breathe out the need to control.

Breathe in the wisdom of ancestors who labored for collective love and justice.
Breathe out the temptation towards the superficial.

Breathe in a breath of humility.
Breathe out all that makes you shrink.

And then remember the trees.
Their giving and receiving of breath.
See them holding so much for us.
Offer a confession. And a prayer of gratitude.
And let your roots sink deep into the soil of God.

from M Jade Kaiser (enfleshed.com).

Scripture Reading

Genesis 2:4-15 (NRSVUE)

Virginie Ilunga

4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord[a] God made the earth and the heavens, 5 when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no vegetation 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.

10 A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides and becomes four branches. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold, 12 and the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that flows around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

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

Leader: The Word of God for the people of God.
All: Thanks be to God.

Interactive Activity

“Reciprocity with mother nature – Planting
Commitment”

Prayer for the Earth

Ndaie Paul Lumbala

The earth we know you are a creature, a living being, created by God for a purpose
We know that you are conscious
We know that you have a mandate to take care of things that you brought forth.

Earth you are subjected to God

We know that you hear
We know that you speak
We know that you respond constantly to the court of God
We know that you can prosper a human
We know that you can nurture
We know that you can help a human
Yes indeed, you do reward diligence, sacrifice and consistency in a good matter and in a good thing

Earth you do all that because God has commanded you to do so.

Amen.