Opening Prayer
Creator God, majestic maker of all things,
Sculptor and architect of earth itself.
We sit in awe and wonder of your love.
We listen to the breath of earth and song of heaven,
Joining with the son of God and child of earth,
To raise our human voices to creation’s song.
Let the skies sing for joy and the earth join the chorus,
Let us listen to the oceans thunder,
And watch the fields join this ecstatic praise.
Let the weeds in pavement cracks shout out,
Until every swaying tree of forest,
And every forgotten sprout of city street joins in,
And we all together lift our songs of joyous praise to our creator.
Psalm 65:5-12 responsive reading
You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness,
God our Saviour, you are the hope of the ends of the earth.
You are the hope of the farthest seas,
When morning dawns and evening fades,
You call forth songs of joy.
God, you call forth songs of joy from all the earth.
You care for the land and water it,
You enrich it abundantly,
The streams of God are filled with water,
To provide the people with grain,
For so you have ordained it.
God, you call forth songs of joy from all the earth.
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonder,
You drench its furrows and level its ridges,
You soften it with showers and bless its crops,
You crown the year with your bounty,
And your carts overflow with abundance.
God, you call forth songs of joy from all the earth.
The grasslands of the deserts overflow,
The hills are clothed with gladness,
The meadows are covered with flocks,
And the valleys are mantled with grain,
They shout for joy and sing.
God, you call forth songs of joy from all the earth
Scripture
Gen 2: 7-9 Adapted from The Voice.
“One day the Eternal God scooped dirt out of the ground, sculpted it into the shape we call human, breathed the breath that gives life into the nostrils of the human, and the human became a living soul. The Eternal God planted a garden in the east in Eden – a place of utter delight – and placed the human whom he had sculpted there. In this garden, the Creator of all made the ground pregnant with life – bursting forth with nourishing food and luxuriant beauty. The Eternal God created trees, and in the center of this garden of delights stood the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
John 20: 11-16 The Voice
Mary, however, stood outside the tomb sobbing, crying, and kneeling at its entrance. As she cried, two heavenly messengers appeared before her sitting where Jesus’ head and feet had been laid.
Heavenly Messengers: Dear woman, why are you weeping?
Mary Magdalene: They have taken away my Lord, and I cannot find Him.
After uttering these words, she turned around to see Jesus standing before her, but she did not recognize Him.
Jesus: Dear woman, why are you sobbing? Who is it you are looking for?
She still had no idea who it was before her. Thinking He was the gardener, she muttered:
Mary Magdalene: Sir, if you are the one who carried Him away, then tell me where He is and I will retrieve Him.
Jesus: Mary!
Mary Magdalene (turning to Jesus and speaking in Hebrew): Rabboni, my Teacher!
Revelation 22:1-2 The Voice
My heavenly guide brought me to the river of pure living waters, shimmering as brilliantly as crystal. It flowed out from the throne of God and of the Lamb, flowing down the middle and dividing the street of the holy city. On each bank of the river stood the tree of life, firmly planted, bearing twelve kinds of fruit and producing its sweet crop every month throughout the year. And the soothing leaves that grew on the tree of life provided precious healing for the nations.
Creator God you call forth songs of joy from all the earth,
Voices of birds and bees and ocean waves.
Yet so often we silence those voices.
Creator God, you sculpted us from the soil of the earth,
The rich loamy, fragrant soil, pregnant with life and abundance,
You breathed the breath that gives life and we became living beings.
Faithful God, you planted a garden in Eden, a place of utter delight,
And placed us in it to tend its nourishing food and luxuriant beauty.
Yet we let the earth suffer and the people cry out in despair.
Eternal God, you invite us to plant a garden of love and harmony,
A place that fruits twelve months of the year so all are abundantly provided for,
Yet we often grow weeds of prejudice, hatred, and injustice.
God almighty, Creator of all life,
the One who fixes all the broken places of our universe,
Help us fix what we have broken.
Mighty God, the work of your hands reflects your great love and concern for all creation.
May we become wise stewards and carers for all creation and all persons.
May we ensure that nothing you have made is spoiled or misused.
Forgive us and cleanse our hearts, breathe new life into our weary bones.
Grant us a fresh start at your table.
May we share generously and justly from your rich and abundant resources.
Jesus Christ, you who are the gardener of the new creation,
Unite us through your covenant of peace,
So that all peoples of the earth may share your lavish bounty together.
Life of God be with you this day,
Love of the Creator fill your heart,
Light of the Risen One guide your steps,
Hope of the Sanctifier teach your minds,
Life of the Three sustain you,
Love of the One encircle you,
Now and always, this day and forever,
Amen
At Godspace, environmental issues and creation care are two things we are passionate about.
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