Sandcastle Sunrise Service: August 4, 2019
Welcome – Opening remarks – Traditional territory of Tla ‘amin People
Good morning everyone – so good to see you all this morning in this beautiful part of God’s Creation!
Before we begin, we gratefully acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional territory of the Tla’amin people, the first people to inhabit and be supported by this rich and fruitful land. We are so grateful that this precious land has been set aside for the recreation and rejuvenation of all people now and for generations to come.
Introductions: myself, TUC, others? From away?
I am Karen May, Minister of the Texada Island United Church in Van Anda, and our congregation is pleased to offer this annual outdoor service to all who wish to be with us this morning.
Anyone here from off island? Other parts of Canada?
Let us take a few moments now to prepare ourselves for worship…
Centering prayer: Breathe, let go, LISTEN (silence)
Sing: Listen, listen, listen 2x Listen to the beat of your heart, listen to the heartbeat of the earth. Listen, listen, listen.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
(silence)
Hymn: Come and find the quiet centre
Scripture: Genesis 1:1-5 and John 1:1-5 (Dale)
Hymn: This is God’s wondrous world
Reflection: “the importance of cosmology”
Since the beginning of time people have been in awe of the power and the beauty of the natural world. Fire and flood, lightening and thunder, the miracle of birth, the unfolding of a butterfly….so many things we do not, have not understood.
We ask ourselves the perennial questions: why am I here? Where did I come from? And our leaders, guided by some great Wisdom, have given us stories, ways to understand mysteries that are in fact too great for many of us to wrap our heads around.
Our scriptures this morning reflect that human need for ways to understand the unfathomable: the first from the very first book of the Bible, Genesis (which actually means “an origin, or a beginning”), and the second from the Gospel of John, offering a different creation story, and a much more mystical one.
As we look around us this morning – this beautiful morning in this beautiful place – we are touched, if we open ourselves to it, by the incredible energy, the vitality of this land. We listen to the sounds of birds, the lapping of the ocean waves, the hum of insects. We absorb the colours of the trees, the grass, the rocks of the seashore, the water, the sky. We become aware of ourselves and our neighbours as part of this landscape. We feel the presence of something, something bigger than we are, something that was here before we were.
And what is that “something”? Many of us have named it GOD. But that’s not very scientific, and so our best scientific minds are working on unpacking this idea of GOD. The best they have come up with so far is “the Big Bang theory” – the idea that at some point in time or out of it, there was a beginning – a moment when Creation as we know it came into being. Not all at once, mind you, but in stages over millions, even billions of years of our time. I have huge respect for the brilliant minds, the astrophysicists, astronomers and others who wrestle with this mystery in very complex mathematical ways. But it remains clear to me that this important work is not even close to explaining to us the awesome reality that surrounds us here and in every place we live and move and have our being.
The profound intricacy of ecosystems that support and nurture life itself, the blessings of fresh water and clean air, the mystery of the turn of seasons: spring planting to the harvest that sees us thru the winter months. We have been gifted with a place in all this, and a responsibility to care for it – for we have been gifted with consciousness and intellect, and the beginnings of vision to SEE that all this has value beyond provision of our daily needs. We have been gifted with great teachers and spiritual leaders, people who, guided by great Wisdom or Holy Spirit, or God – depending on your belief system – have taught us how to live together in harmony and peace, and with great respect for that greatest of all mysteries, for all of Creation.
Let us give thanks in our hearts for all we have been given as we sing together this very old hymn.
Hymn: Count your blessings
Closing remarks and commissioning
Let’s leave this place in a spirit of Celebration and appreciation for all the blessings of being human in this time and place, and renewed commitment to be good stewards of this precious Earth.
Hymn: You shall go out with joy!
Welcome – Opening remarks – Traditional territory of Tla ‘amin People
Good morning everyone – so good to see you all this morning in this beautiful part of God’s Creation!
Before we begin, we gratefully acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional territory of the Tla’amin people, the first people to inhabit and be supported by this rich and fruitful land. We are so grateful that this precious land has been set aside for the recreation and rejuvenation of all people now and for generations to come.
Introductions: myself, TUC, others? From away?
I am Karen May, Minister of the Texada Island United Church in Van Anda, and our congregation is pleased to offer this annual outdoor service to all who wish to be with us this morning.
Anyone here from off island? Other parts of Canada?
Let us take a few moments now to prepare ourselves for worship…
Centering prayer: Breathe, let go, LISTEN (silence)
Sing: Listen, listen, listen 2x Listen to the beat of your heart, listen to the heartbeat of the earth. Listen, listen, listen.
BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.
(silence)
Hymn: Come and find the quiet centre
Scripture: Genesis 1:1-5 and John 1:1-5 (Dale)
Hymn: This is God’s wondrous world
Reflection: “the importance of cosmology”
Since the beginning of time people have been in awe of the power and the beauty of the natural world. Fire and flood, lightening and thunder, the miracle of birth, the unfolding of a butterfly….so many things we do not, have not understood.
We ask ourselves the perennial questions: why am I here? Where did I come from? And our leaders, guided by some great Wisdom, have given us stories, ways to understand mysteries that are in fact too great for many of us to wrap our heads around.
Our scriptures this morning reflect that human need for ways to understand the unfathomable: the first from the very first book of the Bible, Genesis (which actually means “an origin, or a beginning”), and the second from the Gospel of John, offering a different creation story, and a much more mystical one.
As we look around us this morning – this beautiful morning in this beautiful place – we are touched, if we open ourselves to it, by the incredible energy, the vitality of this land. We listen to the sounds of birds, the lapping of the ocean waves, the hum of insects. We absorb the colours of the trees, the grass, the rocks of the seashore, the water, the sky. We become aware of ourselves and our neighbours as part of this landscape. We feel the presence of something, something bigger than we are, something that was here before we were.
And what is that “something”? Many of us have named it GOD. But that’s not very scientific, and so our best scientific minds are working on unpacking this idea of GOD. The best they have come up with so far is “the Big Bang theory” – the idea that at some point in time or out of it, there was a beginning – a moment when Creation as we know it came into being. Not all at once, mind you, but in stages over millions, even billions of years of our time. I have huge respect for the brilliant minds, the astrophysicists, astronomers and others who wrestle with this mystery in very complex mathematical ways. But it remains clear to me that this important work is not even close to explaining to us the awesome reality that surrounds us here and in every place we live and move and have our being.
The profound intricacy of ecosystems that support and nurture life itself, the blessings of fresh water and clean air, the mystery of the turn of seasons: spring planting to the harvest that sees us thru the winter months. We have been gifted with a place in all this, and a responsibility to care for it – for we have been gifted with consciousness and intellect, and the beginnings of vision to SEE that all this has value beyond provision of our daily needs. We have been gifted with great teachers and spiritual leaders, people who, guided by great Wisdom or Holy Spirit, or God – depending on your belief system – have taught us how to live together in harmony and peace, and with great respect for that greatest of all mysteries, for all of Creation.
Let us give thanks in our hearts for all we have been given as we sing together this very old hymn.
Hymn: Count your blessings
Closing remarks and commissioning
Let’s leave this place in a spirit of Celebration and appreciation for all the blessings of being human in this time and place, and renewed commitment to be good stewards of this precious Earth.
Hymn: You shall go out with joy!
