Caring for Creation -- A Message for August 24, 2025

This summer, we have been hearing about a variety of faith practices in our worship services. We have heard about prayer, silence, testifying to our faith, sharing our resources, healing, and sabbath taking. Each faith practice is a strategy we can use to both deepen our faith and express our faith in tangible ways. Our work as Christians is life-long – we are challenged and called to deepen our faith in God and to live out our faith in a variety of ways throughout our lives.

This morning we are going to focus on caring for God’s creation as a faith practice. Christians believe God created the earth and all who dwell within it. Some of us hold tight to the creation stories in the Book of Genesis…others of us believe in “intelligent design” – that everything was created and inspired by God, but may have developed over a longer period than the 6 days of creation.

Either way, Christians believe we have a special role to play in caring for God’s creation and the natural world. Listen to some scriptures that reflect this:

First, let’s turn to Genesis chapter 1:

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 

25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 

30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

And, now to read a snippet from Genesis 2:

Scripture Genesis 2: 15

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 

Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God Amen.

Let us pray….

Message Caring for Creation

Caring for creation is a spiritual practice. God made the created world to be diverse, and beautiful, and awe-inspiring. Animals and insects, birds and trees, flowers and bushes… .everything was created to fill our senses with wonderful sights, smells, tastes and songs. Yet, we can always do more to care for God’s created world and we can also do more to engage with the created world.

It has been very hot over the past few months, so many of us have adjusted our time outdoors to the cooler times of the day. But, each season of the year, and each time of the day provides opportunities for us to take in the beauty of the earth and the glories of the skies. 

In our scriptures, we are told that God created us, the human beings, with the responsibility to care for the earth and all the creatures who dwell here. When we pick up trash on the side of a trail, or pull weeds in the garden, or feed the birds, we are taking a small part in our spiritual work to care for creation.

When we engage in caring for the natural world, we are working to become more and more like Jesus – becoming more humble, more patient, more joyful, more aware. 

When we spend time doing work in the natural world, we become more and more aware of how interdependent everything is and how dependent we are on each other and creation. We need to drink clean water. We need to eat a variety of healthy foods. We eat animals for food who drink the water and eat grains and grasses. If the air is polluted or the soil is contaminated, we all lose out. Therefore, we must do our part to not waste resources and reduce our dependence on things that can damage the natural world. 

This summer, I started small with my vegetable gardening. I planted only 4 tomato plants and two pepper plants. Every morning, the baby and I take the dog for a walk and check on the progress of our little garden. It is almost magical to watch little plants grow bigger and stronger each day. All of a sudden a plant that was three inches tall when it was planted is a three-feet tall gangly vine falling out of it’s raised beds. And, with tomato and pepper plants, we see little blossoms that all of sudden sprout little fruits that grow and ripen as they are watered by the rain and showered with the sunlight. 

Human beings take a long time to physically grow and change – when we plant little gardens, we see the entire lifespan of a plant play out quickly. Yet, plants don’t always grow alone – When we grow food-bearing plants, we need to place them in fertile soil, add the right combination for fertilizer and water, and make sure they are exposed to enough sunlight. On hotter days, they need more water. On rainy days, they need no water. We nudge them along in their growth, just as God nudges us along in our growth.

We are deeply connected to God’s creation. We are entirely dependent on God’s creation. So, when we witness stark landscapes that are devoid of plants or trees, we feel adrift. We need the natural world to be visible – to see trees and plants, to hear birds chirping and dogs barking, to feel the rain on our faces and the wind blowing against us. 

As caregivers for God’s creation, we are called to tend to the earth….to pick up litter…to participate in stream clean-ups..to grow plants for pollinators and butterflies… to feed birds in the winter….to reduce our dependence on chemicals that are harmful for the environment…to take time outdoors and revel in the glories of God’s created world. 

God calls upon us to care for God’s creation. Let us not forget that we are part of that creation. It is our work to tend to the earth and repair the broken places. It is our calling to work to preserve and heal the earth. Amen. 

Silence -- A Message for August 17, 2025

  This Summer, our worship services have been focused on practices of faith. Each week, we have heard about a tangible activity we can do and potentially incorporation into our lives as a regular faith practice. Our faith is more than an intellectual activity – a “head” activity…..practiciing our faith also involves our hearts and our hands. So we are invited to change our hearts to be more loving towards God and other people and to take on actions with our hands and our feet to live out our faith.

Last week, we focused on our prayer life….sometimes, when we find it difficult to talk to God, it may be useful to pray our way through the book of Psalms in the Bible…our most ancient prayer book. This morning we are also going to focus on prayer, but from a different angle ... .today we are are going to consider incorporating SILENCE into our prayer life and working to listen to God.

Let us turn now to the prayer book of the Bible, the Books of the Psalms and read Psalm 46:

Scripture Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength,
    an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
    and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.[c]

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease
    to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields[d] with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray….

Message Silence

A few years ago, when everything “paused” for Covid, it was eerily quiet outside. My family lived in the parsonage, so I was used to hearing traffic noise from Skippack Pike all day and night….but the traffic noise stopped. I was accustomed to hearing the kids playing basketball and the sound of bouncing balls all day long, but suddenly there were no dribbling sounds, no kids shouting, and the basketball court and playground were roped off with yellow hazard tape. I was used to people stopping in the church office and telling me about their news, hearing the school bus screech to a halt in front of my house, and contending with bands playing at the Cabana Bar, and Brothers Kershner, and the Stray Dog Tavern every Friday and Saturday night, and suddenly there was no music and no busses and no visitors. It was strangely quiet.

We are not used to “quiet”. We fill our lives with the noise of tvs and music and the radio. I listen to podcasts when I am doing housework. Every toy that the baby plays with seems to play annoyingly loud music. The teenager in our home listens to music on her headphones while dividing her attention between video games, watching tv, or playing tictok reels on her laptop. Even when I sit in my office working on tasks on my computer, the noise of the air conditioner fills my ears. Quiet and family life seems to be mutually exclusive. 

Yet, our faith encourages us to make time for silence…to incorporate quiet time in our lives. 

The sixth chapter of the book of Mark describes a very busy time in Jesus’ life. First he traveled to Nazareth and was expelled from his hometown, then he sent his Disciples out into the world to share the Good News with people who needed to hear about it, and then he learned that his beloved cousin John the Baptist had been killed. After he heard the sad news, Jesus’ disciples then came back to where Jesus was to report to him about their mission of preaching and teaching. After they shared, Jesus told them to take a break. He said:  “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Even in the 1st century, people’s lives were so busy that they needed to take breaks, go to a quiet place, and rest. And, when Jesus implored his friends to come away with him to a restful, quiet place, he was also going there himself. He needed to grieve his cousin’s death and to have a restful, restorative break himself.

Despite the activities we participate in and the business that fill our lives, we need God. We need to make sure we set aside time to rest, to reflect quietly, to listen to the Holy Spirit, and to experience the presence of the Lord. Our bodies need a break…our brains need a break….and our souls need a break. We may need to make an effort to schedule ourselves for a quiet time – perhaps wake up 10 minutes earlier so we can have a phone-free, music-free, conversation-free moment of silence – if we work away from home, perhaps we need to have a silent lunch break away from our desk and away from our office-mates – if we commute to work, perhaps we need to keep the radio and the audiobooks turned off for that commuting time – if our knees can stand it, perhaps we can set aside a block of time to walk around the block or walk on a trail in a park. We need breaks from technology and other people and the endless tasks on our lists.

In the Old Testament, we learn about the ancient prophets and their work preaching and calling people to change their hearts to focus on God. The prophets often called out powerful people and told them to change their ways – their speaking truth to power put the prophets at risk to be killed by the formidable people they called out. Their calling to be truth-tellers constantly put them at risk. Elijah was the prophet who challenged King Ahab and Queen Jezebel to change their ways – Jezebel was so wicked her name is still infamous. Once, when Elijah ran away from Ahab and Jezebel, he hid in the wilderness for 40 days and then climbed Mount Horeb. Elijah wanted to feel closer to God and supposed climbing high up a mountain would help him reach the heavens. Once he was on top of the mountain, Elijah waited for God. God’s messengers told him God would “pass by him” on the mountain.

As Elijah waited, the scripture says: “Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.”

God was in the gentle whisper. God talked to Elijah in a whisper. Sometimes, it needs to be very quiet so we can hear God. God doesn’t always appear in the midst of glory and splendor. Sometimes, God speaks to us in a quiet and calm whisper.

Why is it important to have set-aside quiet and silent times? Silence and solitude are essential for spiritual growth.  We need to be able to block off the noises and distractions and take quiet time to draw closer to God, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit guiding our lives, and prepare our heads, hearts, and hands for the work God calls us to do. Jesus found strength in quiet time and alone time. We can find renewal and purpose when we take a break from regular activities and busy-ness and focus on listening to God. When we create room for quiet-times, we create space for God to speak, heal and transform us. 

When we make time for quiet – a time apart from the noise and busy-ness and tasks of our regular lives – we are more open to hear the voice of God guiding us and leading us.

Amen. 

Praying the Psalms -- A Message from August 10, 2025

 

Over the summer weeks, our messages in worship have been focused on practices of faith. Over the weeks, we have focused on giving testimonies of faith, keeping sabbath, fasting, healing prayer, and committing to tithing. Today, we turn to prayer…and our guidebook for prayer in the Bible, the book of Psalms.

Scholars divide our Psalms into different types of Psalms: laments & complaints; praising God; thanksgiving to God; and Psalms expressing God’s wisdom and instruction. This morning, we are going to hear Psalm 86. It is considered to be a lament and is asking God for help….help for the individual who wrote the Psalm and help for the collective group of people who pray the words of the Psalm.

Listen now to the word of God as it is expressed in Psalm 86:  

Scripture Psalm 86

A prayer of David.

1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
    for I am poor and needy.

2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
    save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 

3 have mercy on me, Lord,
    for I call to you all day long.

4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
    for I put my trust in you.

5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
    abounding in love to all who call to you.

6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
    listen to my cry for mercy.

7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
    because you answer me.

8 Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
    no deeds can compare with yours.

9 All the nations you have made
    will come and worship before you, Lord;
    they will bring glory to your name.

10 For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
    you alone are God.

11 Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.

12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever.

13 For great is your love toward me;
    you have delivered me from the depths,
    from the realm of the dead.

14 Arrogant foes are attacking me, O God;
    ruthless people are trying to kill me—
    they have no regard for you.

15 But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

16 Turn to me and have mercy on me;
    show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
    just as my mother did.

17 Give me a sign of your goodness,
    that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,
    for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Amen.

Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Let us pray….

Message Praying the Psalms

Song has always been a part of worship. In every world religion, music and singing are intricately linked to spirituality. Religious beliefs inspire songwriters and poets. The music they craft is then used in worship: to teach, inspire, praise and pray. For us, the book of Psalms is our oldest song book.

In ancient Judaism, as the scattered believers began to worship together at pilgrimage sites and shrines, they praised God with song. They sang, and they also used instruments….pipes, trumpets, tambourines, cymbals, harps, lyres, and other stringed instruments are mentioned in the Psalms. When I served my first congregation, people were very opposed to having drums in the sanctuary – yet, ancient believers in God made music with many instruments, including cymbals and tambourines!

The Psalms are both songs and prayers. This is also true today. Many of our modern hymns are not only songs…. They are also prayers. 

Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light:Take my hand, precious Lord,

Lead me home.

…..or…..

I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord; No tender voice like Thine can peace afford; I need Thee, O I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee! O bless me now, my Savior, I come to Thee.

We can sing these familiar hymns to ourselves or out- loud, and the familiar words guide us as we talk to God…they are sung prayers.

The book of Psalms has one hundred and fifty psalms….they are all prayers, but they aren’t all the same. Some are prayers of praise that say how wonderful God is. Some are prayers of lament with the speaker crying out to God. Some thank God for God’s instruction and teaching and wisdom. Some are just prayers of thanksgiving to God….period.

Whatever mood you are in, whatever need you have, you can find a reflection of how you feel in the book of Psalms. 

I have had conversations with people who feel like they don’t know how to pray….especially when they are asked to pray out loud when other people can hear them.  They fear they don’t know the words to say. They feel like their words should be poetic or use some kind of fancy theological language. They may have memorized prayers as children but feel that those no longer are enough – “Now I lay me down to sleep” may feel silly for a 47 year old to pray at night.

When I am feeling like I don’t know what to say when I pray, I turn to the book of Psalms. Psalm 86 is a helpful example of prayer…it starts with the request: “Hear me, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” Through supplication, the one praying invites God to both hear their prayer and answer their prayer. We all go through times in our lives when we feel poor and needy, like things aren’t going the way we want – perhaps we or someone we love is ill, perhaps we are struggling with relationships, perhaps we are struggling with jobs or having enough of the things we depend on. We all are needy and need the comforting embrace of God. Psalm 86 puts to words our fears.

If we pray our way through the words of Psalm 86, it provides a template of how we can pray…

We should pray honestly and earnestly – we should be real with God “I am poor and needy” is a very honest statement. 

 God knows our hearts. God knows our fears. God knows our insecurities. We don’t have to pretend to have everything under control when we talk to God. We can express our rawest emotions.

In verse 3, it says: “I call to you all day long.” We can pray all day long – not just before bed, not just before meals, not just when it is expected. We can talk to God whenever we need to talk to God, and God hears us all the time. Whenever we are troubled, we can pray. Whenever we encounter a situation that concerns us, we can pray. Whenever we meet someone who is in need, we can pray. There are no rules about when we should pray or how we should pray or what we should pray about.

Verse 12 says: “I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” This line reminds us to be thankful and to appreciate God. When we pray, we are encouraged to tell God we are grateful for all God has done and does right now. It is a good exercise for us to notice the things God has done – God provides the beauty of the natural world. God provides delicious food to cook and eat. God provides our pets and our families and our friends. God showers us with Grace and forgives us when we fail. God loves us. It is important for us to appreciate God.

The author of Psalm 86 is believed to be King David. David was a great king. He led armies to victories. He was anointed by God to serve his country and on behalf of God. He was apparently beautiful, and played the harp like a virtuoso, and was strong, and brave, and smart. Yet, humility permeates this Psalm. We also should be humble when we pray…The psalmist asks God to be gracious to him. He refers to himself as God’s servant. He admits he is afflicted and needy. He admits his weakness and asks God to give him strength. These are humble requests. We should also be humble.

In the second verse of the Psalm, the author says: “I put my trust in you” O God. We are also encouraged to put our trust in God. We all face painful situations. We all struggle with grief and despair and loneliness. We all have experienced broken relationships, and threats of violence, and fear. Yet, in the midst of all that we have experienced, God has been with us. Psalm 86 talks about how great God’s love is for us and that God has delivered the Psalmist from the depths. Many of us have similar stories of deliverance – we have overcome trials and terrible times…we have lived through adversity and change…we have endured hard times. Throughout them all, God is the constant presence with us, to help us, guide us and encourage us. God is with us, therefore we are never alone. We are called to trust in God.

Sometimes, we hit roadblocks in our prayer life. We don’t know what to say. We may not feel creative. We may feel too sad to put to words our thoughts. We may have writer’s block with our words. 

Whenever that happens, I suggest turning to the book of Psalms. There, we will find the words already written that express our thoughts. There, we will find comforting words of assurance of God’s presence and good will for us. There, we will find words of guidance and support. 

My prayer is that we will all pray more often, more freely, and take everything in our hearts to the Lord in prayer. Amen