God of the Oppressed Land | This Land pt. 2
Zoom Link for The Sunday Liturgy | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89752784023
The Call to Worship
FōS is a community creating space for everyone to find hope, beauty, and possibility in the story of Jesus by reimagining faith together.
We are a community practicing Big Tent Christianity.
We include because we have been included.
We love because we have been loved.
We invite because we have been invited.
We welcome diversity through open tables and open conversations.
We create space for God's generous guest list to be present and to participate fully.
The Lord's Prayer
Our Father in heaven, let Your name remain holy.
Bring about Your kingdom.
Manifest Your will here on earth, as it is manifest in heaven.
Give us each day that day’s bread—no more, no less—
And forgive us our debts as we forgive those who owe us something.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Blessing of the Land*
God of the Universe,
you made the heavens and the earth,
so we do not call our home merely “planet earth.”
We call it your creation, a divine mystery,
a gift from your most blessed hand.
The world itself is your miracle.
Bread and vegetables from earth are thus also from heaven.
Help us to see in our daily bread your presence.
Upon this [land]
may your stars rain down their blessed dust.
May you send rain and sunshine upon our garden and us.
Grant us the humility to touch the humus,
that we might become more human,
that we might mend our rift from your creation,
that we might then know the sacredness of the gift of life,
that we might truly experience life from your hand.
For you planted humanity in a garden
and began our resurrection in a garden.
Our blessed memory and hope lie in a garden.
*Claiborne, Shane; Wilson-Hartgrove, Jonathan; Okoro, Enuma. Common Prayer Pocket Edition (pp. 561-562). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
The Message
Conversation Series | This Land
In this conversation series, This Land, we will explore Land as a character in the Bible and the ways that the Land speaks and guides us as a witness to God and justice.
Message | God of the Oppressed Land
This week, Carl invites us to explore what the Land teaches us about justice and reciprocity through Revelation 11:18.
The Eucharist Litany (portions of this litany were written by Naomi Lippett)
Reader: This is Christ's table. The table of remembrance, which on the night He was betrayed, in the company of friends, he took bread and broke it saying, this is my body given for you, eat this in remembrance of me. He then took the cup of wine, and gave thanks saying this is my blood of the new covenant. Drink this in remembrance of me.
All: This is Christ's table
Reader: Remembering, therefore, this command of the Saviour, and all that came to pass, we pray:
All: We consume the broken body of Christ becoming the broken body of Christ present in a broken world.
Formational Learning
Rules of the Table
It’s Christ’s table, and we are all guests, a good guest makes sure everyone present can stay at the table.
This is a place to process together. Questions of curiosity and process are encouraged, not questions to force agreement or coerce a specific answer.
Keep answers to 1-2 minutes so everyone has room to share.
The facilitator will interject when the conversation moves too far away from our explicit topic. All questions are good but they are not all useful for this specific time.
Brave Space Ideals for the Conversation
Controversy with civility
Own your intentions and your impact
Challenge by choice (allow ourselves to be challenged by what others share)
Respect
No Attacks
(Opening Question)
What stood out to you from the liturgy? What is one point of curiosity or a question that emerged as we walked through the liturgy together?
(Head) What do I think?
What changes for you if we see creation care as a primary tenet of salvation and eschatology (putting things to rights)?
(Heart) What do I feel as I am reflecting?
Revelation 11:18 has a few theological trigger words; how did you notice yourself responding to those words (mind and body)?
The word wrath carries a lot of theological baggage for many people. How have you understood the word wrath in the past? How did you respond to a more expansive understanding of the word wrath?
(Hands) What do I do to respond?
How can you become more aware of how you actively or passively participate in the oppression of the Land, and what is one thing you can do to actively care for it?
Examen
The Examen is a daily practice of reflection and prayer that helps us introspectively look at ourselves. Spend a few moments at the end of your day prayerfully reflecting. Grab a pen and journal and write your response out.
What did I do today to actively care for creation?
What did I do today that was actively or passively part of destroying the earth?
What can I do tomorrow to be more aware of how I am treating creation?
Announcements
We have a Slow-Cooker Spirituality group that meets online at 9:30am PST every Thursday. This coming week’s reading will be Genesis 4:1-16. Using the Head, Heart, Hands questions, spend some time reflecting on the passage and writing down what emerges for you.
(Head) What do I think about what I read?
(Heart) What do I feel as I am reflecting?
(Hands) What do I do to respond?
One of the ways we invest in the future of FōS is through tithes and offering, generous giving. You can give online at www.fos.church/partner. Make sure to follow the instructions.
Our Benediction
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you: wherever they may send you;
may Christ guide you through the wilderness: protect you through the storm;
may Christ bring you home rejoicing: at the wonders they have shown you;
may Christ bring you home rejoicing: once again into our doors.*
Amen …
*Claiborne, Shane. Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.