Sally Armour Wotton - Can God Come Out To Play?: Liturgy Ceremony Ritual

Chapter

Location, location, location!

S acred or holy ground has been at the center of our belief systems since archaic times and in those times the world defined reality as that which was sacred. Mercia Eliade, in his seminal book, The Myth of the Eternal Return , discusses our earliest concepts of holy ground. He tells us that there is a series of archaic beliefs which refer to the prestige of the center and of the cosmic mountain. He writes,

The architectonic symbolism of the center may be formulated as follows:

The sacred mountainwhere heaven and earth meetis situated at the center of the world.

Every temple or palace, and, by extension, every sacred city or royal residence is a sacred mountain, thus becoming a center.

Being an axis mundi (world pillar) the sacred city or temple is regarded as the meeting point of heaven, earth, and hell.

Paradise, where Adam was created from clay, is, of course, situated at the center of the cosmos. Paradise was the navel of the Earth and, according to a Syrian tradition, was established on a mountain higher than all others. And Adam was created at the same spot where the cross of Christ was later to be set up. The same traditions have been preserved by Judaism.

This symbolism has survived in the Western world down to modern times; the idea that the sanctuary symbolically reproduces the Celestial Jerusalem. The symbolisms of the mountain, the Ascension, and the quest for the center are clearly found in novels and other literary works written through the centuries. In fact, in war-torn mountainous regions today, people take refuge on the ancient high ground not just for strategic advantage but for protection by the sacred mountain of their ancestors. One might also say that the continual effort of architects to outdo each other in designing the tallest building in the world is an ongoing quest for the cosmic mountain!

As we travel and take in the remarkable beauty of our Earth, viewed from a mountain, seaside, city, and even from space she continues to represent the sacred and the real. She performs her liturgies quietly in the community of sun, rain and when we are not looking, snow. Insects, birds and those of us who love gardening join this nurturing congregation to produce beauty, shade and the food that sustains us. Earth is teeming with life and it literally holds us up. We evolved from her and we shall return to her.

The Earth and all her living beings, including humans are intrinsically connected, like an arm to a shoulder or a branch to a tree. Most of us are not really aware of how interconnected we are to all life. This lack of awareness can make us indifferent and dispassionate toward the nonhuman life with whom we share the planet. We are now able to see the dire consequences of human societies self-absorbed worldview. I believe we are desperately in need of a paradigm shift which moves us from feeling that we are on the Earth to knowing we are of the Earth and to regard all life as subject not object. There are those trying to see this wholeness even while, as a species, we are still struggling just to accept one another!

Perhaps a first step for individuals in broadening our horizons to see ourselves as of the Earth and to gain a glimpse of holy ground could be to take a walk! When faced with a problem the expression, Put on your hat and go for a walk is well-founded, holistic advice as it involves both the body and an initial commitment. So, breathe deeply and experience the sun the rain the snow or the night sky. Include a sense of the numinous through prayer or sacred awareness. Try walking a two mile round trip, or whatever distance suits your body, and become intimately acquainted with your neighborhoodcats, dogs and their walkers, trees and plants (as they move through their cyclical changes) architecture and the details of the landscape. Allow your mind to wonder and your creative juices to flow as, with senses alert, you breathe and walk. Do this ritually, the same route and at regular intervalsdaily, weekly or even monthly. As you gain an at-oneness with the life on your familiar route, you may find, in time, that a problem is solved or a creative idea born and that you, in your retoned body, are walking on holy ground.

Here is a liturgy I originally created for the United Church of Canada. It is a more fully detailed liturgy than others in this book as it includes a childrens time, youth event, sermon outline, designated prayers and the description of a new sacrament. This is a slightly rewritten version with basic liturgical directions to make it more accessible to all and to provide a reference for some of the liturgies that follow. It was one of the first Eco-theology liturgies designed for the United Churchs liturgical Season of Creation which is celebrated in September. It could easily be adapted to a nonchurch setting. Though intended for a Christian community, I believe that with a few changes in wording any sacred gathering concerned with the future of our Earth could feel at ease with this liturgy.

Creation Centered Liturgy

Opening Prayer

Leader: We gather together, Gracious Provider, in your presence, to celebrate our oneness with the earth and to beg her forgiveness for the injuries we have caused. Help us to hear the voices of our prophets and give us the will and the compassion to respond through you with healing action. Amen

Hymn of PraiseKelly Walkers, Hymn To Mother Earth [see Music Resources at the back of this book]

Exchange of The Peace

Leader: Let us exchange the Peace with one another.

The peace of God be always with you.

Congregation: And also with you.

(Exchange of the Peacea hug or a handshake with the people around you saying, Peace be with you.)

Childrens Moment(See Childrens Talk under Suggested Directions...)

Readings:

Epistlest Timothy : (New Revised Standard VersionNRSV)

GospelLuke : 1931 NRSV (Done as one person mini-drama. See Suggested Directions...)

Sermon (See Suggested Directions...)

(Long Silence minutescould play Be Still And Know That I Am God from the CD Songs of Presence .)

Prayers Of The People

Led and composed by a layperson who will incorporate the worship theme while praying for:

The Church

The world

The community

The sick and those in need

Thanksgiving for the lives of those who have died.

End with a two to four line prayer of thanksgiving written or found by the prayer presenter. (If possible this should be led from the nave or the midst of the gathering).

Confession

Leader: Let us confess our human failings to The One on whose grace and mercy we depend saying,

We, like the Rich Man, ignore the cries of the prophets of today. We have not heard them add their voices to Moses and the prophets of old, imploring us to repent and change our self-serving ways. We have shown indifference to the many species disappearing from our midst, the perforation of our fragile atmosphere, the deadly pollution of our waters. We have not cared for the starving, sore covered earth, the Lazarus, at our gates. All-powerful God of the Cosmos, forgive us and inspire in us the imagination to redefine ourselves as creatures of the Earthsoil of your soil. Grant us, Creator God, the wisdom to hear your prophets, to know that all pain is our pain and all joy is our joy as we work to restore your beautiful world. Amen

(Silence)

Kyrie Eleison (sung)

Congregation:

Kyrie eleison

Christe eleison

Kyrie eleison

Assurance of Pardon

Leader: Holiest Hope, we trust in your great love and mercy that though we have practiced greed and shortsighted ambition you will grant us forgiveness of our sins. We feel your presence as you guide us along your holy ground to regain our place as partners with all the earth. And we breathe your love through the love we give and receive from one another. Amen