New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light
PO Box 27162
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87125
www.nm-ipl.org**info@nm-ipl.org**505-266-6966
Earth Sabbath Program 2012
Worship Guide
First Earth Sabbath in Albuquerque, August 27, 7:00, 1004 Major Ave. NW
7 pm Arrival—Welcome, introductions and sign in sheet to contact attendees in the future
7:10 Getting acquainted, interconnections and networking
7:30 Worship Celebration
Invitation – from Thomas Berry’s The Great Work, chapter one
History is governed by those overarching moments that give shape and meaning to life
by relating the human venture to the larger destinies of the universe. Creating such a
movement might be called he Great Work of a people.
The Great Work before us, the task of moving modern industrial civilization from its
present devastating influence on the Earth to a more benign mode of presence, is not
a role that we have chosen. It is a role given to us, beyond any consultation with
ourselves. We did not choose. We were chosen by some power beyond ourselves for
this historical task. … We must believe that those powers that assign our role must in
that same act bestow upon us the ability to fulfill this role. We must believe that we
are cared for and guided by those same powers that bring us into being.
Song: For All the World, Jan Novotka from Roots and Wings Rising as One---Sung with tape
Chorus: For All the World We Gather Here.
For all the World we come,
We gather now as one, One in Love.
We come together to honor and reverence the gift that each of us is
Taking the time to be present to listen with openness healing begins.
Look into the eyes of your neighbor and let division fade
See in the other the essence of being--the light of Spirit within.
Here in this place the altar of our hearts is prepared to hold the world
Deep in the stillness we’ll walk in communion with earth and each other we’re one.
Prayer: (we can do this with several voices reading)
Leader:Earth, teach me stillness
All:
as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth, teach me suffering
as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth, teach me humility
as blossoms are humble with being.
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Earth, teach me caring
as the mother who secures her young.
Earth, teach me courage
as the tree which stands all alone.
Earth, teach me limitation
as the ant which crawls on the ground.
Earth, teach me freedom
as the eagle which soars in the sky.
Earth, teach me resignation
as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth, teach me regeneration
as the seed which rises in the spring.
Earth , teach me to forgive myself
as melting down snows forgets its life.
Earth, each me to remember kindness
as dry fields weep in the rain
[Nancy Wood, Earth Prayers from Around the World, p. 176]
Yoga grounding:--Patrick
Since I have my Medicare card, I no longer am middle-aged. My wife had been a practitioner of
yoga for years, but I avoided it. I was afraid of it. 18 months ago I let my guard down and gave it a
try. Yoga has become a practice I deeply value. I find it grounding. I get in touch with my body’s
limitations. But it is also liberating. I get in touch with the possibility that those limitations may be
moving (slowly) and that it’s okay to have my limits. For some reason, that I don’t understand,
yoga poses that involve a forward bends just brighten my attitude and clear my head. So with
your permission, let’s begin.
Psalm 93 translation by Nan Merrill from Songs for Praying
Side 1
O come, let us sing to the Most High, Creator of the Cosmos;
Let us make a joyful song to the Beoved!
Let us come to the Radiant One with thanksgiving,
Side 2
With gratitude let us offer our psalms of praise!
For the Beloved is Infinite, the Breathing Life of all.
The depths. Of the earth belong to Love;
The height of the mountains, as well.
The sea and all that is in it, the dry land and air above were created by Love.
Side 1
O come, let us bow down and give thanks,
Let us be humble before the Blessed One!
For the Beloved is Supreme and we, blessed to be invited to friendship
As companions along the Way!
Side 2
O that today we would harken to the Beloved’s voice!
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Harden not your hearts, as in days of old, that you be not separated from Love.
Be not like those who hear the Word and heed it not,
Thinking to be above the Most High.
All
For life is but a breath in the Eternal Dance,
A gift to be reverenced with trust,
An opportunity to grow in spirit and truth,
That in passing into new Life, You enter in the Heavenly City.
Buddhist Prayer and sung chant to Kuan Yin led by Kathryn Turnipseed
Bahai Prayer: I adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God!
I adjure Thee by Thy might, O my God!
Let no harm beset me in times of tests,
and in moments of heedlessness guide my
steps aright through Thine inspiration.
Thou art God, potent art Thou to do what Thou desirest.
No one can withstand Thy Will or thwart Thy Purpose.
The Báb
Meditation – breath yoga 15 minutes
Prayer of Concern – sung chant response
Sharing work each is engaged in for Earth Community: group, congregation or organization
Reading: Vaclav Havel:
It is I who must begin . …
Once I begin, once I try—
here and now,
right where I am,
not excusing myself
by saying that things
would be easier elsewhere,
without grand speeches and
ostentatious gestures,
but all the more persistently
--to live in harmony
with the “voice of Being,” as I
understand it within myself
--as soon as I begin that,
I suddenly discover,
to my surprise, that
I am neither the only one,
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nor the first,
nor the most important one
to have set out
upon that road…
Whether all is really lost
or not depends entirely on
whether or not I am lost. …
--Vaclav Havel
Commissioning to Empower the Work of healing Earth: (prayed at each service)
Leader: Grant us a spirit of concern for the future of our environment; Bring an end to the
exploitation of the earth’s scarce resources; Encourage us to be responsible stewards of
your creation.
Response: Creator God, Holy One Beyond All Names make us prophets of our time.
Leader: Grant us a spirit of respect, recognizing the value and integrity of all creation;
Encourage us to be accepting of ourselves and of others.
Response: Creator God, Holy One Beyond All Names make us prophets of our time.
Leader: Hel us become advocates of peace, bringing an end to conflict and division; Renew
our commitment to challenging the causes of injustice.
Response: Creator God, Holy One Beyond All Names make us prophets of our time.
Leader: Grant us a spirit of openness to see God within and around us; Help us to rejoice in
the good we have experienced as we move forward to the future; Help us use our senses to
celebrate beauty and creativity in the world.
Response: Creator God, Holy One Beyond All Names make us prophets of our time.
Leader: Grant us a spirit of truth to recognize failings, which have hurt us, othersand the
world; Give us the humility to ask forgiveness for our part in any wrongdoing.
Response: Creator God, Holy One Beyond All Names make us prophets of our time.
Leader: Grant us a spirit of generosity to reach out in trust to those who encounter; help us
to embody God’s love in our relationships with one another and with all Creation.
Response: Creator God, Holy One Beyond All Names make us prophets of our time.
Song: We go Forth, Jan Novatka, Roots and Wings Rising As One
We stand here together hand in hand, side by side
We walk into mystery for the sake of all
We go forth as one, as one we stand strong
Letting go, letting in, we emerge with new wings.
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