A New World

Call to Worship

In the beginning was the Dream.
And the Dream was with God and spoke for peace.
In the beginning was the Dream.
And the Dream was with God and spoke for justice.
In the beginning was the Dream.
And the Dream was with God and longed for love.
We come to worship the God of the Dream in a spirit of peace, justice, and love, longing to glimpse the promise of a holy dwelling place for all creation.

Written by Sally Johnson, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement

Opening Prayer

Ever-dreaming God, come to us now, in this time, opening our imaginations to your promise for us, in us, and in all you have made. We pray in the name of your Dream made flesh, Jesus the Christ. Amen

Written by Sally Johnson, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement

Pastoral Prayer

God, you are in the song of the trees and the hungers of our hearts.

You dwell in the pulse of creation; there is no place where you are not.

We give you thanks for the expansive power of your still-creating love.

We pray gratitude for the wild goodness of being creatures called to wonder and freedom. You have created all that is, and you call it good. Give us the courage and wisdom to know ourselves as co-creators of your vision for abundant life for all.

Pulse of life, hear our prayer. Stir into the places of ecological despair the awareness that you are yet calling us to a new-created earth. Your Resurrection power extends to trees and hearts, imaginations and shared witness.

We name on this day the places needful of reminders of your steadfast presence __________________________(list contextual concerns)

We lift the complexity and harmony of life to your heart and trust that you hear and hold us as we pray in shared silence:

We claim kinship with the one who coaxed beauty out of trees, your son Jesus who is Christ.

Coax beauty out of us, living Spirit! Embolden us to be those who shape life, peace, and beauty.

We pray, we live, we long, and we love, seeking to live your vision. May we know your kin-dom come, even now; especially now.

Amen

Written by Rev. Elizabeth Macaulay, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement

Benediction

Here is the commandment…love one another!
Here is the commandment…love the planet that sustains us.
Let this love flow through the ordinary and the miraculous as we help bring into being the kin-dom of God, renewing the world.
So be it. Amen.

Written by Sally Johnson, United Methodist Creation Justice Movement

Rev. Sally Howell Johnson is a retired deacon in the United Methodist Church. She has written and led liturgies in the tradition of Creation and Celtic Spirituality for over 30 years and is the author of two books: Barefoot Zone: Walking the Sacred Path and The Practicing Life: Simple Acts. Sacred Living and writes a blog, Pause, at sallyhowelljohnson.com.

Rev. Elizabeth Macaulay serves as lead pastor at Hennepin Ave UMC in Minneapolis. She is an Earthkeeper and is part of the Creation Collective at Hennepin Ave UMC - a growing movement for earth advocacy in partnership with Garrett Evangelical Seminary and all of creation.