Moment of Oneness: Season of Creation 2020 - Week 3 - Wilderness

September 16, 2020  - 7:30pm EST

September 16, 2020

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Meeting ID: 842 7655 0179
Passcode: 272029
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Passcode: 272029

Opening/Centering Song: Here in this Place

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ

Opening Prayer: Source of all life, we give thanks to you for your wondrous creation made manifest in the environment that surrounds us; strengthen us in the mission of stewardship and care towards nature, the work of your hands, encouraging us to preserve life in all its precious forms. All this we ask in your Holy Name. Amen

Reading: 

The Peace of Wild Things, by Wallace Berry

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.  Wallace Berry

Prayers for Creation:

Blessed One, who has ignited the spark of Divine Life in all created things, awaken us to the deep beauty of wild places.  Kindle in us a love for all creatures and the places where they live out their lives.  

Response:  Let all creation sing with joy!

Blessed One who is beyond time, we see in the very long lives of rocks and water, stars and planets, that our own lifetimes are short indeed.  Enliven in us the courage and desire to do the very important work of preserving the health of our planet in the brief time we have upon it.

Response:  Let all creation sing with joy!

Blessed one, source of all joy, open our eyes in amazement and wonder as we gaze upon each new day, whether in forest or meadow, desert or marshland.  The places where nature sings call us to celebrate the fullness of life that comes from you.   

Response:  Let all creation sing with joy!

With a song of joy we celebrate the abundance of beauty in the wild places of this earth.  We join our voices with the rest of creation and give praise and thanks for them.  Amen.

Closing Prayer: A contemporary rendering of the Lord's Prayer

by Curran Jeffrey on November 4, 2012 

O Divine Power of Creation
Hallowed be thy name

The mystery of thy grace be with us

Give us this day our nourishment
For both body and the soul

And forgive us our shortcomings
As we forgive the shortcomings of those around us

Strengthen us in the ways of wisdom
And strengthen our spirit when confronted with evil

For thine is the glory and the power
Of all that is seen and unseen

For ever and ever

Amen

Song: Deep Peace

https://youtu.be/5dIAcqaUUz4

Action: 

A wise friend once said, “If you want to save the earth take a child into nature.”  With that in mind, think of the children in your life; your own children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, your students, the children of your friends.  They are the next generation of earth’s co-habitants.  They will be the decision-makers who will shape the future of our planet.  If you are able to, plan an outing into the natural world with one or a few of these small ships sailing into the future.  Give them a chance to explore, to get their feet wet, their hands dirty, their minds open and awed by the beauty of wild places.  You don’t have to try to make it a lesson in environmentalism.  You don’t need to talk about issues.  Just let them have fun, form memories that include places and species that they will begin to treasure.  Have no doubt that you will be planting a seed, a seed that may flourish into a love of birds, or a curiosity about how things grow, or a wonder about how butterflies manage to survive with those fragile wings.  Here are a few suggestions of kid-friendly places to explore in our own Capital Region:

Five Rivers Environmental Education Center,  56 Game Farm Road, Delmar, NY

Five Rivers Environmental Education Center - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation

Five Rivers hosts over 10 miles of hiking trails on its 450 acres.  Trails lead the visitor into a wide variety of habitats including ponds, streams, forest, marsh, and field.  A favorite of birders, Five Rivers has a total of 225 species on its bird list.  But you might also find deer, muskrats, beaver, and a very wide variety of interesting and beautiful insects and plants.  Very family friendly, Five Rivers has restroom facilities and a beautiful new visitor center (closed now due to COVID-19).  There are even trails that are accessible to strollers and wheel chairs.

Ann Lee Pond Nature and Historic Preserve (Near Albany Airport), directions on this website:

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/ann-lee-pond-preserve

Ann Lee Pond is just down the road from the Shaker Heritage Society at 25 Meeting House Road in Colonie.   From the parking lot the pond itself will be to your left.  It  is fun to see the ducks and geese visiting the pond, and the interesting plants at the pond’s edge.  But if you follow the dirt road that heads straight back from the parking lot you will be in for more of a treat.  The road will lead you to a very nice floating bridge which crosses at the back end of the pond.  Here children and adults alike can see pond life up close, a very great experience.  Across the bridge you will discover that the trail continues into a woodland.  This is part of a two-mile forested trail that you can choose to do part or all of.  For the more adventurous among us, here is a secret about the swampy woods you will see to your left just as you set out on that dirt road from the parking lot:  If you visit in late February or early March, you may want to have everyone in boots (tall “wellies” are recommended, it is a swamp, and children do like to stomp around in it!).  Find a break in the vegetation there are no real trails down this hill) and head down to the swamp that edges the pond.  Even if there is snow and ice, look for the odd, purplish pointy plants poking through.  These are the flowers of Skunk Cabbage, the first flower of spring.  Skunk Cabbage has the ability to create its own heat (“thermogenesis,” a cool word to teach children), and will bloom all over the swamp even before spring arrives. Later the flowers give way to tall green leaves that cover the swamp floor.  Here is what you will be looking for:

Albany Pine Bush Preserve, 195 New Karner Road, Albany

https://www.albanypinebush.org/

3350 acres, home of several endangered species including the Karner Blue Butterfly, a geologically rare inland Pine Barrens made of ancient sand dunes, the Pine Bush is a wonderful place to explore.  Trails are well-marked, and during the warm weather months there is a terrific story trail, a short, easy trail near the Discovery Center dotted with pages of a children’s story (usually a story about butterflies!) which kids enjoy reading.  One of the most beautiful sights of late spring is the Blue Lupine blooming in large patches along the trails.  The lupine is the sole food of the Karner Blue Butterfly’s caterpillar, and twice a season (late May and early July) visitors enjoy looking for these tiny wonders along the sandy trails.  But there is something to enjoy at the Pine Bush in all seasons.  The brightly-colored Buck Moths of October, the many birds of spring, and even in winter, the trails are open for snowshoeing.  There is always something fun going on in the Discovery Center as well, so after a hike it’s fun to visit there and enjoy the exhibits.

Upper Room Liturgy - The Harmony of Creation - September 13, 2020 - Presiders: Dennis McDonald, ARCWP and Lindy Sanford-Martinez, ARCWP

The Harmony of Creation

Please join us between 9:30 and 9:55 am via Zoom 

Here is the Zoom link:   

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82512159155

 

Should you not be able to connect via ZOOM, here is the phone-in information (audio only).

Phone Number: (646) 558-8656

Meeting ID: 825 1215 9155

Dennis: Introduction of Theme:

Welcome to all here present.  We gather this day to celebrate Creation, reminding ourselves that we are a part of creation and have been provided the opportunity to care for this planet we call home.  We reflect today on our role as co-creators and care-givers of the Earth, and the call to bring harmony to all that we touch with the love and beauty with which the Holy One graces Her creation.

 

Let us celebrate with joy the indwelling of our God among us and all of creation.  Welcome, sisters and brothers, to the table where broken word and bread nourish us and feed our spirit. 

 

Opening Song: For the Beauty of the Earth

https://youtu.be/dGt4-KyFwe4

Lindy: Opening Prayer:

Creator, Source of all that we are, we gather to honor your Creation as an integrated and holy system of plant, animal and human life placed lovingly side by side with water, air, wind, and earth. We pray for the imagination and resolve to establish a supportive ecology so that all of Creation may not just survive but thrive as a continuing sign of your wondrous love. Amen.

 

LITURGY OF THE WORD

First Reading:

A reading from a speech attributed to Chief Seattle given to President Franklin Pierce.

 

You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of our grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the Earth is rich with the lives of our kin.

Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the Earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons and daughters of the Earth. If we spit upon the ground, we spit upon ourselves.

This we know – the Earth does not belong to us – we belong to the Earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. All things are connected.

Whatever befalls the Earth – befalls the sons and daughters of the Earth. We did not weave the web of life – we are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

 

Second Reading:

A reading from the works of Joyce Rupp

 

I had never seen sunflowers. When I went it was too late.  The faded yellow and brown tattered heads drooped on bent stems, reminding me of the curved-over woman in Luke’s Gospel with her head reaching toward her heart.  Something nudged me to get out of the car and look more closely.

 

Once I walked into the field, disappointment turned to wonder. Because of such abundance, the seeds’ weight forced the stems to bow and bend. My thoughts became absorbed in how much it costs the plants to bring forth this rich harvest. I noticed flocks of goldfinches deliriously feeding on seeds spilling out from sunflowers that were now transformed into nourishment, easily giving of their summered lives to enrich others.

 

As I walked out of the field, I felt urged to return. Something more waited to be learned from the surrendered sunflowers. Two days later I walked slowly through the field, the heavily hanging heads brushing against my body as if to say, “Listen, we have something more to tell you.” And speak they did, about the energy of release, the ability to freely liberate what had been their glory, how the dying field held not only a harvest of fulfillment but of what it contained, an acceptance of giving away what was really never theirs to keep.

 

Those heavy, drooping heads replete with ripened seeds spoke to me of personal diminishment, of loss bound to come sooner or later. Not only does this transition happen to individuals. Societies and organizations also experience seasons of bending low. Dying comes before rising. Death arrives before new birth. Few want to accept this reality. But accept it or not, this pattern shapes how growth usually occurs. Unable to hold their heads high any longer, the sunflowers bowed to the way life naturally unfolds, the ageless pattern of life, death, rebirth—sunflowers teaching me anew that I, too, wend my way through this configuration, slowly bending the stem of my life, allowing my head to reach my heart—accepting, releasing, fulfilling.

 

These are the inspired words of Joyce Rupp...and we confirm them by saying “Amen”.

 

Gospel Acclamation: Alleluia

 

Gospel:  

A reading from the Gospel named for Matthew, disciple of Jesus. (Mt 6:26-30)

 

“Look at the birds in the sky. They don’t sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet our God in heaven feeds them. Aren’t you more important than they?  Which of you by worrying can add a moment to your lifespan? And why be anxious about clothing? Learn a lesson from the way the wildflowers grow. They don’t work; they don’t spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in full splendor was arrayed like one of these.

If God can clothe in such splendor the grasses of the field, which bloom today and
are thrown on the fire tomorrow, won’t God do so much more for you—you who have so
little faith?

 

These are the inspired words from the Gospel named for Matthew, disciple of Jesus, and the community affirms them by saying, Amen.

 

Shared Homily: Lindy

            Opening our season focused on Creation last week Lynn spoke of creation as Incarnation…It is so important that we do.  We forget that each animal, each plant, tree, rock and soil… even wind, fire and fish, ever star in every galaxy, and every universe are all hiding places for the Spirit and body of God…  We forget that we, too, are a hiding place for that Spirit… the love, mystery and wonder we rarely think about. 

            Our world is filled with chaos right now.  Illness, frustration, poor laws, good laws being ignored, demonstrations, and anger holds our attention.  Waves of fear all this causes tempt us every day.

            Rarely do we think of the wonder around and within us or of the Love that created us hiding within each of us.

 

The Earth is our Mother.  The soil is rich with the lives and deaths… even the ashes of dead plants and animals …and our kin.  She is richer with our care of her soil, her streams, her trees and her mountains, her beaches and oceans….and the seasons. Our eyes and our hearts show us tiny insects, divergent animals and birds… the sun and the moon, and so many stars… All that beauty turns into wonder when we open ourselves.  Our hearts and souls are filled with awe by the abundance before us.  With joy we begin to understand that we are small, small parts of Creation.  Like ever leaf and little butterfly… like every fish and flower… like every branch and every bird…everything we need is here.  In the cycles of the seasons She will take care of us.

            Our mistakes litter our lives.  They distract us, too, from the wonder of Creation.  We forget that mistakes often become seeds sprinkled into our minds and into our hearts.  If we let them sprout there, fed by the loving Spirit with us, they grow into something new.  As they do we begin to feel new ideas… rays of warmth and healing…the peace and joy we call Spirit.  Fed by them we can heal our little corner of the world bit by bit.

 

 Oh, the wonder of being part of Creation.

 

 

Statement of Faith 

 
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery 
beyond all definition and rational understanding, 
the heart of all that has ever existed, 
that exists now, or that ever will exist. 

We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word, 
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion, 
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's 
prophets, mystics, and saints. 
 
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus 
as a vehicle of divine love, 
a source of wisdom and truth, 
and an instrument of peace in the world. 
 
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One, 
the life that is our innermost life, 
the breath moving in our being, 
the depth living in each of us. 
 
We believe that the Divine kin-dom is here and now, 
stretched out all around us for those 
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it, 
and hands to make it happen. 

Dennis: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we bring to this table our blessings, cares and concerns.  Please, in silence, offer any intentions you bring to the table….” (pause)

 

We pray for these and all unspoken concerns. Amen.

 

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

 

Lindy: Please join us, with arms raised, in the praying of the Eucharistic Prayer.

All: Great Mystery surrounding us, we lift up our hearts to understand that our spirits are one. You are with us, and we live. Everything lives because of you, and everything is one.

 

Your wisdom moves among us like the wind, and we are blessed.

So now we enter into the oneness of creation, attune ourselves to join in the harmony, let ourselves embrace that oneness with thankfulness and joy. And so, we join with all of creation and sing in glory for the beauty that encircles us.

 

Holy, Holy: Here in This Place by Christopher Grundy

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ

All: Creator of the whole universe, we glory in the environment, especially forests, that surround us. May we have the vision and strength to protect all forest ecosystems and the whole of Your creation, which have been corrupted by human exploitation, pollution, and destruction, so that the whole of creation may be renewed and made whole,

We join with the earth and with each other, to bring new life to the land, to restore the waters, to refresh the air.

We join with the earth and with each other to renew the forests, to care for the plants, to protect the creatures.

We join with the earth and with each other to celebrate the seas, to rejoice in the sunlight, to sing the song of the stars.

We join together as many and diverse expressions of one loving mystery: for the healing of the earth and the renewal of life.

 

We join together and call the Spirit upon the gifts of the earth, bread and wine, as we bless them and remember our call to be the Body of Christ in the world.

 

On the night before he died, he sat at a table with friends and relived with them his work, his teaching and wisdom of the universe. Then he went among them as servant, washing their feet, touching their hearts. 

 

When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:  

Take and eat, this is my very self.

 

Pause and consume the bread.

 

Then he took the cup of blessing, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying: 

Take and drink. 

Whenever you remember me like this, 

I am among you. 

 

Pause and drink from the cup.

 

Mystery of Life present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures, embrace with tenderness all that exists. May the power of divine love pour upon us, that we may protect life and beauty. 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 divine light and love. We are thankful for the pulse of life that fills us each day. May we be encouraged and strengthened for our struggle for justice, love and peace in the world.

Dennis: Let us pray the prayer of Jesus:

 

Let us pray as Jesus taught us with an eye toward this Season of Creation:

 

Generous Creator, the intricate and elegant biodiversity of our world is your hallowed autograph on our lives, on our souls and in our hearts.

We yearn for the wholeness of being in harmony with Your will and with all living things.

Each day we draw on your creative, life-giving energy with gratitude and awe as we find nourishment in, seed and field, river and forest.

May we be stewards and co-creators with you in caring for the gifts of Your Creation. 

We acknowledge our shortcomings, especially our neglect of the environment on this Creation Sunday. We seek to be reconciled with those we have hurt and we resolve to do better. 

With your unfailing wisdom and the wind of Your Spirit, inspire us that we may reach out and love one another and care for the world, our home.

Strengthen us to work for local and global justice so that we may one day reap a harvest of equality and fairness as if they were wildflowers, propagating spontaneously, unerringly and in surprising abundance. Amen.

 

Communion Meditation Song: Holy Ground

https://youtu.be/s87pVeZa75Q

BLESSING

Lindy: Let us raise our hands and pray our closing blessing:

 

Go out from this place, ready to hear creation’s call.

Go out, ready to answer, “I am here, standing up for you!”

And as you go, know that the love of Divine Mystery surrounds you,

the peace of Christ empowers you,

and the companionship of the Spirit moves within you

and all of creation, now and always. AMEN                                      

 

Closing Song: Sing Out Earth and Skies – Marty Haugen

https://youtu.be/bTYOglt9ab0

Moment of Oneness: Season of Creation 2020 - Week 2 - Land / Trees

September 9, 2020

Zoom video link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84276550179?pwd=VTFFUzV2ZXk3WitmVEZRYzFLL3lXdz09
Meeting ID: 842 7655 0179
Passcode: 272029
Dial in for audio only: by your location
1 646 558 8656 
Passcode: 272029

Opening/Centering Song: Here in this Place

https://youtu.be/sgkWXOSGmOQ

Opening Prayer: Spirit of the Abundant Earth, I live in the knowledge that I am of the earth, from the earth, and returning to the earth.

Tree of life rise up in me, rooting me deeply in the ground and inviting me to extend my branches far into the sky. 

Spirit that rises like bread, knead me into the shape you desire for my life and allow me to be nourishment for others. 

Blessings of the earth be upon me. May its taste, smell, and touch remind me of the abundance of God.

Christine Valters Paintner

Reading: Ecology & Our Coming to be Human Beings, Part III by Matthew Fox
July 28, 2020

Trevien Stanger, instructor in environmental studies at St. Michael’s College, writes: For some years now, I’ve made a conscious decision to define myself based upon what I do for my home, my watershed, my community, and my spirit:  I plant trees.  I am a Tree Planter.  Let me explain. Like many of my fellow millennials (I was born in ’82), I grew up in what Buddhist scholar David Loy has called “the religion of the market.”  As organized religion failed to bear much fruit for our parents’ generation, the fields of spirituality were left fallow for us.

Potawatami elder Robin Kimmerer asserts “We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands, but also for our relationship to the world.  We need to restore honor to the way we live, so that when we walk through the world we don’t have to avert our eyes with shame, so that we can hold our heads high and receive the respectful acknowledgment of the rest of earth’s beings.” 

As we restore this honor to ourselves and others, we can begin to feel our own “impeccable warrior” rise up to participate in what Joanna Macy has so aptly called “The Great Turning.”

I, for one, plant trees.  Literally.  When I look around at the apathy, the neglect, and the confusion amongst my generation and the ones coming up next, I feel compelled to act, and act I have….I’ve had a hand in planting just shy of 100,000 thousand trees over the past twelve years.  I’ve planted trees alongside people on every stage of their journey.

But why trees, you may ask?  While I could certainly retort with some significant reasons why trees are nevertheless so good for us and our communities (shade, fruit and nuts, erosion control, flood mitigation, clean air, green space, pollinator support, etc.), I argue that the revolutionary power of trees may also lie in the act of planting them.

What happens when you plant a tree?  What happens when you wield a shovel in one hand (a human artifact) and a tree (a provisional mystery) in the other?  What happens when you dig a hole (a Kali-like destruction) and plant a tree within it (an act of creativity)? 

What happens when you learn about your local ecology not just as an observer, but also as a participant? What happens when you embrace the wildness of a tree-being and integrate it into the semi-wild streets and streams of your local community? What happens when you crack open your isolated sense of self and plant within your heart this symbol of our ever-branching inter-being? 

What happens when you consider your actions in terms of your ecological and cultural legacy?  What happens when you move beyond your concerns of today and inquire as to what type of ancestor you will be?

Nelson Henderson posits that “…one true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

Adapted from Matthew Fox, Skylar Wilson, Jennifer Listug, Order of the Sacred Earth, pp. 180-184.
Matthew Fox, The Hidden Spirituality of Men: Ten Metaphors to Awaken the Sacred Masculine, pp. 19-32

Prayers for Creation

We pray for our creation, the whole cosmos including our common home, and the intricate balance in every part of every ecosystem that sustains life on Earth.

We pray for all of the creatures on Earth, as we are all affected by extreme weather events, rising tides, and the changing climate.

We Pray for people who risk their lives to defend creation and for all who have lost their lives in the mission of protecting Mother Earth.

We pray for the Church, that we may truly model Jesus through the teachings found in Laudato Si and bring about ecological conversion, changing hearts and minds to lovingly care for creation.

We pray for social and ecological justice in our world so that we can right the wrongs that create poverty and degrade our common home. 

We pray that we choose  renewable energy and share the gifts of creation. 

Closing Prayer:  A 21st Century Lord’s Prayer

by Roger Courtney on November 4, 2012 

Great divine spirit of love that is at the core of everything
and from which all life flows,

We acknowledge your healing and transforming power.

May the spirit of unconditional love and forgiveness flow through each of us and enable the realm of love to spread throughout the world.

Like the flowers in the fields, ensure that we have the basics we need to live
and give us the love and commitment to ensure that others have what they need too.

Give us the courage to acknowledge when we have done wrong,
to seek forgiveness from those we have hurt
and to forgive those who have hurt us,
so that we may be reconciled.

We acknowledge the power of self-giving love to transform individual hearts and the world.

We recommit ourselves to the unconditional love of others and the work of justice and peace.

Amen

Song, Holy Ground

https://youtu.be/s87pVeZa75Q

Resources: Plant a tree

Free Tree Seedlings

https://www.google.com/search?q=free+tree+seedlings&oq=free+tree&aqs=chrome.3.69i57j0l7.6115j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8