Thursday Evenings at All Hallows (Thursday, April 25, 2024)
This past Monday, April 22, was the 54th Earth Day. It has been more than five decades since the first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970. This year’s theme was Planet vs. Plastics. The aim was to raise people’s awareness of the harmful effects of non-biodegradable plastics on our environment, on wildlife, and on human beings. You can learn more about these effects at EarthDay.Org.
In this evening’s message we will explore the connection between caring for the Earth and the Great Commandment.
GATHERING
God of blessings,
the universe is filled with your glory.
Deepen our gratitude for all you have made
and stir up in us a renewed commitment
to tend and protect the Earth, our home.
Help us to become good stewards of the Earth,
taking with all seriousness our responsibility to care
for our world.
Give to leaders open minds so that they may recognize
the seriousness of the environmental problems
that confront the planet.
Enable them to see the role that human activity
has played in creating and worsening these problems
Give them courage to act urgently and wisely for the healing and
restoration of the Earth so that all people and generations
yet to come may delight in it.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Joining our voices with Christians in every place and every time, we pray:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name;
thy kingdom 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 kingdom,
the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ruth Duck’s “It’s a Song of Praise to the Maker.”
1 It’s a song of praise to the Maker,
the thrush sings high in the tree.
It’s a song of praise to the Maker,
the gray whale sings in the sea,
And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
2 It’s a call of life to the Giver,
when waves and waterfalls roar.
It’s a call of life to the Giver
when high tides break on the shore,
And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
3 It’s a hymn of love to the Lover;
the bumblebees hum along.
It’s a hymn of love to the Lover;
the summer breeze joins the song,
And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
4 It’s the chorus of all creation;
it’s sung by all living things.
It’s the chorus of all creation;
a song the universe sings,
And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
And sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s “Canticle of the Sun.”
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
1 Praise for the sun, the bringer of day,
he carried the light of the Lord in his rays;
the moon and the stars who light up the way
unto your throne.
2 Praise for the wind that blows through the trees,
the seas' mighty storms, the gentlest breeze;
they blow where they will, they blow where they please
to please the Lord.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
3 Praise for the rain that waters our fields,
and blesses our crops so all the earth yields;
from death until life her mystery revealed
springs forth in joy!
4 Praise for the fire who gives us his light,
the warmth of the sun to brighten our night;
he dances with joy, his spirit so bright,
he sings of you!
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
5 Praise for the earth who makes life to grow,
the creatures you made to let your life show;
the flowers and trees that help us to know
the heart of your love.
6 Praise for our death that makes our life real,
the knowledge of loss that helps us to feel;
the gift of yourself, your presence revealed
to bring us home.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
Sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
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 kingdom,
the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ruth Duck’s “It’s a Song of Praise to the Maker.”
1 It’s a song of praise to the Maker,
the thrush sings high in the tree.
It’s a song of praise to the Maker,
the gray whale sings in the sea,
And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
2 It’s a call of life to the Giver,
when waves and waterfalls roar.
It’s a call of life to the Giver
when high tides break on the shore,
And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
3 It’s a hymn of love to the Lover;
the bumblebees hum along.
It’s a hymn of love to the Lover;
the summer breeze joins the song,
And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
4 It’s the chorus of all creation;
it’s sung by all living things.
It’s the chorus of all creation;
a song the universe sings,
And by the Spirit you and I
can join our voice to the holy cry
and sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
And sing, sing, sing
to the Maker too.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s “Canticle of the Sun.”
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
1 Praise for the sun, the bringer of day,
he carried the light of the Lord in his rays;
the moon and the stars who light up the way
unto your throne.
2 Praise for the wind that blows through the trees,
the seas' mighty storms, the gentlest breeze;
they blow where they will, they blow where they please
to please the Lord.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
3 Praise for the rain that waters our fields,
and blesses our crops so all the earth yields;
from death until life her mystery revealed
springs forth in joy!
4 Praise for the fire who gives us his light,
the warmth of the sun to brighten our night;
he dances with joy, his spirit so bright,
he sings of you!
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
5 Praise for the earth who makes life to grow,
the creatures you made to let your life show;
the flowers and trees that help us to know
the heart of your love.
6 Praise for our death that makes our life real,
the knowledge of loss that helps us to feel;
the gift of yourself, your presence revealed
to bring us home.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
And all creation is shouting for joy!
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
And sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
Sing, sing to the glory of the Lord!
Almighty God,
you created the world and gave it into our care:
instill in us a genuine reverence for all that you have made
and grant us grace to grow deeper in our respect of your creation.
Help us to recognize the sacredness of all life
Inspire us to use the riches of creation with wisdom,
and to ensure that their blessings are shared by all;
Help us to turn from the selfish consumption of its resources
and to see the impact of our choices upon the poor and the vulnerable
Enable us to act now for the good of future generations
and the wellbeing of our planet home;
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen..
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ann Schrooten’s arrangement of Adam M. L. Tice’s “Earth Is Full of Wit and Wisdom.”
1 Earth is full of wit and wisdom sounding God’s delighted laugh.
From the tiny roly-poly to the tree-top-tall giraffe,
all creation sings in wonder; even rocks and trees rejoice
as they join the ringing chorus: echoes of our Maker’s voice.
2 Earth is full of wit and wisdom, woven into harmony.
Every creature has a purpose; every flower and bumble-bee,
spider, human, redwood, gecko, monkey, chicken, mouse and snake,
live within a single fabric: cloth that only God could make.
3 Earth is full of wit and wisdom: penguin, platypus and snail,
cactus, sea-slug, oak and algae, from the microbe to the whale.
In this great and strange creation, with a breath God gives us birth;
born of soil to live as stewards, called to love and serve the earth.
PROCLAMATION
Eternal God,
In the reading of the scripture, may your word be heard;
In the meditations of our hearts, may your word be known;
In the faithfulness of our lives, may your word be shown. Amen.
A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 22: 34-40)
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
What is the connection between our stewardship and upkeep of the Earth and the Great Commandment? I see at least two connections between the way we care for our world and Jesus’ summary of the Law and the Prophets. There may be more, but these two connections stand out.
The first connection is to the commandment to love God with the totality of our being. If God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in it as the Bible tells us, then we show our love for him by taking care of what he created and safeguarding it. It does not matter how we understand how God created the Earth or the living creatures that inhabit it. Seeking to undo the harm we may have done and avoiding doing further harm are acts of worship in which we honor and reverence God. We show our respect for God by respecting what God created.
The second connection is to the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samarita identifies all people as our neighbor, not just the family or individual living next door to us or two doors down from us. I do not believe that we would be wrong in concluding that our neighbors include the future generations of humanity as well as all human beings alive in our day and time.
We are not showing love for our neighbors if our present day actions not only harm others beside ourselves but also harm people who are not yet born. In fact, our actions may do greater harm to them than they do to current neighbors and ourselves.
For example, it is not an act of love to tap a nation’s oil reserves so we can continue to drive large, gas-guzzling motor vehicles to gratify our desire to feel important and a cut above everyone else and to impress other people. It is an act of selfishness.
Two common reactions to environmental problems among Christians are both forms of denial. One reaction is to refuse to admit the existence of a problem, much less its extent, its seriousness, or its solvability.
The other reaction is to argue that Christians need not concern themselves with the problem because Jesus is returning and when he returns, all creation will be renewed. Jesus’ second coming becomes an excuse for ignoring the problem or doing nothing about it.
Jesus, however, did not know when he was going to return. What he did know was the good news of the Kingdom of God would have to be proclaimed to all the peoples of the Earth. We are not even close to that happening. A large segment of the Earth’s human population has not heard about Jesus. In the United States only 5% of the churches are sharing the good news with non-Christians.
We may be experiencing wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famine, and pestilence. Previous generations have experienced similar occurrences. Jesus described such occurrences as “early birth pangs.” These pangs do not necessarily signal that a mother is about to go into labor. The mother may be experiencing false labor. Rather than looking for signs of our Lord’s imminent return, Christians need to heed his warning lest they should be found idle when he does return. They need to be carrying out the tasks which their Lord has entrusted to them. One of these tasks is living their lives according to his teaching and example.
Displaying a willingness to work alongside others to identify and solve environmental problems related to human activity can open doors for Christians. The former campus minister at the Baptist Campus Ministry at my local state university had difficulty reaching and engaging students of the university who were concerned about pollution and other environmental issues until he and his team began to take an interest in these issues and gave permission to this group of students to use the BCM building as a meeting place. The students got to know the team and began to see them in a different light. They also began to attend the services and other events put on by the BCM.
As we have seen, there are at least two connections between caring for the Earth and the Great Commandment. In caring for the Earth, we show our love for its Creator and our love for our fellow human beings. We may be only sojourners on the Earth, just passing through, but this should not keep us from becoming involved in environmental issues and seeking to make the world a healthier, more just, and more beautiful place for everyone during our time on Earth.
Silence
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s “Look at the World.”
1 Look at the world, everything all around us
Look at the world and marvel every day.
Look at the world: so many joys and wonders,
So many miracles along our way
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
2 Look at the earth bringing forth fruit and flower,
Look at the sky the sunshine and the rain.
Look at the hills, look at the trees and mountains,
Valley and flowing river, field and plain.
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
3 Think of the spring, think of the warmth of summer
Bringing the harvest before winters cold.
Everything grows, everything has a season,
till it is gathered to the Father's fold:
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
4 Every good gift, all that we need and cherish.
Comes from the Lord in token of his love
We are his hands, stewards of all his bounty
His is the earth and his the heavens above
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
SENDING FORTH
May the God who made the heavens
you created the world and gave it into our care:
instill in us a genuine reverence for all that you have made
and grant us grace to grow deeper in our respect of your creation.
Help us to recognize the sacredness of all life
Inspire us to use the riches of creation with wisdom,
and to ensure that their blessings are shared by all;
Help us to turn from the selfish consumption of its resources
and to see the impact of our choices upon the poor and the vulnerable
Enable us to act now for the good of future generations
and the wellbeing of our planet home;
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen..
Open this link in a new tab to hear Ann Schrooten’s arrangement of Adam M. L. Tice’s “Earth Is Full of Wit and Wisdom.”
1 Earth is full of wit and wisdom sounding God’s delighted laugh.
From the tiny roly-poly to the tree-top-tall giraffe,
all creation sings in wonder; even rocks and trees rejoice
as they join the ringing chorus: echoes of our Maker’s voice.
2 Earth is full of wit and wisdom, woven into harmony.
Every creature has a purpose; every flower and bumble-bee,
spider, human, redwood, gecko, monkey, chicken, mouse and snake,
live within a single fabric: cloth that only God could make.
3 Earth is full of wit and wisdom: penguin, platypus and snail,
cactus, sea-slug, oak and algae, from the microbe to the whale.
In this great and strange creation, with a breath God gives us birth;
born of soil to live as stewards, called to love and serve the earth.
PROCLAMATION
Eternal God,
In the reading of the scripture, may your word be heard;
In the meditations of our hearts, may your word be known;
In the faithfulness of our lives, may your word be shown. Amen.
A reading from the New Testament (Matthew 22: 34-40)
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Silence
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Creation Care and the Great Commandmet
What is the connection between our stewardship and upkeep of the Earth and the Great Commandment? I see at least two connections between the way we care for our world and Jesus’ summary of the Law and the Prophets. There may be more, but these two connections stand out.
The first connection is to the commandment to love God with the totality of our being. If God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in it as the Bible tells us, then we show our love for him by taking care of what he created and safeguarding it. It does not matter how we understand how God created the Earth or the living creatures that inhabit it. Seeking to undo the harm we may have done and avoiding doing further harm are acts of worship in which we honor and reverence God. We show our respect for God by respecting what God created.
The second connection is to the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samarita identifies all people as our neighbor, not just the family or individual living next door to us or two doors down from us. I do not believe that we would be wrong in concluding that our neighbors include the future generations of humanity as well as all human beings alive in our day and time.
We are not showing love for our neighbors if our present day actions not only harm others beside ourselves but also harm people who are not yet born. In fact, our actions may do greater harm to them than they do to current neighbors and ourselves.
For example, it is not an act of love to tap a nation’s oil reserves so we can continue to drive large, gas-guzzling motor vehicles to gratify our desire to feel important and a cut above everyone else and to impress other people. It is an act of selfishness.
Two common reactions to environmental problems among Christians are both forms of denial. One reaction is to refuse to admit the existence of a problem, much less its extent, its seriousness, or its solvability.
The other reaction is to argue that Christians need not concern themselves with the problem because Jesus is returning and when he returns, all creation will be renewed. Jesus’ second coming becomes an excuse for ignoring the problem or doing nothing about it.
Jesus, however, did not know when he was going to return. What he did know was the good news of the Kingdom of God would have to be proclaimed to all the peoples of the Earth. We are not even close to that happening. A large segment of the Earth’s human population has not heard about Jesus. In the United States only 5% of the churches are sharing the good news with non-Christians.
We may be experiencing wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famine, and pestilence. Previous generations have experienced similar occurrences. Jesus described such occurrences as “early birth pangs.” These pangs do not necessarily signal that a mother is about to go into labor. The mother may be experiencing false labor. Rather than looking for signs of our Lord’s imminent return, Christians need to heed his warning lest they should be found idle when he does return. They need to be carrying out the tasks which their Lord has entrusted to them. One of these tasks is living their lives according to his teaching and example.
Displaying a willingness to work alongside others to identify and solve environmental problems related to human activity can open doors for Christians. The former campus minister at the Baptist Campus Ministry at my local state university had difficulty reaching and engaging students of the university who were concerned about pollution and other environmental issues until he and his team began to take an interest in these issues and gave permission to this group of students to use the BCM building as a meeting place. The students got to know the team and began to see them in a different light. They also began to attend the services and other events put on by the BCM.
As we have seen, there are at least two connections between caring for the Earth and the Great Commandment. In caring for the Earth, we show our love for its Creator and our love for our fellow human beings. We may be only sojourners on the Earth, just passing through, but this should not keep us from becoming involved in environmental issues and seeking to make the world a healthier, more just, and more beautiful place for everyone during our time on Earth.
Silence
RESPONSE
Open this link in a new tab to hear John Rutter’s “Look at the World.”
1 Look at the world, everything all around us
Look at the world and marvel every day.
Look at the world: so many joys and wonders,
So many miracles along our way
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
2 Look at the earth bringing forth fruit and flower,
Look at the sky the sunshine and the rain.
Look at the hills, look at the trees and mountains,
Valley and flowing river, field and plain.
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
3 Think of the spring, think of the warmth of summer
Bringing the harvest before winters cold.
Everything grows, everything has a season,
till it is gathered to the Father's fold:
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
4 Every good gift, all that we need and cherish.
Comes from the Lord in token of his love
We are his hands, stewards of all his bounty
His is the earth and his the heavens above
Praise to thee, O lord for all creation.
Give us thankful hearts that we may see
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.
SENDING FORTH
May the God who made the heavens
and the earth and all that is in them
and called them good
bless and keep you
now and forevermore. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Shirley Erena Murray’s “Touch the Earth Lighty.”
1 Touch the earth lightly,
use the earth gently,
nourish the life of the world in our care:
gift of great wonder,
ours to surrender,
trust for the children tomorrow will bear.
2 We who endanger,
who create hunger,
agents of death for all creatures that live,
we who would foster
clouds of disaster—
God of our planet, forestall and forgive!
3 Let there be greening,
birth from the burning,
water that blesses and air that is sweet,
health in God’s garden,
hope in God’s children,
regeneration that peace will complete.
4 God of all living,
God of all loving,
God of the seedling, the snow and the sun,
teach us, deflect us,
Christ reconnect us,
using us gently, and making us one.
Those present may share a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Shirley Erena Murray’s “Touch the Earth Lighty.”
1 Touch the earth lightly,
use the earth gently,
nourish the life of the world in our care:
gift of great wonder,
ours to surrender,
trust for the children tomorrow will bear.
2 We who endanger,
who create hunger,
agents of death for all creatures that live,
we who would foster
clouds of disaster—
God of our planet, forestall and forgive!
3 Let there be greening,
birth from the burning,
water that blesses and air that is sweet,
health in God’s garden,
hope in God’s children,
regeneration that peace will complete.
4 God of all living,
God of all loving,
God of the seedling, the snow and the sun,
teach us, deflect us,
Christ reconnect us,
using us gently, and making us one.
Those present may share a sign of peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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