A Service of Blessing
Rock Run, Ralston, PA
Led by: Interfaith Sacred Earth Coalition
September 8, 2012
LITANY FOR THE FOUR DIRECTIONS
(all are invited to turn to each direction)
Leader: Let us give thanks for the North, for the corn and soybean
fields stretching across the land, for the hawk and the eagle, for the
the lakes and streams, for bass and catfish, for winding two-lane
blacktops in the heart rural farmlands.
Response: We bless you, O God, for the North
Leader: Let us give thanks for the South, for the broad Susquehanna
emptying into the Chesapeake Bay, for maple and elm trees, for the
goldfinch and bluebird, for earthworms and microbes, for the colors on
the rocks and stones:
Response: We bless you, O God, for the South.
Leader: Let us give thanks for the West, for soaring mountains and
laughing brooks, rabbits and raccoons, for pine and pin oak, for the
mists of valleys and the high clouds of the sky:
Response: We bless you, O God, for the West.
Leader: Let us give thanks for the East, for these ancient hills and
valleys and streams without end, for larch and hemlock, for black bear
and mountain trout, for cardinals and blue jays, for this sacred space
of Rock Run within this forest cathedral that hosts us today:
Response: We bless you, O God, for the East.
TIME OF SILENT CONTEMPLATION
(You are invited to pray silently in your own tradition, or meditate on
the following wisdom words from various traditions)
Great Spirit, give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative
to all that is! All over the earth the faces of living things are all
alike. This is my prayer; hear me! Black Elk, Oglala Sioux
O moving force of Wisdom, you encircle the wheel of the cosmos,
you encompass all that is, all that has life, in one vast circle.
Hildegard of Bingen
It could be that God has not absconded but spread, as our vision
and understanding of the universe have spread, to a fabric of spirit
and sense so grand and subtle, powerful in a new way, that we
can only feel blindly of its hem. Annie Dillard, naturalist writer
There is not anything new to be born. It has been within you from
the beginningless beginning. It has only to be awakened, to
become aware of itself in you. Zen saying
For in God we live and move and have our being. Acts 17:28
Hear what the Lord says: Rise, plead your case before
the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. Hear, you
mountains, the controversy of the Lord, and you enduring
foundations of the earth;. . .The Lord has told you, O mortal, what
is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and
to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:1-2, 8
O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to
Allah, even as against yourselves, or your parents, or your kin,
and whether it be (against) rich or poor.... Holy Qur’an 4:135
A Bodhisattva resolves: I take upon myself the burden of all
suffering, I am resolved to do so, I will endure it. And why? At all
costs I must bear the burdens of all beings. The whole world of
living beings I must rescue, from the terrors of birth, of old age, of
sickness, of death and rebirth . . .and so I will help all beings to
freedom, in all the states of woe that may be found. Vajradhvaja-
sktra
LITANY FOR ARISING
We arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the elements
Through the belief in solidarity; through protection of nature
And of the Creators of all.
We arise today
Through the strength of the souls in these woods and in the waters;
in obedience to nature, in the service of all creation;
In hope that our children's children will run through these trees.
We arise today
Through destiny's strength to pilot us:
the earth's might to uphold us, ancients' wisdom to guide us,
eyes of hawks to look before us, owl's ear to hear us,
the sacred words to speak through us,
our ancestors' hands to guard us, nature's way to lie before us,
our neighbors' shield to protect us,
the Holy’s embrace to save us
from snares of evil ones; from temptations of an easy path,
from everyone who shall wish us ill,
alone and in multitude.
May all that is sacred shield us today
We stand on this ground as protectors
we stand for our children, we stand for our earth-kin
we stand for justice in this world.
We arise today
Through a mighty strength; the invocation of the elements
Through the belief in solidarity; through protection of nature
And of the Creators of all.
By fin and feather, leaf and tree
may our gathering forever blessed be!
Go in peace. Care for the Earth.
Shalom, Salaam alekim, Namaste, Blessings, Blessed be, Peace.
Interfaith Sacred Earth Coalition
Founder: The Rev. Leah Schade
Email: interfaithsacredearthcoalition@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook!
Interfaith Sacred Earth Coalition is a network of clergy and other
people of faith who believe that care of God's creation is central to
their calling as people of faith. We believe that all children, women,
men, and earth-kin have the right to clean water, land, air, and health.
Started in January 2012 in response to the threats of the slickwater
horizontal hydraulic fracturing industry (fracking) in the Susquehanna
Valley of Pennsylvania, ISEC is committed to being a public presence
on this and other ecological issues in order to bring ethical, moral,
spiritual, and religious perspectives to bear. The loosely-affiliated
network currently includes over 80 individuals representing 8 different
faith groups, as well as non-religiously affiliated individuals who have
allied with ISEC, seeing a common purpose of protecting the earth and
humanity. We make an effort to hold government, corporate, and
private citizens accountable whenever suffering and harm to the
common good results from our individual, collective, business, and
industrial actions.
We encourage our fellow clergy and houses of worship to have the
courage to address eco-justice issues, listen to the stories of those who
suffer and have little or no voice in the public arena, and host public
discernment discussions on ecological issues that affect their
communities. Our hope is to raise consciousness and offer education
about eco-justice issues so that citizens may be better informed,
advocate for eco-justice issues in the public arena, and offer a positive,
creative vision for our planet based on our collective interfaith
dialogue.
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