Justice

This is part of the worship series, "Grief Over Injustice, Hope for Wholeness”IntroductionLent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3  | Lent 4 |  Lent 5Palm/Passion Sunday | Good Friday | Easter Sunday  WEEK TWO: MISUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENTWe centered this service around creation care, the climate crisis, and our call to fill the earth and subdue it. We opened the service with our delight in the beauty of creation, joining the song of all creation praising the Creator. We lamented how we often neglect our task of caring for the earth as all creation groans in eager expectation for Christ’s return. Then we turned to trust and hope that God will redeem this world and make all things new. GatheringWelcomeCall to WorshipThe heavens declare the glory of God;the skies proclaim the work of his hands.All creation joins in praising:great sea creatures and all ocean depths,lightning and hail, snow and clouds,stormy winds that do his bidding,mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds,kings of the earth and all nations, princes and all rulers on earth,young men and women, old men and children.Let them praise the name of the Lord,for his name alone is exalted;his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.—adapted from Psalm 19:1 and Psalm 148:7–12 NIVGod Greets UsGod’s People Greet Each OtherSongs How magnificent it is for us to reflect onhow God’s Word spoke creation into being,how God’s Spirit breathed life into every living creature.We join our voices in concert with the symphony of praise sung by trees and fields on earth, and saints and angels in heaven. “Rejoice in All Your Works” Kimbrough“Creation Sings the Father’s Song” Getty and Townend RenewalCall to ConfessionMade in God’s imageto live in loving communion with our Maker,we are appointed earthkeepers and caretakersto tend the earth, enjoy it,and love our neighbors.God uses our skillsfor the unfolding and well-being of his worldso that creation and all who live in it may flourish.—Our World Belongs to God, st. 10 © 2008, Christian Reformed Church in North America, Grand Rapids, Michigan, www.crcna.org. Reprinted with permission.Yet often we neglect our task.Recalling our task leads us to confess our sinand to yearn for God’s forgiveness.Prayer of Confession and Song “This is My Father’s World (Beauty Birthed from Strife)” Babcock,  additional verse Tai and Dost[Congregation sings stanza 1:]This is my Father’s world,and to my listening earsall nature sings, and round me ringsthe music of the spheres.This is my Father’s world;I rest me in the thoughtof rocks and trees, of skies and seas;his hand the wonders wrought.—Babcock, P.D.[Spoken prayer of confession:]Creator God, we confess that all too oftenwe have ignored and denied your lordship of the land entrusted to usby assuming the right to do with it as we please,by taking more from it than we have returned to it,by taking for granted its productivity,by denying justice to many who have labored on the land,by wanting food for less than it costs to produce.We have indulged our appetites with little consideration for others.We have been more interested in our neighbor’s land than in our neighbor.We have harbored bitterness and resentmentsbecause of economic problems.We are not reconciled to some who have hurt us,even members of your body.—from “Prayers for the Earth,” by Betty Voskuil, Reformed Worship 10:24 © 1988, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Used by permission.[Congregation sings stanza by Tai and Drost:]This is our Savior’s world,though justice has not come. We wait in angst and groan in paintill Jesus’ kingdom come. God will redeem this world!From the ashes shall come life. We will believe though we cannot see the beauty birthed from strife.—Julie Tai and Eben Drost  © 2019, Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial-ShareAlike.[Prayer continues:]Lord of the church, have mercy on us.Grant us peace with you and with each other in Christ.—from “Prayers for the Earth,” by Betty Voskuil, Reformed Worship 10:24 © 1988, Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Used by permission.[Congregation sings stanza 3:]This is my Father’s world;oh, let me not forgetthat, though the wrong seems oft so strong,God is the Ruler yet.This is my Father’s world;why should my heart be sad?The Lord is King, let the heavens ring!God reigns; let earth be glad.—Babcock, P.D.[Prayer continues:]Lord of all creation,you have given us this day of beauty,full of your handiwork. Open our eyes wideto see your Spirit’s artistry in all that happens. Open our heartsto the surprising ways of your creative goodness. Then grant us grace to reflect your glory, through the transforming power of Christ, your Word, who beckons us into life abundant. Amen.—from “Praising God the Maker,” by Christine Jerrett, © 2026 ReformedWorship.org. Used by permission.   Assurance of PardonIn a moment we are going to sing together “Is He Worthy?” The chorus references the moment in Revelation 5 when the prophet asks, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” He looks around along with all the hosts of heaven, and when no one is found who is worthy, he weeps bitterly.But then one of the elders says, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able.” And then the Lamb, looking as if it has been slain, appears at the center of the throne and takes the scroll. At once all the heavenly hosts sing praises: “You are worthy!”When facing injustice, we can feel despair. But though we see the brokenness in our lives and the world around us and we hear creation groaning, we know that there is still one who is worthy. Christ is worthy, and through Christ we are assured of redemption. Redemption from our sin and all the injustice and brokenness of this world. One day all will be redeemed, and creation will groan no more.Song: “Is He Worthy?” Peterson and ShiveChildren are dismissed for Children’s Worship. WordPrayer for IlluminationScripture Psalm 104; Matthew 6:25–34Message “Seeking Justice for Creation”Song of Response“For the Beauty of the Earth” PierpontPrayer of the PeopleWe Give Our Offerings of Thanks Sending Call to DiscipleshipTeach us again to live in sync with your creation.May your Spirit move in the hearts of leaders,giving courage in the face of the climate crisis.May your Spirit move in the voices of youthwho call on us to consider future generations.May your Spirit empower the poor with resilienceto weather storms, drought, and floods.May your Spirit lift the conscience of the church to do what is right.May our actions bear witness that our world belongs to God.—from “Prayer for the Restoration of Creation,” Climate Witness Project © 2016, CRCNA, Faith Alive Christian Resources. Reprinted by permission.God’s Parting BlessingSong“Lord, Most High” Harris and SadlerPostludeWEEK TWO: Additional Song Ideas“Hosanna! (Will You Rise?)” Wardell et al.“All Creatures Lament” Wardell et al. 

This is part of the worship series, "Psalm 23"Series Introduction Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10Week 11 | Week 12Week 4The Way of Righteousness “He leads me in the paths of righteousnessFor His name’s sake” (Psalm 32:3b, NKJV).Weekly EmailGod leads us toward blessings, as we contemplated two weeks ago (green pastures, still waters), but God also leads us to live up to his moral and ethical standard: righteousness. What does it mean to walk in the way of righteousness? In the Bible, the idea of righteousness is almost always about being in right relationship with God and with our fellow humans. How is God helping you walk paths of right relationship this week? How is God helping you to be right with him? With your neighbor? Sermon Isaiah 5:1–7, John 15:1–17, “Justice and Righteousness” Sermon notes by Rev. Stan Mast are available from the Center for Excellence in Preaching.Children’s Message[Spend time wondering together, asking questions and reflecting on being right with God. If you used a toy with the children’s message last week, use the same toy this week.] Last week we talked about how God restores us. He fixes the things in us that are broken. Imagine that I let you use my toy and you broke it. You brought the broken toy to me and told me you were sorry. What should I say to you if you really are sorry? Should I say “I forgive you”? I should, shouldn’t I? Well, the cool thing is that I know how to fix the toy, so I restore it, and then I let you play with it again. This time you play really rough with my toy. You stomp on it and break it again. If you were me, what would you do? Should I let you play with my toy again even though you keep breaking it? What if I could teach you how to play with my toy without breaking it? If you knew how to play with it gently, should I let you play with my toy again? Could I trust you to play nicely with it? I wonder how you think you would feel knowing that I had fixed the toy, taught you how to play with it, and then gave it to you to play with. I wonder how you would feel if I let you play with all my toys even though you had broken some before. If it were me, I think I’d be pretty thankful, and I’d think you were a really good friend to trust me like that. And if I wanted to keep being your friend I’d want to keep playing with your toys in the right way, wouldn’t I? Did you know that God has given us this whole world to play with and have fun in, and God gave us lots and lots of people to love and be friends with? Sometimes we break God’s world, though. We leave our garbage around, for example, or we aren’t always kind to other people. What do you think we should say to God when we realize that we aren’t playing with God’s world the way he wants us to? We should probably say we’re sorry, shouldn’t we? I wonder what you think God would say to us if we told him we were sorry. God would forgive us, wouldn’t he? But God doesn’t just forgive us for all the bad things we do. God also teaches us how we should behave. That’s what we mean when we say God “leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” God shows us how we should live in this world—how we are to love God, creation, and all the people on earth. Is this easy to do? No, of course not; that is why we need God, our good shepherd, leading us. Even when we are thankful that God has forgiven us, we still are going to mess up. But God says he will keep helping us learn and get better at living how he wants us to, one step at a time.  Song Suggestions“I Will Rise” Reeves, et al.“The Lord, My Shepherd, Rules My Life” Idle “Lift Up Your Hearts unto the Lord” Prompts for ReflectionActivity with Scripture: Take a walk on a trail this week. As you walk, meditate on Psalm 23:3b or any of the following verses from Psalms that talk about the paths God leads us on and what helps us stay on them. Faith Practice: Engaging with Scripture“You will show me the path of life;In Your presence is fullness of joy;At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11, NIV).“You enlarged my path under me,So my feet did not slip” (Psalm 18:36, NIV).“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth,To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies” (Psalm 25:10, NIV).“Your word is a lamp to my feetAnd a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NIV)Artwork: Draw a path, either a bird’s-eye view or a path that recedes into the distance using a vanishing point. If this is the path of righteousness, what will you encounter along it? Wonder about what the journey into righteousness will look like. Draw or create a collage of things cut out from magazines of what you imagine you will find along the path of righteousness. They can be symbolic (a bird to represent the Holy Spirit, for example). Faith Practice: Wonder Journaling: Journal a timeline of your life as a progression along the path of righteousness. What events in the past has God used to grow you in righteousness? What is happening right now that shows God is leading you in the path of righteousness? What do you hope will happen in the future? Faith Practice: RememberingRevised Common LectionaryPsalm 23Years A, B, C: Easter—Fourth Sunday of EasterYear A: Season after Pentecost—Proper 23 (28)Year B: Season after Pentecost—Proper 11 (16)Isaiah 5Year A - Season after Pentecost - Proper 22 (27)Year C - Season after Pentecost - Proper 15 (20)