Cultivating Peace Series: In the Way of St Francis, Becoming Family with all Beings
Practices: Companion Creature Meditation and All Creation Meditation
Image: “St Francis” by M Boutet de Monvel © 1912. Original content: Rev. Kathryn M Schreiber ©2022.
Public Health Safety Note: Effective 5/29/2022, Sunday morning worship services will be outside in the Courtyard until further notice.
We Gather
“With the multitude of the hills lying all around me, I could not but lift my hat as being in the presence of God.” – Walter Scott, 19th c. frontier evangelist
Prelude (musician)
Welcome and Acknowledgements (pastor) Welcome! No matter who you are… No matter where you are on life’s journey… You are welcome here! Welcome guests.
Through Jesus Christ, we are called together as the Beloved Community. We honor this holy ground, unceded territory of the Lisjan-Ohlone people, standing with peace toward all beings.
Flowers Celebration of Mark D’s Birthday.
Worship Team Musician Ian P, Liturgist David L, Pastor Rev. Kathryn Schreiber.
Call to Worship (liturgist, please teach response: “O praise God, Alleluia!”; inspired by St Francis’s hymn)
Liturgist: All Creatures of our Sovereign God; Burning Sun and Silver Moon –
All: O praise God, Alleluia!
Liturgist: Rushing Wind and Sailing Clouds; Rising Morn and Evening Lights –
All: O praise God, Alleluia!
Liturgist: Flowing Waters sing to God; Blazing Fire warms the Night –
All: O praise God, Alleluia!
Liturgist: Forgiving forgiven with tender Hearts; Bearers of pain and sorrow held in God’s care –
All: O praise God, Alleluia!
Liturgist: Amen. (fa, adapted)
As Pastor Kathryn lights the Christ Candle and Altar Votives, let us remember those who are not physically present, but with us in spirit or thought. Amen.
Light The Christ Candle and Altar Votives (pastor)
Votive Lighting Music (musician)
Opening Hymn: “This is My Father’s World” Chalice #59 (musician)
Passing the Peace (all share gestures and words of peace; pastor)
Time for Children “Special Friends” Childhood non-human friends. (pastor)
We Rest in God’s Grace
Prayer and Silence (pastor) Let us shift into silence in God’s presence with this simple prayer based on Psalm 46:10.
Be still and know that I am God. (Breathe slowly)
Be still and know that I am. (Breathe slowly)
Be still and know. (Breathe slowly)
Be still. (Breathe slowly)
Be. (Breathe slowly)
(Breathe in silence) Amen.
Assurance of Grace (pastor) The 13th century German mystic, Meister Eckhart, proclaimed: “In the first glance of God, everything that is in the world was born.” Everything that exists has come into being through God – every being – from the very origins of life.
Throughout Jesus’ ministry he often spoke of plants and animals. Many Gospel stories about him are set outdoors. We modern folks spend a great deal of our time in human-created spaces surrounded by human communications. Often, we are disconnected from our fellow beings. When we imitate Christ pondering other creatures, spending time outdoors, praising the Source of All Life we are woven back into a beautiful, cosmic order. This reorientation is a comforting, healing God-given grace. Amen.
Special Music (musician)
We Listen
Scripture: Matthew 6:25-29 (version: NRSV; liturgist) From Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount – important spiritual teachings freely given to the crowd.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.”
May God add a blessing to the reading and reflecting upon God’s Holy Word. Amen.
Cultivating Peace Series: “Creation Reorientation”(pastor) Moving out of human-exclusive thinking and relating, we follow Christ’s lead considering our fellow creatures. Becoming a sibling among created siblings, as St Francis taught, aligns us with the Peace of Christ. Practices: Companion Creature Meditation and All Creation Meditation.
Hymn: “Fairest Lord Jesus” Chalice #97 (musician)
We Pray
Prayer Requests (pastor; all)
Pastoral Prayer (pastor) Source of all Life and Being, the wonder of all creation is magnificent – Your works reveal your majesty and power. We praise You for all that is, and that we are one among many beloved creatures.
We also pause to hold the tenderness in our hearts – for we see how our human ways have broken the wholeness of life on earth. May we have the courage to still our human-centered minds to listen to the cries of our fellow beings. May we also have the humility to listen for Your Still-Speaking voice as you guide us, as a species, to do our part to repair what we have damaged. Thank You, Most Patient and Gracious God. Amen.
Prayers of the People, Private Prayer, The Lord’s Prayer (pastor)
Neighbors in Need Offering (gather offerings or gestures of offering) Caring God, today we ask Your blessing upon these special donations given to support our neighbors in need. May our gifts, coupled with gifts from throughout the nation, benefit our UCC indigenous siblings and our laboring siblings who are not fairly compensated. We ask this is the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Offering of Praise “Doxology” (musician; all)
We Transition
Announcements (pastor)
- COVID Public Safety Practices Update from BCCC Council.
- Senior Center October Gathering
- Next Two Sundays
Sung Benediction: “Circle Me” chant by Simon de Voil (Pastor Kathryn; recording)
Spoken Benediction (pastor; spontaneous)
Postlude (musician)
The service is concluded.
Worship Resources:
(kms) All content prepared and written by Rev. Kathryn M Schreiber, unless attributed to another source.
(fa) Francis of Asissi, hymn: “All Creatures of our God and King” Chalice Hymnal #22.
(NRSV) New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Residency Acknowledgement: This content was written in Huichin Village, unceded territory of the Lisjan- Ohlone people, where I dwell and serve as a local church pastor. Please support indigenous rematriation efforts, the #LandBack movement, and give to Sogorea Te’ Land Trust Soghttps://sogoreate-landtrust.org/ and other non-profits that reform, balance, and heal relationships with our indigenous hosts. Thank you!
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Online Publishing Date: October 5, 2022.
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Donation: Due to the current coronavirus pandemic this content is free. If you’d like to support the congregation I serve as pastor – Berkeley Chinese Community Church – we’d be most grateful for your support. Please send checks to: BCCC UCC, 2117 Acton Street, Berkeley, CA 94702, Attn: Diane Huie, Treasurer. Thank you!
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in the big love 