New Worship Series: Sacred Earth, Sacred Work

When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was without shape or form…and God’s wind swept over the waters…God saw everything God had made: it was supremely good. — Genesis

Join us for our next worship series online or in person at 10AM on Sundays!

What if we lived life truly connected to the origins of Creation and the Creator? In the beginning, God created all things and called them originally “good.” In this series, we will explore six essential ideas found in Creation Spirituality — a Christ-shaped way of living within the community of earth that deepens our reverence for life, participates in the creativity of the cosmos, and develops our passion for justice and human transformation. It compels us to lead lives of spiritual inquiry, creativity, and prophetic action as our sacred work in the world.

This worship series, created by the Rev. Dr. Marcia McFee and the team at Worship Design Studio, will weave us through the four movements of Creation Spirituality as we gather to praise Christ and deepen our commitment to the way of love as expressed in all of creation.

PATH I: Recognizing Inherent Goodness
The first path invites us to celebrate! The pulse of creation is singing the goodness of God and God’s gift of goodness in all things. We become more aware of the beauty of all that is and tap into gratitude as our first task in creating more goodness in the world.

PATH II: Befriending the Dark Places
This second path recognizes with open hearts the pain that coexists with goodness and gratitude. We listen to the groans of the world and the Spirit helps us to grieve and to intercede on behalf of all those who suffer, letting go of our fear that can make things worse at times.

PATH III: Exclaiming the Divine Creative
This third path creates space to explore how God is working in and through us and all of the universe to renew each day in every direction. Each moment offers an opportunity to express our God-gifted creativity. We hear messages–ancient and new–that express and affirm the Divine at work and encourage us in our creative collaboration with the Divine.

PATH IV: Embodying Compassion and Power
The fourth path will lead us out. We pray for movement within our own hearts to embody peace and passion–compassion and power–on behalf of spreading goodness throughout the week. We are not at the mercy of “the way it is,” we can claim our agency to be fully present and fully active in the world into which we now go.

Here’s what’s coming up over these six weeks:

August 25th, 2024: Creation as Blessing (Genesis 1.2-4)

The Universe, and all life within it, is fundamentally a blessing, fundamentally good, and created to flourish — including us. This doesn’t prevent hardship and difficulties, but it does strengthen us as we go through tough times. It allows us to deepen in faith and spirituality without fear. Life in all its joys and struggles is a blessing — which means, it is something worth sharing. How might moving through our days with an eye for recognizing goodness and blessing transform our experience of life?

September 1st, 2024: Spirit of Compassion (Mark 12.28-34)

It is through the work of spiritual practice that we move beyond fear into compassion and discover our deep and true selves. Engaging in spiritual practices — whether that looks typically religious (like praying) or not (like walking) have intentionality in common. They draw us closer to the Creator and who we were created to be — free and compassionate beings. What practices in your life draw you closer to your true essence and closer to compassion for others?

September 8th, 2024: The Paths of Life (Psalm 30)

The spiritual journey can be understood as a dance moving in and out of four mystical paths, each with their own gifts: awe and wonder; letting go; creativity; compassion and justice. These “cycles of life” are born out of the seasons of the planet and remind us that there is a time for everything and that fluctuations of the spirit are part of being human. Can we accept the Holy invitation to move fully into all the rhythms of life?

September 15th, 2024: Sacred Creative Vocation (Isaiah 6.1-8)

Made in the image of the Creator, every one of us carries within us the capacity to be a mystic, to be creative, to be visionary, and to be an agent for positive change. It is our responsibility to say “here I am, send me” and to cultivate our capacity to benefit the earth and all its creatures. What are we creating in this world that will cause positive ripples into the future?

September 22nd, 2024: Glorious Diversity (Genesis 11.1-9)

Creation Spirituality rejoices in and courageously honors the rich diversity within the Cosmos which is expressed in every individual and embodies multiple cultures, religions, and ancestral traditions. Creation is rife with theme and variation and yet fear has driven us to try to tame, label, and homogenize it. What do we lose when we privilege dominant voices and limit perspectives? Diversity is another name for God’s wisdom and should be celebrated!

September 29th, 2024: Healing Relationships (1 John 4.7-21)

We live in sacred relationship with every other living thing. Our food, our health, our homes, our vocations are all part of an interconnected community. Creation hangs in the balance when we forget this connection. We acknowledge that our species and the entire earth community depends upon the healing of harm already done, moving toward sustainability for the future, and harmony that offers live-giving coexistence for all. Can we embrace our responsibility to care? Now is the time, if we want a future.