September 10, 2023

2nd Sunday of Season of Creation

*  Denotes stand if you are able.

PRELUDE

Gathering

*Welcome and Announcements

*Call to Worship

In the name of the Creator, the fountain of life,
the name of Christ, the pulse of life,
and the name of the Spirit, the breath of life. Amen.
Holy! Holy! Holy!
Earth is filled with God’s presence.
Christ, we come into your presence today
to worship in this sanctuary called Earth,
A planet filled with your presence,
quivering in the forests,
vibrating in the land,
pulsating in the wilderness,
shimmering in the rivers.
God, reveal yourself to us in this place
and show us your face in all creation.
Holy! Holy! Holy!
Earth is filled with God’s presence.
We confess to you
our lack of care for the world you have given us.
Lord, have mercy.
We confess to you
our selfishness in not sharing the earth’s bounty fairly.
Christ, have mercy.
We confess to you
our failure to protect resources for others.
Lord, have mercy.
May the Father of all mercies cleanse you from your sin, and restore in us the joy of your salvation.  God, reveal yourself to us in this place and show us your face in all creation.
Holy! Holy! Holy!
Earth is filled with God’s presence.

*Gathering Song “God of the Fertile Fields” ACS 1063

*Greeting

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.

*CANTICLE OF PRAISE   “Now the Feast and Celebration”

Prayer of the Day

God, our Creator, we celebrate your vibrant presence among us and our kin in creation, especially in the oceans, seas, and depths. Help us to empathize with your creatures who are suffering. Lift our spirits to rejoice with the seas, the fish of the deep and all the creatures of the shores and oceans. In the name of Christ, who reconciles and renews all things in creation. Amen.

Word

God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song.

CHILDREN’S TIME

First Reading: Genesis 3:14–19; 4:8–16

A reading from Genesis.
Chapter 3
14The Lord GOD said to the serpent,
 “Because you have done this,
 cursed are you among all animals
 and among all wild creatures;
 upon your belly you shall go,
 and dust you shall eat
 all the days of your life.
 15I will put enmity between you and the woman,
 and between your offspring and hers;
 he will strike your head,
 and you will strike his heel.”
 16To the woman he said,
 “I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing;
 in pain you shall bring forth children,
 yet your desire shall be for your husband,
 and he shall rule over you.”
 17And to the man he said,
 “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,
 and have eaten of the tree
 about which I commanded you,
 ‘You shall not eat of it,’
 cursed is the ground because of you;
 in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
 18thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
 and you shall eat the plants of the field.
 19By the sweat of your face
 you shall eat bread
 until you return to the ground,
 for out of it you were taken;
 you are dust,
 and to dust you shall return.”

Chapter 4
8Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. 9Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10And the LORD said, “What have you done? Listen; your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 11And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.” 15Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him. 16Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Psalm: Psalm 139:7–10 

Spoken in Unison
 7Where can I go then | from your Spirit?
  Where can I flee | from your presence?
 8If I climb up to heaven, | you are there;
  if I make the grave my bed, you | are there also.
 9If I take the wings | of the morning
  and dwell in the uttermost parts | of the sea,
 10even there your | hand will lead me
  and your right hand | hold me fast.

Second Reading: Romans 5:12–17

A reading from Romans.

12Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned — 13sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14Yet death exercised dominion from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who is a type of the one who was to come.
15But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. 16And the free gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17If, because of the one man’s trespass, death exercised dominion through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

*GOSPEL ACCLAMATION  Gospel Acclamation (Celtic): Celtic Alleluia

*Gospel: Matthew 12:38–40

The holy gospel according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord.

38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth. 
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon Pastor Eric Trozzo

*Prayers of Intercession

Remembering the caring and generous works of God, we pray for the church, creation, and the needs of our neighbors.
Response after each prayer: receive our prayer.

Remember us according to your steadfast love as we offer these and the prayers of our heart, trusting in your compassion made known through Jesus Christ. Amen.

*Peace

The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.

Meal

God feeds us with the presence of Jesus Christ.

Offering “As the Grains of Wheat”

Offering Prayer

Let us pray together. Blessed are you, O God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts: our selves, our time, and our possessions. Use us, and what we have gathered, in feeding the world with your love, through the one who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

*LORD’S PRAYER

Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

Sending

God blesses us and sends us in mission to the world.

BLESSING

Christ calls you to be his disciples,
to serve him with love and compassion
and to serve Earth by caring for creation,
especially the seas that God has given life
so that we and all our kin may live.

May the Spirit of God, who is above all and in all and through all,
fill you with the knowledge of God’s presence in Earth
and the pulsing of Christ within you. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

SENDING SONG “God’s Work, Our Hands” ACS 1000

*Dismissal

Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Postlude 

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