Lunch Time and Cleanup

PHOTOS - Upper left going CW: 1. Presiding minister Pastor Amanda Kossow, 2. Gathering in fellowship hall, 3. Video presentation by NE Synod Bishop Aitken, 4

.Lunch Break, 5. Bethlehem Lutheran Pastors Rev. Dr. Mark Skinner and Rev. Sarah Marshall, 6. EcoFaith Co-chairs Pastor Kristin Foster and Pastor David Carlson along

with pianist Pastor Jake Dyhrhaug. Photo Source: Russ Schultz

Agenda for the Day

9:00 a.m. Registration and coffee

9:30 a.m. Plenary Session - Fellowship Hall

Welcome and introductions Pastor Kristin Foster

Opening Song What in the World is Going On? Pastor Jake Dyrhaug

Keynote speaker Pastor Dave Carlson

11:00-12 Breakout session I (Session details on back)

12-12:45 p.m. Lunch- Fellowship hall

12:45-1:45 p.m. Break-out session II (Session details on back)

1:45-2:15 p.m. Coffee and networking – Fellowship Hall

2:30 p.m. Liturgy for Earthkeeping Holy Communion – Sanctuary Diane Jacobson, Preacher

3:30 p.m. Go in peace. Be stewards of the earth for the sake of the whole creation!

***********************

A Special Welcome to our guest preacher, Diane Jacobson Old Testament Professor Emeritus Luther Seminary, and former Director of ELCA Book of Faith Initiative. Diane is a Deacon, Ministry of Word and Service, and a member of Lutheran of the Redeemer, Saint Paul, MN.

Special thanks to Bethlehem Lutheran Creation Care Team for

hosting the Summit

Lord of Life Lutheran, Brainerd Lutheran and

Lutheran Church of the Cross, Nisswa for hospitality

assistance

Lord of Life Lutheran, for the eco-coffee cups

Lutherans Restoring Creation for resources

Messiah Lutheran, Mountain Iron, for loaning the

Liturgy for Earthkeeping song booklets

Creation banners from Immanuel, Tower, Messiah,

Mt. Iron, Gloria Dei, Duluth, and Lutheran Church of

the Cross, Nisswa

Thrivent for Lutherans for their $250 grant

Welcome to our guests and partners from The Minneapolis Area Synod EcoFaith Network

The Northwestern Minnesota Synod

The Saint Paul Area Synod Creation Care

The Southeastern Minnesota Synod EcoFaith

Environmental Justice, Mps Area Synod, Grace Corbin

Minnesota Environmental Quality Board, Willis Mattison

Nature Conservancy, Ellie Burkett

Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light Bret Pence, ____

Lutheran Advocacy Minnesota Tammy Wolhof

Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (representatives from Luther Crest and Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry)

SW MN Synod EcoFaith

EcoFaith Summit 2019 Breakout Sessions God loves all creation. The Son took on the very stuff of creation to bring about its healing. God sends the Spirit to renew the creation. In faith we too are called, gathered, and sent to live lives of love and healing toward communities of things, great and small, that weave the fabric of life, and which are under threat. These breakout sessions will give you an opportunity to learn, share your story, and explore with others what it means, practically speaking, to integrate the care of creation into each area of your congregation’s ministry. Breakout sessions will be facilitated by members of our EcoFaith Network’s Leadership Team along with special guests. Printed and on-line resources will be available. Wherever you and your congregation are on the journey, you have something to learn and to contribute!

1. Worshiping the God of All Creation With the whole creation, we worship the God of all creation, who became a part of creation in Jesus Christ for the sake of the healing of creation. How can the way we worship in our congregations be centered around God for, with, and in the whole creation? This break-out session will explore how sacramental practice, preaching, music, prayer, and worship space can reflect the God of all creation who became a part of creation. We will introduce the Season of Creation, a distinct season of the church year with its own three year lectionary cycle, and sample creation-oriented liturgies.

2. Education to Inform Faith for the Whole Earth This break-out session will present ideas about how education in many forms can be used in your personal and congregational ministry to reflect a God that cares for the whole creation. These forms can include Sunday School and/or confirmation, Bible study, Lutheran Outdoor Ministry, adult forums, Sunday Green Tips, and more. Diane Jacobson, a Luther Seminary Professor emeritus will lead the session. You’ll hear about specific ministries from congregations in our Synod, have an opportunity to share your ideas and experiences, and brainstorm about ways we can work together across our Synod.

3. Congregational Life as Care for the Whole Earth Creation Did you know that more members of our congregations have adopted green practices at home than in their congregations? How can your congregation’s daily and weekly activities do less harm and provide more care for the earth? What about displays of art or nature photography? How can we be stewards of the earth in our simplest activities, such as coffee fellowship? When we encounter resistance to change, how can we gently move through it? This break-out session will also look at how relationships, outings, and storytelling can transform congregational life as a community that experiences its relationship with the whole Earth creation.

4. Inside Out: Using Your Church’s Building and Grounds for the Whole Creation The land outside your church building can say just as much about who we worship as the building itself. Your church’s building and grounds not only provide space for us to gather and to welcome the community, but also new opportunities for creative stewardship and mission. Learn how churches are saving thousands of dollars through energy conservation techniques, installing solar power and working for community solar gardens, cultivating community gardens and orchards, creating pollinator gardens and Monarch Butterfly Way Stations, creating outdoor prayer labyrinths and walking paths, refitting their church kitchens as community kitchens, and more. Many of these ideas will relate to homes, businesses, etc. as well as churches.

5. Engaging the Community in Care for the Whole Creation Daily, we see the results of brokenness. Earth has been impacted by humanity’s selfishness and bad choices damaging land, water, air, and atmosphere, in addition to our many human and non-human neighbors. Through God’s love in Jesus, relationship is restored. Touched by God’s love we are called to work for restoration and healing in all relationships within and between our communities and all of God’s creation. Join us in identifying the communities in our lives and considering the various ways we can engage those communities in the healing of creation.

Currents in Theology and Mission 45:1 (January 2018) 41

9.5 Theses on Earth Stewardship: Lutheran Roots for a New ReformationDavid M. Carlson, D.Min.Pastor, Gloria Dei Lutheran ChurchDuluth, Minnesota

The current ecological crisis and the challenges of addressing climate change call for reformation, within both church and society. In the spirit of the Reformer’s public posting

on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, I offer these reflections on “Earth Stewardship: Lutheran Roots for A New Reformation” in the form of 9.5 Theses.1 In keeping with his original theses, written for academic discourse, most of these incorporate Latin phrases.

——— #1 ———Martin Luther understood God’s relationship with the world

as that of creatio continua—“continuing creation.” In the Small Catechism, his explanation of the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed begins by saying, “I believe that God has created me together with all that exists. God has given me and still preserves my body and soul: eyes, ears, and all limbs and senses; reason and all mental faculties.”2 Rather than simply saying God exists, this statement brings creation to a personal level. God has created me together with all that exists; I am part of God’s creation, connected to all of it. And unlike deists who with the advent of modern science felt the need to push God’s activity to the margins—like a clockmaker who wound up the world, set it in motion, and stepped away—Luther and his legacy see God actively involved with the world, continuing to create, preserve, provide. Lutheran theologian Philip Hefner describes our role as “created co-creators,”3 part of God’s creation (as creatures) but also participants with God in the creative process whose original purpose in the garden was to till and keep it (Gen 2:15). But it is a role that carries with it negative as well as positive connotations, as can be seen with the current pronouncement by

1. This paper was first presented on November 3, 2016, in Du-luth, Minnesota, at “Luther’s Legacy: 500 Years,” an event hosted by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Part of the inspiration for the succinct format came from the ten-point addendum, “Why Lutherans Care for All Creation,” in David Rhoads, “Reflections on a Lutheran Theology of Creation: Foundations for a New Reformation,” Seminary Ridge Review 15, no. 1 (2012): 48–49.

2. Robert Kolb, Timothy J. Wengert, and Charles P. Arand, The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000), 354.

3. Philip J. Hefner, The Human Factor: Evolution, Culture, and Religion, Theology and the Sciences (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993).

scientists that we now live in the anthropocene. That is, we have entered a new geological epoch where human beings have become a geological force, not only impacting climate but also the earth itself, the chemistry of the oceans and the air—which brings us to the next thesis.

——— #2 ———For Luther, Christians are simul justus et peccator—

“simultaneously saint and sinner.” We are a paradox: on the one hand justified by grace through faith, but on the other captive to sin. And sin, for Luther, is best described as cor curvatum in se, “the heart turned in on itself,” not only away from God and God’s intentions but also away from one’s neighbor and the concerns of the world. It is being self-absorbed as if I am all that matters. The concept of sin is both personal/individual and also corporate/social for Luther, and today Lutheran theologians such as Larry Rasmus-sen talk about “species sin” as a factor in the ecological crisis—the idea of anthropocentrism, that all of creation exists for humanity, and other creatures are seen merely as objects and resources for our use, our progress—and we have forgotten our role as stewards, created co-creators.4 Repentance, therefore, is needed today at all these levels: another turning, outward from self toward the other, a process enabled by God’s grace.

——— #3 ———Luther had a robust understanding of vocatio—“vocation”:

namely, that we are called by God in our work, whatever that work might be. A person didn’t need to be a monk or a nun to serve God, but in daily life and in ordinary work God is glorified. Famously, for Luther, this included changing a baby’s diapers, but it could also apply to work that farmers, educators, and scientists do

4. Larry L. Rasmussen, Earth-Honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), 92–93.

God has created me together with all that exists; I am part of God’s

creation, connected to all of it.

Carlson. 9.5 Theses on Earth Stewardship: Lutheran Roots for a New Reformation

Currents in Theology and Mission 45:1 (January 2018) 42

all, but not one thing encompasses it and dwells in it.6

Here is a tremendous theological asset for our reflections on faith and earthkeeping: the conviction that God is dwelling in, with, and under all creation. It helps recapture a sacramental un-derstanding of the natural world in stark contrast to the modern industrial one.

——— #5 ———As the above quote also illustrates, God is both revealed and

concealed in creation, both present and hidden, behind what Luther called the larva Dei—“masks of God.” The idea is one of humility before God, that God can’t be pinpointed or boxed in by the cosmos or encompassed by any one thing, yet God hides himself in the stuff of the earth, in ordinary, everyday life. Here are a few more examples from Luther’s Works:7

• The power of God … must be essentially present at all places, even in the tiniest tree leaf. (LW 37:57)

• Therefore, indeed, he must be present in every single creature in its innermost and outermost being, on all sides, through and through, below and above, before and behind, so that nothing can be more truly pres-ent and within all creatures than God himself with his power. (LW 37:58)

• God is entirely present, personally and essentially, in Christ on earth … in the wilderness … in the garden, in the field … (LW 37:61)

• [God] wants to be praised for nourishing and cherish-ing, for He cherishes all creatures. He is not only the Creator, but He is also the Sustainer and Nourisher. (LW 5:197)

• God is in all creatures … in even the smallest flow-ers! (LW 54:327)

Sometimes we may look for God thinking we know where to find him, and at other times God is hiding where we least expect God to be—which brings us to the next thesis.

6. Luther, Daß diese Wort Christi “Das ist mein Leib” noch fest stehen, wider die Schwermgeister (1527), in WA 23:134.34—23:136.36. English citation in H. Paul Santmire, Before Nature: A Christian Spiri-tuality (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014), 140. Cf. LW 37:59–60.

7. Martin Luther et al., Luther’s Works, American ed., 55 vols. (Saint Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 1955).

today. Our bishop likes to say the Lutheran church was born out of both the church and the university, and Luther’s commitment to public education for both girls and boys and his understanding of vocation embrace the idea of using all our God-given capacities and knowledge to serve God’s purposes, which includes addressing current ecological challenges.5 Advocacy, also rooted in vocatio, cries out for justice on behalf of those underrepresented in decision-making, including those living in poverty, future generations, and the rest of the creation.

——— #4 ———For Luther, finitum capax infinitum—“the finite is capable of

bearing the infinite.” Lutheran sacramental theology traditionally emphasizes Christ’s presence in, with, and under the elements, the finite bread and wine are capable of bearing the body and blood of Christ, when accompanied with the word of God. This is how Lutherans articulate Christ’s real presence in Holy Communion. But Luther goes further to say Christ’s presence in the Eucharist actually testifies to God’s presence in the whole creation. It is worth reading Luther at length on this point:

God is substantially present everywhere, in and through all creatures, in all their parts and places, so that the world is full of God and He fills all, but without His being encompassed and surrounded by it. He is at the same time outside and above all creatures. These are all exceedingly incomprehensible matters; yet they are articles of our faith and are attested clearly and mightily in Holy Scripture. … For how can reason tolerate it that the Divine Majesty is so small that it can be substantially present in a grain, on a grain, through a grain, within and without, and that, although it is a single Majesty, it nevertheless is entirely in each grain separately, no matter how immeasurably numerous these grains may be? … And that the same Majesty is so large that neither this world nor a thousand worlds can encompass it and say: “Behold, there it is!” … His own divine essence can be in all creatures collectively and in each one individually more profoundly, more intimately, more present than the creature is in itself, yet it can be encompassed nowhere and by no one. It encompasses all things and dwells in

5. See Cynthia D. Moe-Lobeda, Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological and Economic Vocation (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013).

Luther’s... understanding of vocation embraces the idea of using all our

God-given capacities and knowledge to serve God’s purposes, which includes addressing current ecological challenges.

God is substantially present everywhere, in and through all

creatures, in all their parts and places, so that the world is full of God and He fills all.

Carlson. 9.5 Theses on Earth Stewardship: Lutheran Roots for a New Reformation

Currents in Theology and Mission 45:1 (January 2018) 43

redemption he effects for all creation, not only through his resur-rection from the dead but also through his incarnate life as fully human—a mammal who depended on air, water, soil, climate, sunshine10—and through his solidarity with the most vulnerable in his ministry, crucifixion, and death. Lutheran scholar David Rhoads puts it this way:

Creation is not a stage or a backdrop on which human redemption is carried out. We have screened creation out of much of our reading of the Bible, where the natural order is an integral part of that which God is seeking to redeem and bring to fulfillment.11

God is not just concerned with human souls, but with the whole creation. And while Luther’s concept of the Savior of the world might not have been directly emphasizing this broad redemptive scope, its essence is used in Lutheran prayers today. For example:

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts. With them we offer ourselves to your service and dedicate our lives to the care and redemption of all that you have made, for the sake of him who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.12

——— #8 ———The Lutheran legacy is one of semper reformanda—“always

reforming.” Just as Martin Luther was moved by the promise of salvation by grace alone through faith alone to effect significant reforms in and through the sixteenth century church, so also lead-ers moved by the promise of redemption for all creation are called to work toward significant ecological reform in and through the church today. As Larry Rasmussen observes, the same liberating gospel that challenged “ecclesial systems of bondage” in Luther’s day and offered “creative reform that resisted the corruption of the church” is at work today with a different purpose: “to rally the powers of faith for the long, hard transition from the unsustain-able way of life of industrial-technological civilization to a durable future in ecological-technological civilization.”13

The widespread and systemic problems of the ecological crisis call for comprehensive transformations—not only in society but also in the church, especially if it is to provide leadership in addressing them. David Rhoads describes worshiping in relationship with creation, preaching God’s word for all creation, broadening our social justice concerns to include endangered species and vulner-able ecosystems, and creating communities that are alternatives to

10. Rhoads, “Reflections on a Lutheran Theology of Creation: Foundations for a New Reformation,” 27.

11. Ibid., 8.12. Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, Lutheran Book

of Worship (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1978), 88. Emphasis added.

13. Larry L. Rasmussen, “Lutheran Sacramental Imagination,” Journal of Lutheran Ethics: par. 17, http://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/42 (accessed December 31, 2014).

——— #6 ———In the theologia cruces—“theology of the cross”—Luther ar-

ticulated God’s presence and work especially through the crucified, the godforsaken one on the cross, and thereby God’s solidarity in Christ with all who suffer. So God is not only present in sunsets and the miracle of birth, but also in the “groaning of creation” (Rom 8:22). The theology of the cross prevents us from adopting a romantic view of nature and forces us to face the reality of our human-centered, earth-diminishing ways of life. The cross is the culmination of the movement of the Creator toward all creation, a movement that calls also for an ecclesia cruces—“a church of the cross”—whose capacity for compassion (suffering-with) expands beyond anthropocentric concerns to include the most vulnerable in nature. As Larry Rasmussen explains,

The moral assumption here is that the farther one is removed from that suffering present in creation, the farther one is from its central moral reality (such distance belongs to theologies of glory). And the closer one is to the suffering of creation, the more difficult it is to refuse participation in that afflicted life, humankind’s or other-kind’s (such intimacy is cross theology).8

Here is a helpful insight for the church: freed in Christ to serve the neighbor, we follow Christ into solidarity with the suffering world in order there to participate in its healing.

——— #7 ———Throughout his life, Luther sang in worship of the Salvator

mundi—“Savior of the world.” We think of his time in the Au-gustinian monastery, and rhythms of prayer life and the church year. At Christmas, celebrating the birth of Christ, the assembly’s response was, “Thou perennial hope of all, thou art come the salvation of the world,” and on Good Friday, “Behold the wood of the cross on which was hung the salvation of the world. Come let us adore”9—responses that continue in worship today. As the linchpin between creation and new creation, Jesus embodies the

8. Larry L. Rasmussen, “Waiting for the Lutherans,” Currents in Theology and Mission 37, no. 2 (2010): 94–95.

9. Heinrich Denifle and Raymund Volz, Luther and Lutherdom, from Original Sources (Somerset, O.: Torch Press, 1917), 445–446.

The cross is the culmination of the movement of the Creator

toward all creation... whose capacity for compassion (suffering-with) expands beyond anthropocentric concerns to include the most vulnerable in nature.

Carlson. 9.5 Theses on Earth Stewardship: Lutheran Roots for a New Reformation

Currents in Theology and Mission 45:1 (January 2018) 44

Bibliography

Denifle, Heinrich, and Raymund Volz. Luther and Lutherdom, from Original Sources. Somerset, O,: Torch press, 1917.

Hansen, Guillermo. “Neoliberal Globalization: A Casus Confessionis?” Journal of Lutheran Ethics. Published electronically February 1, 2005. http://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/698 (accessed December 28, 2015).

Hefner, Philip J. The Human Factor: Evolution, Culture, and Religion. Theology and the Sciences. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1993.

Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship. Lutheran Book of Worship. Minneapolis: Augsburg Pub. House, 1978.

Kolb, Robert, Timothy J. Wengert, and Charles P. Arand. The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2000.

Luther, Martin, Jaroslav Pelikan, Hilton C. Oswald, and Helmut T. Lehmann. Luther’s Works. American ed. 55 vols. Saint Louis: Concordia Pub. House, 1955.

Moe-Lobeda, Cynthia D. Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological and Economic Vocation. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013.

Rasmussen, Larry L. Earth-Honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.

———. “Lutheran Sacramental Imagination.” Journal of Lutheran Ethics. Published electronically February 12, 2014. http://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/42 (accessed December 31, 2014).

———. “Waiting for the Lutherans.” Currents in Theology and Mission 37, no. 2 (2010): 86–98.

Rhoads, David. “Reflections on a Lutheran Theology of Creation: Foundations for a New Reformation.” Seminary Ridge Review 15, no. 1 (2012): 1–49.

Santmire, H. Paul. Before Nature: A Christian Spirituality. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.

consumption and exploitation. Yet he recognizes that the necessary global changes are inextricably linked to personal transformation: “In this new reformation, we need to reform ourselves.”14

——— #9 ———Some Lutheran scholars today believe the issue of ecological

justice has status confessionis—“confessional status.” Here it is vital to become familiar with voices lifting up eco-justice from other parts of the globe, particularly the global South, who are most af-fected by climate change and see the church’s moral responsibility responding to it as becoming a matter of status confessionis, a term that elevates an issue to the center of what it means to confess and practice the faith with integrity.15 As with the Confessing Church in opposition to the Third Reich in Nazi Germany and the response of churches to the injustices of Apartheid in South Africa, the threat of economic injustice and cultural displacement brought about by globalization and climate change is becoming integral to the public witness of the church for the well-being of humanity and creation. As the effects of climate change continue and magnify humanitarian crises as well as ecological ones, will the level of the church’s emphasis on earth stewardship relate to how the faithfulness and relevance of its ministry is perceived?

——— #9.5 ———When Luther was asked what he would do if the world were

to end tomorrow, he is said to have responded, “I would plant an apple tree today.” I make this my half thesis because this quotation cannot be found in Luther’s works. Still, it is attributed to him for good reason because he was a man of hope—hope in God’s future. Luther’s was not an escapist theology, but one that was seeking God’s will for this world, God’s fulfillment for this world.

Here, finally, we see Lutheran roots for a new reformation: a posture of sober self-examination and recognizing the urgency of the crisis, in faithful dialectic with compassionate energy, long-term vision, and resurrection hope. Faith communities who are willing not only to roll up their sleeves and plant trees, but also who know and are inspired by the God who meets them in the rhythms of death and renewal in their liturgical life and in creation itself, have an important role in this new reformation.

14. Rhoads, “Reflections on a Lutheran Theology of Creation: Foundations for a New Reformation,” 7.

15. E.g., Guillermo Hansen, “Neoliberal Globalization: A Casus Confessionis?,” Journal of Lutheran Ethics, http://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/698 (accessed December 28, 2015).

The threat of economic injustice and cultural displacement brought

about by globalization and climate change is becoming integral to the public witness of the church for the well-being of humanity and creation.

Personal Engagement

Community Engagement

Congregational Engagement

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Areas of Integrating Earth Stewardship

Worship

Education

Congregational Life

Building & Grounds

Community Action

Sustainability: The Natural Step – A Sketch (D. Carlson)

Graphics by The Natural Step, www.naturalstep.org

Figure 1. Cycles of Nature

Figure 2. How We Influence Nature’s Cycles

Four Principles for Sustainability

The Natural Step articulates a vision of sustainability through Four System Conditions or Principles:

To become a sustainable society we must eliminate our contributions to ...

1. the systematic increase of concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth's crust (e.g. heavy metals

and fossil fuels)

2. the systematic increase of concentrations of substances produced by society (e.g. plastics, dioxins, PCBs and

DDT)

3. the systematic physical degradation of nature and natural processes (e.g. over harvesting forests, destroying

habitat and overfishing); and ...

4. conditions that systematically undermine people’s capacity to meet their basic human needs (e.g. unsafe

working conditions and not enough pay to live on).

ABCD Process – Awareness, Baseline, Creativity, Decision

Negative actions & Positive actions

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

Backcasting – beginning with the end in mind

See also YouTube: “sustainability illustrated”

EcoFaith Network Resources

(Compiled by the NE Minnesota Synod Leadership Team)

EcoFaith Network Northeastern MN Synod/ELCA Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/nemnecofaithnetwork Email: ecofaith@nemnsynod.org Leadership Team Co-Chairs: Pastor David Carlson; pastor@gloriadeiduluth.org Pastor Kristin Foster; revkristinfoster@gmail.com

Resources available on the NE MN Synod/ELCA EcoFaith Network web pages at: www.nemnsynod.org/eco-faith.html Micro-grant applications and resources

ELCA’s Social Statement: Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice

PDFs to download: --Becoming a Creation Caring Congregation --Checklist for Green Congregations --Earth Stewardship and the Missio Dei: Participating in the Care and Redemption of All God Has Made --Lutheran Church of the Cross, Blessing of Seeds Service --Seasons of Creation Overview --Three Year Seasons of Creation Readings

Speaker’s Bureau Brochure

Becoming a Creation Care Congregation: Starting a Creation Care Team

Archives of EcoFaith Network ENews

Special Creation Care Initiatives Northeastern Minnesota Synod Watershed Initiative We All Live in a Watershed Fact Sheet Our Watershed Moment Toolkit Northeastern Minnesota Watershed Map Faith and Clean Energy Initiative

Energy-Themed Worship Mini-Toolkit Faith & Clean Energy Toolkit

Worship Resources: 1) Season of Creation – alternative 5-week lectionary www.seasonofcreation.com

2) Liturgy for Earthkeeping –created by Dakota Road for Luther College www.dakotaroadmusic.com

General Resources: Lutherans Restoring Creation: www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org.

Resources for individuals, congregations, pastors, youth workers, colleges and universities, seminaries, regions, and synods, including resources for preaching, education, adult forums and bible studies.

ELCA Caring for Creation Resources https://www.elca.org/Resources/Caring-for-Creation Resources for congregations, including downloadable study guides; individuals, including the multi-lesson Living Earth series; and a list of creation care organizations to help congregations and leaders develop an environmental ministry.

Web of Creation www.webofcreation.org Bible verses about caring for creation; links to EcoFaith groups, the Earth Bible Project and more.

Congregations Caring for Creation http://www.c3mn.net Worship, ritual, and spiritual resources as well as educational materials

Earthbound: Created and Called to Care for Creation, DVD video series ideal for adult study/ confirmation https://www.selectlearning.org/store/all/earthbound-created-and-called-care-creation-dvd

35 Ideas for Your Congregation http://www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org/35-ideas-for-your-congregation

Environmental Guide for Congregations, Their Buildings and Grounds https://www.webofcreation.org/Environmental%20Guide.pdf

Lutheran, Ecumenical and Interfaith Creation Care Organizations Creation Justice Ministries www.creationjustice.org

Resources to equip and mobilize Christian communions/denominations, congregations and individuals to protect and restore God's creation, e.g. “Earth Day Sunday” materials for reflection, education and worship.

Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability www.irpsmn.org

IRPS builds active partnerships for environmental, economic, and community flourishing in northeastern Minnesota. It hosts the annual Iron Range Earth Fest for northeastern Minnesota.

Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light https://mnipl.org/

MNIPL is a faith-based response to climate change, helping congregations to respond through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy and people of faith raise their voices in the policy-making arena to advance clean energy and limit carbon pollution.

Earth Ministry www.earthministry.org Earth Ministry is a faith-based organization in Washington state engaging the Christian community in environmental stewardship. Resources include a handbook for creation care in congregations.

Green Faith www.greenfaith.org Green Faith works to inspire, educate and mobilize people of diverse religious backgrounds for environmental leadership. Programs include the “GreenFaith Certification” for congregations and the “Greenfaith Fellowship” program for individuals.

Energy Star for Congregations www.energystar.gov/congregations This is a federal government initiative to help congregations cut their energy use, save money and protect the environment. Resources include an Energy Star Guide for Congregations.

Lutherans Restoring Creation www.lutheransrestoringcreation.org Lutherans Restoring Creation is an ELCA wide membership network with opportunities to become Covenant Congregations, and for working with Green Shepherds and Creation Care Coaches.

Creation Care Reading Recommendations Earth Stewardship and the Missio Dei: Participating in the Care and Redemption of All God Has Made, by Rev. David Carlson, the published Doctor of Ministry dissertation exploring ways that earth stewardship can, must, and is integral to congregational life and mission. Published by David Carlson

God of Earth, Discovering a radically ecological Christianity. Kristin Swenson, Westminster John Knox Press, 2016. She makes the case for caring for the earth in context of the seasons of the church year. Earth Honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key, by Larry Rasmussen, brings together theolgocial reflection and ethical persuasion to argue for the transformation of religions into their ecological phase; eloquent and comprehensive. He addressing current environmental challenges require more than good science; Rasmussen proposes a spiritual and ecological ethic drawing from across religious traditions for the well-being of all creation. Oxford University Press. Laudato Si', On Care of Our Common Home,by Pope Francis, - papal encyclical responding to climate change The Seasons Alter, How to save our Planet in six acts. Philip Kitcber and Evelyn Keller, 2017, Liveright Pub. This is an argument to accept climate change through a conversational format. The Great Partnership, Science, Religion, and the search for meaning. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, 2011,Schocken Pub. Argument that science and religion are compatible. For the Time Being. Anne Dillard. 1999, Vintage Books. Personal reflections in the context of the natural world. Love in a Time of Climate Change, honoring creation, establishing justice. Sharon Delgado, Fortress Press, 2017. She challenges Christians to love creation as God loves it, using much of John Wesley’s theology, The Nature Principle, human restoration and the end of Nature-deficit disorder. Richard Louv, Algonquin Books, 2011. How human capacities are enhanced through power of the natural world. Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy, by Joanna Macy, eco-philosopher and Chris Johnstone, physician specialist in the psychology of resilience and positive change. Published by New World Library Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Social Movement in History is Restoring Grace, Justice, and Beauty to the World, by Paul Hawken, Penguin Books (2007)

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Language of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, narrative essays that inform, inspire, and challenge assumptions about the relationship between humans and plants. Milkweed Editions The Creation: An Appeal to Save Life on Earth, by E.O. Wilson, written in the form of an impassioned letter to a Southern Baptist pastor, describing the perilous impacts of mass species extinctions, and appealing for the coming together of religious and scientific perspectives to avert cataclysm. Ecologies of Grace: Environmental Ethics and Christian Theology, by Willis Jenkins, professor of ethics at Yale Divinity School, an in depth and scholarly exploration of how each of three different understandings of salvation can shape Christian engagement in the environmental crisis. Oxford University Press (2008) Food and Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread, an anthology including Wendell Berry, Thomas Moore, Elizabeth Johnson, John Robbins and others, edited and compiled by Michael Schur, includes study guide, Morehouse Publishing Holy Ground: A Gathering of Voices on Caring for Creation, including Mary Evelyn Tucker, Patriarch Bartholomew, Pope Benedict XVI, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Brian McLaren, , Phyllis Tickle and others, Edited by Lyndsay Moseley and the staff of Sierra Club Books A New Harmony: The Spirit, the Earth, and the Human Soul, by Celtic theologian John Philip Newell, beautiful exploration of the ancient harmony deep in the matter of the universe, and confronting our broken harmony as hope for healing, transforming the way we understand ourselves. Published by Jossey-Bass David Seidenberg, Introduction to Kabbalah and Ecology: God's Image in the More-Than-Human World (2015) - Rabbi explores ecological touchstones in Jewish mysticism Brian Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker, Journey of the Universe - scientist and theologian collaborate on narrative of the universe's origin, thresholds of its development, and future Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction - Pulitzer Prize winning book tracing the reality of species extinction in history and the present John Grim & Mary Evelyn Tucker, Ecology and Religion - an exploration of humanity's relationship with ecology in Western, Eastern, and indigenous religions

Green Tips These green tips have been used on the EcoFaith Network Facebook page. Use these in Sunday bulletins, monthly newsletters, posted on bulletin boards, etc. More Green Tips will be posted on the Synod website. Cut Energy Costs With the average U.S. household spending $5,500 a year on energy costs, it is possible to cut energy use in half using existing technologies - including plugging air leaks and installing ceiling fans. Use Green America's "Ten Easiest Ways to Cut Your Energy Use in Half" by going to https://www.greenamerica.org/cut-your-carbon-at-home to get started and save $2,225. Save $802/year on the $1,604 the average person in the U.S. spends each year on clothes by shopping consignment and thrift shops, rummage sales, and holding clothing swaps.

Think Twice About Using Chemical Herbicides IS ROUNDUP A SAFE HERBICIDE? Roundup (Glyphosate) was introduced by Monsanto in 1974, as an herbicide (weed killer) that is "as safe as table salt". For about 20 years Roundup was used as a total vegetation killer and it was not used in agriculture because crops were killed by it. But in 1996 Monsanto introduced genetically modified (GMO) crops that are resistant to Roundup. Now many different crops have been genetically engineered to resist Roundup, such as corn, soybeans, and cotton, and Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in U.S. agriculture. Recent testing by non-government labs has found residues of Roundup in many U.S. foods, including honey, oatmeal, eggs, flour, beer and infant formula. The International Agency for Research on Cancer and the State of California recently classified Roundup as a "probable carcinogen" (causes cancer). Currently, the U.S.EPA has no restrictions on Roundup, but there are numerous lawsuits in progress against the EPA and Monsanto, claiming cancer and other health effects from exposure.

Recycling Makes Sense In a lifetime the average American will throw away 600 times the amount of his or her adult weight in garbage. For example, a 150 pound adult will leave a trash legacy of 90,000 pounds! Recycling makes sense. It is an important component of protecting the environment and helping our local communities. Recycling helps conserve resource and energy, preserves valuable landfill space and supports a healthy environment. For example: Recycling one ton of cardboard saves 390 kWh of energy, 1.1 barrels (46 gallons) of oil. Recycling one ton of glass saves 42 KWh of energy, 0.12 barrels (5 gallons) of oil, 714,286 Btu’s of energy, 2 cubic yards of landfill space, and 7.5 pounds of air pollutants from being released. Recycling one ton of aluminum saves 14,000 kWh of energy, 39.6 barrels of oil, 237 Btu’s of energy, and 10 cubic yards of landfill space.

Growth in Renewable Energy Many studies have shown that investments in renewable energy currently are more cost effective and yield more jobs than investments in fossil fuels. Wind and solar energy now account for almost 15% of the total electricity generated in the U.S. Since 2007, the use of coal to generate electricity has decreased 40%, being replaced by natural gas, wind and solar. These trends have been driven mostly by economics as the costs of solar and natural gas have declined. In MN clean energy is the fastest growing sector of our economy, providing 57,000 jobs. Despite the efforts of the current administration in Washington to reverse these trends and increase the use of coal, many states, like MN, are moving away from fossil fuels. Mn has a legislated goal of 25% renewable energy by 2025, and there are proposals to increase this goal to 50% by 2030. (Provided by Steve Spigarelli, First Lutheran Church, Aitkin)

Save Gallons of Water a Day About one percent of all water on Earth is drinkable. The US Geological Survey reports that the average American uses between 80-100 gallons of water per day at home. However, saving drinkable water is imperative to ensure clean, accessible water for generations to come. Water conservation can be an everyday family practices. Here are several items for saving water each day. 1) Take 5 minute showers instead of the average 8 minute shower. Daily savings = 7.5 gallons. . 2) Insulate hot water pipes.You will get hot water faster, while avoiding wasting water while it heats up. Daily savings: 2.5 gallons running the shower for one minute before getting in. 3) Install water-saving shower heads. Installing low-flow faucet aerators automatically pauses a running shower once it gets warm, until you’re ready to use it. Daily savings: About 2 gallons. For more ideas see: https://greenamerica.org/drinking-water-risk/13-ways-save-more-65-gallons-water-day

Home Tips to Protect Water Quality: From the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) comes this list of Home Tips to Protect Water Quality. 1) Grow a healthy, water-friendly lawn and garden; minimize water use, keep leaves and grass clippings out of streets and storm drains and avoid use of pesticides. 2) Properly dispose of medicines; medicines flushed down the drain can pollute our water and unintentionally expose us ot harmful chemicals. 3) Use sidewalk salt sparingly in the winter; chloride from road and sidewalk salt is a growing problem for water. 4) Maintain your septic system properly; a poorly functioning septic system can allow pathogens, nutrients, and other chemicals to enter groundwater or lakes and streams. 5) Reduce your use of toxic products; find alternatives for laundry soaps, cleaning sprays, insecticides and other household products that can be harmful to the environment. Buying Eco-Friendly Rugs If you are in need of soft carpeting or durable hard flooring, here are some eco-friendly options for every type of flooring: IF YOU LIKE HARDWOOD, look for wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which has been harvested from a sustainably managed forest. Reclaimed hardwood is another option, which is rescued from one building and re-purposed. Bamboo has the durability of hardwood with a similar look and is rapidly renewable and often grown with few to no chemical inputs. Use eco-friendly stains to get the color you want. Cork is also rapidly renewable and often grown without chemicals, and can be stained to the color you like. IF YOU LIKE VINYL, realize it is known as the "poison plastic" because its manufacture and disposal generates the carcinogen DIOXIN. Get the same look without the toxins with classic linoleum made from wood flour, linseed oil, ground limestone, powdered cork, and other natural materials. IF YOU LIKE CARPET, look for carpets made from wool, which is naturally flame-retardant, or from recycled plastic bottles (but make sure it isn't covered with toxic flame-retardant coatings). Conventional carpets are often treated with toxic chemicals for stain-, fire-, and moth-resistance. Have your carpet nailed down instead of tacked with glue to avoid chemical off gassing. IF YOU LIKE AREA RUGS, look for natural-fiber rugs from green businesses. Handwoven rugs may be made by enslaved children, so look for the Good Weave label to make sure this isn't happening.

Eco-Friendly Cookware As convenient as they may be, the environmental and health problems associated with Teflon cookware and other nonstick products make this coating not worth the time you might save scrubbing. Teflon is made from a polymer that, when heated, releases a chemical that could make people and pets sick, even when avoiding high heat. Ceramic-coated nonstick pans are safer to cook with at a high heat, unless the label says "not safe for cooking." Heat-safe glass and pyrex are perfectly safe for cooking (although not directly on a flame) or baking, and for use in an oven or microwave. Stainless steel and cast iron are durable, healthy options. Use non-abrasive cleaning products on steel to avoid damaging the surface and causing metals to leach into food. Plastic is everywhere, since so many foods are sold in reusable plastic packaging. The problem is they contain chemicals, including bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates, which are known endocrine disruptors. Both pose developmental toxicity to children and fetuses, according to the National Institutes of Health. Never use plasticware, even if it's labeled "heat-safe," for microwaving or heating items, as the heat can release chemicals from the plastics into food. Plastic Pollution: The Earth is one interconnected, living, breathing organism. What healthy for you is healthy for the environment and this included reducing the use of single-use plastic. So many products today come wrapped in plastic. Yes, it's convenient, but its polluting our earth and it never goes away. It goes to the landfill but it never decomposes. Plaster is made from petroleum and is loaded with chemicals that leach into soil and water and animals die when they consume plastic. Be a wise consumer and look for items that are not packaged in plastic. Reducing the use of single use plastic bags is an easy place to start. Refuse plastic in the grocery store; opt for paper instead. Only about 3% of plastic bags get recycled; the other 97% end up in landfills. It costs more to make bags out of recycled bags than to just make new plastic bags. Consider giving up plastic bags for LENT; by the end of the season perhaps you will have formed a new healthy habitat.

Ten Different Portraits of Creation in Scripture and Our Human Roles Diane Jacobson

Portrait #1 Creation as God’s Good and Ordered Place - Genesis 1 and Psalm 8

Humans are the royal images of the divine creator called to have dominion

as God would rule – a challenge to rule justly.

Portrait #2 Creation as God’s Garden and Temple –

Genesis 2 and Psalm 24

Humans are those called “to serve (till) and to keep” God’s garden.

Portrait #3 Creation as a Reflection of God’s Wise Design – Proverbs 8

Humans are those called to use reason and the power of observation to seek

answers to our problems. Humans are those who seek to live our lives in

accordance with the cosmic wisdom of God by which God ordered the

universe. Portrait #4 Creation as God’s Intricate Web –

Psalm 104 and Job 38-41

Humans are just one creature among many, one part of God’s vast family.

Portrait #5 Creation as Sign of God’s Victory over Chaos – Psalm 74

Humans are those who believe in the promise, despite all evidence to the

contrary.

Portrait #6 Creation as an Instrument of God’s Judgment –

Genesis 6-9; Exodus 14: Amos 4:13; 5:8-11; 9:5-7

Humans are those who take heed to God’s judgment and act on the warning.

Portrait #7 Creation as God’s Witness to Human Injustice –

Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Jeremiah 4:23-28

Humans are those who hear the cries of creation as a witness to our sins,

calling us to active repentance.

Portrait #8 Creation as God’s Covenantal Seal and Promise –

Genesis 8:21-22; Hosea 2; Jeremiah 31:35-36;

Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 11:6-9; Ezekiel 47

Humans are prisoners of hope.

Portrait #9 Creation as Singer of Lament – Romans 8:20-22

Humans are those who lament not just for, but also with creation.

Portrait #10 Creation as Singer of Praise - Psalms 148

Humans join all of creation in singing the praises of God.

Theological and Preaching Resources From St. Paul Area Synod Caring for Creation Workgroup

The best website for resources is the Lutherans Restoring Creation website:

lutheransrestoringcreation.com

This site is edited by David Rhoads. At the site you can find resources for individuals,

congregations, pastors, youth workers, colleges and universities, seminaries, regions, and synods.

There is a tab for preaching resources which includes sermons, lectionary commentaries,

music, and books. There is a tab for education which includes resources for adult forums and

bible studies.

Two resources from the ELCA are:

A fine resource from Select learning which can be purchased either as a DVD set or streamed:

Earthbound.

www.selectlearning.org/store/all/earthbound-created-and-called-care-creation-streaming

www.selectlearning.org/store/all/earthbound-created-and-called-care-creation-dvd

Also helpful from AugsburgFortress is Of the Land and Seasons by Beth Folkemer (Arranger)

www.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/9781451470185/Of-the-Land-and-Seasons-Assembly-

Edition

ELCA’s Social Statement: Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice

www.elca.org/Faith/Faith-and-Society/Social-Statements/Caring-for-Creation

www.elca.org/Resources/Caring-for-Creation

There are some helpful resources found at this site, including downloadable guides/studies:

Hunger & Climate Change, Awakening to God's Call to Earthkeeping, and Poverty and Hunger

in a Changing Climate (A statement from ELCA presiding bishop addressing our call to care for creation -- www.elca.org/News-

and-Events/7945)

American Indian and Other Native Resources

https://www.standingrock.org/content/environmental-profile

Peters, Karl E. Dancing with the Sacred: Evolution, Ecology, and God. Harrisburg, Pa.:

Trinity, 2002.

Tinker, George, “Creation as Kin: An American Indian View” in Dieter Hessel, ed. After

Nature’s Revolt: Ecojustice and Theology, Fortress, 1992.

Rainbow Spirit Elders, Rainbow Spirit Theology. Towards and Australian Aboriginal

Theology, ATF Press, 2007.

Indigenous Creation Liturgy, created by Kelly Sherman-Conroy.

Scholars whose works are excellent for preaching resources include the following:

Dennis Ormseth, David Rhoads, Barbara Rossing, Paul Santmire, and Kathryn Schifferdecker

+ Prayers of the People Sing as directed

+ Peace

Meal + Great Thanksgiving ELW Pg. 144 + Holy, holy, holy Lord ELW Pg. 144 + Lord’s Prayer (right column) ELW Pg. 145 + Lamb of God ELW Pg. 146

Hymns during Distribution “Eat This Bread” ELW 472 “God Extends an Invitation” ELW 486 “Healer” Song 4 +Blessing & Prayer after Communion

Sending

+Benediction P May God our Creator bless and keep you. May Jesus +, born on the earth, walk with you. May the Holy Spirit, wind and fire of God, give you hope and peace.

C Amen + Sending Song Song 6

“Your Love is Everlasting”

+Dismissal A Go in peace. Care for all creation. C Thanks be to God.

Worship Leaders Preacher Deacon Diane Jacobson Presiding Minister Pastor Amanda Kossow Assisting Minister Pastor Kristin Foster Organ Laura Raedake Keyboard Pastor Jake Dyrhaug Guitar Pastor Dave Carlson Reader Pastor Erik Roth

Liturgy for Earthkeeping EcoFaith Summit, NE MN Synod ELCA Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Brainerd, MN Saturday, March 30, 2019

This day, I call upon heaven and earth to witness concerning you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying God's voice, and cleaving to the Lord. Deuteronomy 30:19-20a

Gathering

Gathering Song ELW 897 “For the Beauty of the Earth"

+ Call to Worship Deuteronomy 30:19-20a

+Opening Song “Your River O God” Song 7

+Confession Sisters and brothers, we come to the God of mercy mindful that the world upon which we all depend is suffering. The complex web of life God created on earth has been broken, not only by others, but also by our own hand. Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

(silence for reflection)

Loving God, you have placed us as stewards within your creation. We confess that we have abused your gifts. We have poisoned the waters, exhausted the soils and polluted the air upon which all creatures depend. We have taken the wealth of the world into our own houses and left your children in hunger and need. God of all life, we confess our part in a broken world.

V. 1 - Cantor: For all of the days that have fallen apart,

For every life, for every heart,

For all those who hunger and struggle each day,

For all of the times that we turn away. (to Refrain)

V. 2 – Cantor: For all who have fears that come with the night,

For all those who need to be held in the light,

For all of creation through famine or feast,

For all of the world to live in your peace. (to Refrain)

+Words of Assurance As surely as the rain comes forth to water the earth, God’s mercy comes to us as a gift, abundant and freely given. The same God who created the cosmos and raised Jesus from death brings healing and forgiveness to the world today.

In the mercy of God + you are forgiven,

you are restored, you are made new. C Amen

+ Prayer of the Day C Amen

Word Psalm 104 (read responsively) In the Psalm Section 1 Bless the LORD, | O my soul; O LORD my God, you are very great! You are clothed with majes- | ty and splendor. 5 You set the earth upon | its foundations, so that from now until forever it shall nev- | er be moved. 10 You made the springs in- | to rivers that flow be- | tween the mountains. 11 All the wild beasts drink their | fill from them, and the wild donkeys | quench their thirst. 12 Beside them the birds of the air | make their nests among the branches they | lift their voice. 13 From your dwelling on high, you wa- | ter the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit | of your works.

14 You make grass grow for the cattle, and plants to serve | humankind; that they may bring forth food | from the earth, 15 wine to gladden human hearts, oil to | make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the | human heart. 16 The trees of the | LORD are well supplied, the cedars of Lebanon | that you planted, 17 in which the birds | build their nests, while the stork makes the fir | trees its dwelling. 18 The high mountains belong to | the mountain goats, and the stony cliffs are a refuge | for the badgers. 19 You made the moon to | mark the seasons, and the sun knows the time | of its setting. 20 You bring on darkness that it | may be night, in which all the beasts of the | forest prowl. 21 The lions roar | for their prey seeking their | food from God. 22 The sun rises, and | they withdraw and lay themselves down | in their dens. 23 People go forth | to their work and to their labor un- | til the evening. 24 How manifold are your | works, O LORD! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full | of your creatures. 35 Bless the LORD, O my soul.

Song of Praise “Praise to You O God Creator” Song 5

The First Reading Ezekiel 47:1,9,12 A The Word of the Lord. C Thanks be to God.

The Second Reading Romans 8:18-23 A The Word of the Lord. C Thanks be to God.

Sermon Diane Jacobson

+Hymn of the Day ELW 771 “God Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens”

+ Affirmation of Faith God creates, renews, and delights in all things.

Earth is a sanctuary filled with God’s presence, a home we share with all other creatures.

God became flesh and blood, a part of Earth, as a human being called Jesus Christ, who lived among us, suffered and died on a cross for all human beings and for all creation.

The risen Jesus is the Christ at the center of creation, reconciling all things to God, renewing all creation and filling the cosmos.

The Holy Spirit renews all creation, groans with a suffering creation, and waits with us for the rebirth of creation. We believe that with Christ we will rise and with

Christ we will celebrate a new creation. Amen.

Themes, Lessons, Prayers Hymns for the “Season of Creation” – Year A

SEASON OF CREATION: FOREST

In the beginning, God planted a garden in Eden and filled it with trees pleasant to the sight and good for food. God gave humanity

forests and gardens—all manner of plants for life, breath, and wonder. The vine, a common image in scripture, represents the

relationship between God and God’s people.

Genesis 2: 8-9, 15-16 God plants a garden

Psalm 96:11-13 The trees sing for joy

Romans 11:13-24 A wild shoot grafted into the root

John 15:1-11 Jesus the true vine

Prayer of the Day:

O God, you are the tree of life, offering shelter to all the world. Graft us into yourself and nurture our growth, that we may bear your

truth and love to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering Hymn ELW #824 This Is My Father’s World

Hymn of the Day ELW #342 There in God’s Garden

Communion Songs ELW #838 Beautiful Savior

ELW #856 How Great Thou Art

Sending Hymn ELW #726 Light Dawns on a Weary World

SEASON OF CREATION: LAND

Our intimate relationship to the land is reflected in language: Adam is formed from adamah (Hebrew for soil), humans from humus.

Our spiritual forebears remind us that sin is not isolated but is manifest in a web of broken relationships, including with the land on

which we depend. The parable of the sower, seed, and soil reveals Jesus’ life giving grace that has the power to reconcile all

relationships.

Genesis 3:14-19, 4:8-16 From the ground we were taken, to it we return

Psalm 139:7-18 Where can I go from your Spirit?

Romans 5:12-17 Death through Adam, grace through Jesus Christ

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 Parable of the sower

Prayer of the Day:

O Lord, maker of all things, you open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living creature. We praise you for crowning the fields

with your blessings and enabling us to gather in the fruits of the earth. Teach us to use your gifts carefully, that the land may continue

to yield its increase, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 681 We plow the fields and scatter

Hymn of Day ELW # 512 Lord, let my heart be good soil (repeated)

Communion 1 ELW # 679 For the fruit of all creation

Communion 2 ELW # 266 All earth is hopeful

Sending ELW # 689 Praise and thanksgiving

SEASON OF CREATION: WILDERNESS

Wilderness is the setting for the shaping of God’s people and for the temptation of God’s Son. Often desolate and unforgiving,

wilderness is also symbolic of the whole creation in need of redemption. In the wilderness, we follow Jesus, who communes with the

wild beasts and is guided by the Spirit’s leading.

Joel 1:8-10, 17-20 The wilderness redemption

Psalm 18:6-19 I called upon the Lord, and he delivered me

Romans 8:18-27 All creation groans in labor pains

Mark 1:9-13 Jesus tempted in the wilderness

Prayer of the Day:

Sovereign of the universe, your first covenant of mercy was with every living creature. When your beloved Son came among us, the

waters of the river welcomed him, the heavens opened to greet his arrival, the animals of the wilderness drew near as his companions.

With all the world’s people, may we who are washed into new life through baptism seek the way of your new creation, the way of

justice and care, mercy and peace; through Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 733 Great is thy faithfulness

Hymn of Day ELW # 739 Touch the earth lightly

Communion 1 ELW # 735 Mothering God, you gave me birth

Communion 2 ELW # 704 When pain of the world surrounds us

Sending ELW # 726 Light dawns on a weary world

SEASON OF CREATION: RIVER (Lake Superior Sunday)

On this Lake Superior Sunday, we worship with the rivers and oceans, lakes and streams of creation. We give thanks for the gift of

water, we mourn the pollution of the earth’s water, and we look for the day when healing will come in the river of life.

Genesis 1:6-10 Separation of the waters and creation of the seas

Psalm 78:12-16 God’s goodness in the wilderness

Revelation 22:1-5 The river of life

John 4:1-15 Jesus the living water

Prayer of the Day:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, who in your self-emptying love gathered up and reconciled all creation to the Father. Innumerable

galaxies of the heavens worship you. Creatures that grace the earth rejoice in you. All those in the deepest seas bow to you in

adoration. As with them we give you praise, grant that we may cherish the earth, our home, and live in harmony with this good

creation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering Song ELW # 423 Shall We Gather at the River

Hymn of the Day ELW #710 Let Streams of Living Justice

Congregational Songs ELW # 644 Although I speak with Angel’s Tongue

ELW #459 Wade in the Water

Sending Insert Where Justice Rolls Down

ECOSYSTEM (World Communion – A)

In an ecosystem, plants and animals, soils and waters are all interconnected. Like threads woven into a beautiful tapestry, all things

are created in relationship to God and to one another. Born to belonging, as part of the earth community and as part of God’s family

in baptism, we are called and sent as new creations for the sake of the world.

Isaiah 55:10-13 God’s word does not return empty

Psalm 96:1, 6-13 Sing to the Lord a new song, all the earth

2 Corinthians 5:14-20; 13:11-13 Reconciled, we are a new creation

Matthew 28:16-20 Great Commission

Prayer of the Day:

O God, we praise you for the immense tapestry of creation into which you have interwoven all things. Give us eyes to see its beauty

and design and, where rips and tears have marred its integrity, help us to mend and restore the fabric of your creation, through Christ

Jesus our Lord, reconciler and redeemer of the world. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 771 God who stretched the spangled heavens

Hymn of Day ELW # 684 Creating God, your fingers trace

Communion 1 ELW # 740 God of the sparrow

Communion 2 ELW # 861 When long before time

Sending ELW # 710 Let streams of living justice

Compiled by D. Carlson

Themes, Lessons, Prayers Hymns for the “Season of Creation” – Year B

SEASON OF CREATION: PLANET EARTH

The earth is not simply a stage on which human redemption occurs but is an integral part of God’s creative and redeeming purposes.

The image of our home – the blue, green, and white swirl rising above the lunar landscape – compelled astronauts to read from

Genesis, “In the beginning God created…” The Word through whom all things were made reflects God’s indwelling love that fills the

whole earth, becoming enfleshed in creation to heal it from within.

Genesis 1:1-25 Through God’s creation, the earth brings forth

Psalm 33:1-9 Your steadfast love fills the whole earth

Acts 17:22-28 God does not live in shrines made by human hands

John 1:1-14 All things came into being through the Word

Prayer of the Day:

Almighty God, in the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the earth, calling forth life in which

you continue to delight. By your grace empower us to reflect your light in relation to all that you have made, through Jesus Christ, our

Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 731 Earth and all stars!

Hymn of Day ELW # 737 He comes to us as one unknown

Communion 1 ELW # 684 Creating God, your fingers trace

Communion 2 ELW # 861 When long before time

Sending ELW # 710 Let streams of living justice

SEASON OF CREATION: HUMANITY

Human beings are created in the “image of God,” creatures but also co-creators. The early church spoke of Christ Jesus as the

image or “icon” of the invisible God, showing God’s self-giving love in word and saving deed. Within the mind of Christ, “dominion

over” creation looks different: a place of privilege means a call to serve the well being of all living things.

Genesis 1:26-28 Humanity created in the image of God

Psalm 8 Human beings in relation to all creation

Philippians 2:1-8 Have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus

Mark 10:35-45 The Son of Man came to serve and give his life

Prayer of the Day:

Almighty God, you wonderfully created the dignity of human nature and yet more wonderfully restored it. In your mercy, let us share

the divine life of the one who came to share our humanity for the sake of all creation, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 665 Rise, shine you people!

Hymn of Day ELW # 712 Lord whose love in humble service

Communion 1 ELW # 636 How small our span of life

Communion 2 ELW # 838 Beautiful savior

Sending ELW # 881 Let all things now living

SEASON OF CREATION: SKY

“The heavens declare the glory of God,” the psalmist proclaims. From the early morning dawn to twilight, the sky reveals God’s

faithfulness from day to day to the edges of the world, for people under the same canopy, the same atmosphere. At Jesus’ death, the

darkening sky bears witness to God’s saving power in the cross, hidden in solidarity with the forsaken, calling forth faith, and

enabling God’s children to shine like stars.

Jeremiah 4:23-28 Heavens and earth in need of redemption

Psalm 19:1-6 The heavens are telling the glory of God

Philippians 2:14-18 God’s people are enabled to shine like stars

Matt 27:45-54 A darkening sky bears witness to Jesus’ death

Prayer of the Day:

Gracious God, maker of earth and sky, you reveal your compassionate love in the cross. By the death and resurrection of your Son,

free us from our fears, renew our hope for all creation, and ignite us with your light, through the one who unites heaven and earth,

Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 553 Christ whose glory fills the skies

Hymn of Day ELW # 887 This is my song

Communion 1 ELW # 856 How Great Thou Art

Communion 2 ELW # 771 God who stretched the spangled heavens

Sending ELW # 879 For the beauty of the earth

SEASON OF CREATION: MOUNTAIN

High places have always been settings in which to contemplate God’s goodness. For Israel it was Sinai and Zion, for Jesus mountains

inspired a sermon, a transfiguration, a commissioning. With the psalmist we lift our eyes to the hills, and with the prophet Isaiah we

receive a vision of God’s new creation, in which social, civil, and ecological harmony is revealed on the LORD’s holy mountain and

fulfilled in the love of Christ Jesus.

Isaiah 65:17-25 They shall not hurt or destroy on my holy mountain

Psalm 121 Lifting our eyes to the hills, our help comes from the Lord

Romans 8:28-39 Nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ

Mark 16:14-18 Proclaim the good news to the whole creation

Prayer of the Day:

Almighty God, the resplendent light of your truth shines from the mountaintop into our hearts. With your abundant grace, free us

from the sin that would obstruct your mercy, that willingly we may bear your redeeming love to all the world, through Jesus Christ,

our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 733 Great is thy faithfulness

Hymn of Day ELW # 266 All earth is hopeful

Communion 1 ELW # 736 God the sculptor of the mountains

Communion 2 ELW # 739 Touch the earth lightly

Sending ELW # 726 Light dawns on a weary world

SEASON OF CREATION: FLORA

Lilies of the field receive God’s gracious care, modeling for Jesus’ anxious followers the trust involved in bearing fruit for the

kingdom. Flowering plants are signs of God’s love in the world: praising their Creator during their allotted time, revealing an

interdependence among God’s creatures, and symbolizing the beauty and growth of the Christian life rooted in God’s promises.

Song of Solomon 2:1, 10-17 Spring flowers appear on the earth, a sign of love

Psalm 103:1-5, 13-18 We flourish briefly like flowers yet bless the Lord

1 Peter 1:17-25 Though grass withers, faith and hope are set on God

Matthew 6:24-34 Lilies of the field receive God’s care non-anxiously

Prayer of day:

Merciful God, you clothe flowers and trees with your lovingkindness, and you know already what your children need. In all our

anxiety, give us trusting and faithful hearts, that confident in your abiding word we may embody the fruits of your peace and justice

for all creation, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymn Suggestions:

Gathering ELW # 879 For the beauty of the earth

Hymn of Day WOV # 714 The thirsty fields drink in the rain

Or WOV # 767 All things bright and beautiful

Communion 1 ELW # 272 Lo, how a rose e’er blooming

Communion 2 WOV # 783 Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

Sending ELW # 880 O God beyond all praising

Compiled by D. Carlson

Themes and Lessons for the “Season of Creation” – Year C

SEASON OF CREATION: OCEAN (Lake Superior Sunday)

“We praise you, O God, for oceans and lakes, rivers and streams,” says our thanksgiving for baptism. The same God who sets the

sea’s limits and knows its depths even from the world’s beginning chooses us in Christ to participate in his stewarding work. “With

earth and sea and all their creatures,” we worship at the feast of all creation, and with Job and Peter, we discover that encountering

God will never leave us the same.

Job 38:1-18 The LORD questions Job about the origins of earth, water

Psalm 104:1-9, 24-26 Waters above and below the earth obey God’s command

Ephesians 1:3-10 God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world

Luke 5:1-11 From now on you will be catching people

Prayer of day:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, who in your self-emptying love gathered up and reconciled all creation to the Father. Innumerable

galaxies of the heavens worship you. Creatures that grace the earth rejoice in you. All those in the deepest seas bow to you in

adoration. As with them we give you praise, grant that we may cherish the earth, our home, and live in harmony with this good

creation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 423 Shall we gather at the river

Hymn of Day ELW # 817 You have come down to the lakeshore

Communion 1 ELW # 574 Here I am, Lord

Communion 2 ELW # 455 Crashing waters at creation

Sending ELW # 836 Joyful, joyful we adore thee

SEASON OF CREATION: ANIMAL

Today we worship in kinship with the animal world. We are, in fact, a family of animals—both biologically and spiritually. All living

things are animated by the very breath/spirit of God. The kingdom of the wild is God’s special concern, no matter how remote or

mysterious.

Job 39:1-12, 26-30 The kingdom of the wild

Psalm 104:14-23, 31 Survival and celebration in the wild

Romans 8:18-25 All of creation waits for the promised redemption

Luke 12:22-31 God provides for all

Prayer of the Day:

O Creator God, you open your hand and satisfy the need of every living creature. Make us always thankful for your loving care and

mindful of all creatures with which we share this earth; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering Hymn ELW #835 All Creatures, Worship God Most High!

Hymn of the Day ELW #740 God of the Sparrow

Communion Songs ELW #564 God Who Made the Earth and Heaven

ELW #739 Touch the Earth Lightly

Sending Hymn ELW #881 Let All Things Now Living

SEASON OF CREATION: STORM

Storm refers to the world of weather—the winds, the thunder and lightning, the downpours, hurricanes and tornados. Storm means the

weather we need to renew our planet and the weather that expresses the destructive forces of nature. Even in storm, we know God’s

presence.

Genesis 9:1, 8-17 God’s covenant with Noah and the earth

Psalm 29 The voice of God in a great storm

Acts 27:13-25 Paul and the storm at sea

Luke 8:22-25 Jesus calms a storm

Prayer of the Day:

O God of creation, eternal majesty, you preside over land and sea, sunshine and storm. By your strength pilot us, by your power

preserve us, by your wisdom instruct us, and by your hand protect us, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering Hymn ELW #731 Earth and All Stars

Hymn of the Day ELW #400 God of Tempest, God of Whirlwind

Communion Songs ELW #455 Crashing Waters at Creation

ELW #794 Calm to the Waves

Sending Hymn ELW #756 Eternal Father, Strong to Save

SEASON OF CREATION: COSMOS

We worship today with the entire cosmos, all that exists, every dimension of time and space, spiritual and material. The universe is a

vast sacred space of which we humans on earth are a small but privileged part. All creation is one sacred cosmic reality, a universe

filled with God’s presence.

Job 38:1-7 God begins a verbal tour of the cosmos

Psalm 148 Praise for God’s universal glory

Colossians 1:15-20 Christ the image of the invisible God

Luke 21:25-28 Signs in the universe

Prayer of the Day:

Most holy God, the earth is filled with your glory, and before you angels and saints stand in awe. Enlarge our vision to see your power

at work in the universe and to sense the reconciling presence of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering Hymn ELW #731 Earth and All Stars!

Hymn of the Day ELW #771 God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens

Communion Songs ELW #888 O Beautiful for Spacious Skies

ELW #837 Many and Great, O God

Sending Hymn ELW #574 Here I Am, Lord

SEASON OF CREATION: BIOREGION (World Communion – C)

In a culture of anxiety, Jesus points to birds and lilies to illustrate the trust in God’s providence he desires for his disciples. Seeking

first the reign of God for all creation brings the bioregional concept of thinking globally and acting locally into the context of faith.

God, who forgets none of his creatures, enables us to sing with them a new song and bear the fruit of his righteousness for the well-

being of the land.

Isaiah 49:8-16a The LORD’s covenant people establish the land

Psalm 98 All creation sings a new song to the LORD

Colossians 1:3-12 The gospel bearing fruit among God’s people

Matthew 6:24-34 Birds and lilies witness to God’s providence

Prayer of the Day:

Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth, you made us coworkers in your creation. Give us wisdom and reverence to

use the resources of nature so that no one may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet to come may continue to praise

you for your bounty; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymns:

Gathering ELW # 556 Morning has broken

Hymn of Day ELW # 735 Mothering God, you gave me birth

Communion 1 ELW # 740 God of the sparrow

Communion 2 ELW # 679 For the fruit of all creation

Sending ELW # 881 Let all things now living

Compiled by D. Carlson

ALTERNATE: GLACIER (Lake Superior Sunday)

Lake Superior was formed through the encroaching and receding of glaciers during the last two billion years, carving out one of the

largest freshwater ecosystems on earth. Melting ice is a gift in some areas and a threat in others, particularly when it contributes to

rising sea levels. In Christ’s transfiguration we hear an echo of the voice from heaven in the waters of baptism, calling us to faith in

Christ and his renewing life for the world.

Isaiah 55:10-13 As rain and snow water earth, God’s word is not empty

Psalm 147:1-4, 15-18 God sends snow and frost, water flows in their melting

Or Psalm 33:1-9 Waters of the ocean gathered up and stored

Titus 3:4-7 The water of rebirth and renewal by the Spirit

Matthew 17:1-9 Transfiguration on the mountain

Prayer of day:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, who in your self-emptying love gathered up and reconciled all creation to the Father. Innumerable

galaxies of the heavens worship you. Creatures that grace the earth rejoice in you. All those in the deepest seas bow to you in

adoration. As with them we give you praise, grant that we may cherish the earth, our home, and live in harmony with this good

creation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn Suggestions:

Gathering ELW # 423 Shall we gather at the river

Hymn of Day ELW # 456 Baptized in Water

Communion 1 ELW # 817 You have come down to the lakeshore

Communion 2 ELW # 445 Wash O God, Our Sons and Daughters

Sending ELW # 543 Go My Children, with My Blessing

ALERNATE: WATERSHED (Lake Superior Sunday)

Today we give thanks for rivers and streams that empty into Lake Superior, a watershed community through which God has nurtured

life in this region for thousands of years. Mindful of this precious gift and of people and places that lack access to clean water, our

hope is in Jesus who quenches our thirst for living water and the renewal of the earth.

Ezekiel 47:1-12 Water flowing from God’s temple

Psalm 65:5-13 You visit the earth and water it abundantly

Revelation 7:13-17 The Lamb guides God’s people to the water of life

John 7:37-39 Out of the believer’s heart shall flow living water

Prayer of day:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, who in your self-emptying love gathered up and reconciled all creation to the Father. Innumerable

galaxies of the heavens worship you. Creatures that grace the earth rejoice in you. All those in the deepest seas bow to you in

adoration. As with them we give you praise, grant that we may cherish the earth, our home, and live in harmony with this good

creation, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymn Suggestions:

Taize – Let all who are thirsty come - offertory

Gathering ELW # 423 Shall we gather at the river

Hymn of Day ELW # 456 Baptized in Water

Communion 1 ELW # 817 You have come down to the lakeshore

Communion 2 ELW # 445 Wash O God, Our Sons and Daughters

Sending ELW # 543 Go My Children, with My Blessing

Gloria Dei’s order:

1 – Storm, Forest, Cosmos, Animal, River

2 – Ecosystem/Flora, Wilderness, Land, Humanity, Watershed/Glacier

3 – Planet Earth, Bioregion, Sky, Mountain, Ocean