When Moses met YHWH in the burning bush, the Creator told him to remove his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. What if I told you that can be said of each of us at this very moment? Every inch of our earth is sacred and every form of life carries the traces of the One who formed everything we know out of the chaos. Celebrating the incredible gift of Creation is just the first step of living into the Genesis-charge to tend the earth and be good stewards of all God has made.
Holy Ground is a six-week series meant to connect us more deeply to creation and lead us to actively claiming our call to be caretakers of the earth. This series can be used during any liturgical season but would align beautifully with the Sunday nearest Earth Day, St. Francis’ Feast Day, World Communion Sunday, or any special Sunday your community traditionally meets outdoors. This year, Earth Day Sunday is the Sunday after Easter which makes this a perfect series for Eastertide. Week one starts off celebrating the gift of Creation and is an easily lay-led Sunday.
When you purchase the Holy Ground worship series, you’re also supporting the work of Church in the Wild, a new spiritual community dedicated to connecting with and caring for Creation. Every dollar we raise through the sale of Holy Ground goes directly to the mission and ministry of our new church start.
What’s Included?
In addition to the resources listed above the liturgy includes a Unison Prayer/Prayer for Illumination, a Prayer of Dedication over the Offering, a Benediction, a special sung Communion liturgy, and responsive Calls to Worship for each Sunday. This package is also loaded with links to additional resources and information for sermons or bible studies.
Speaking of bible study, we’ve got that covered too. The sweet and simple six-week bible study accompanies this worship series to help participants go deeper on each week’s topic. The bible study is designed to be no-prep for the leader or participants! Simply read the scriptures together and discuss the provided questions. There a bonus video suggestion for each week but it’s not required to show a video to do this study.
Lastly, in the complete bundle you’ll receive beautiful graphics to use on social media, bulletin covers, or on screens during worship.
Series Overview
Week 1 – Holy Gift: God Creates, We Steward
Psalm 8 The Message: All of Creation glorifies God
Genesis 1:26-31 CEB: God creates humanity and puts us in charge of caring for the world
Week 2 – Holy Ground: Finding the Sacred in the Ordinary
Isaiah 52:6-7 CEB: “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of a messenger”
Exodus 3:1-6 CEB: Moses encounters God in the burning bush
Week 3 – Holy Water: How We Relate to Creation is How We Relate to the Creator
Proverbs 8:1-3, 22-31 The Message: Lady Wisdom’s account of creation
Mark 1:4-12 The Message: Jesus is baptized in the Jordan River
Week 4 – Holy Creatures: Loving Our Wild Neighbors
Romans 1:20-21 CEB: God’s nature can be clearly seen through Creation
Job 12:7-10 The Message: Job’s instructions to listen to the animals to learn about God
Luke 10:25-29 CEB: Jesus tells us to love our neighbors
Week 5 – Holy Order: Every Species has a Sacred Role
Romans 12:4-6 The Message: We’re all parts of the Body of Christ
Matthew 6:27-34 CEB: Jesus’ teachings on worry and our basic needs
Week 6 – Holy Responsibility: Claiming Our Call to Tend the Earth
Isaiah 24:4-6 CEB: Isaiah’s warning for the destruction of the Earth
Romans 8:12-19 CEB: Paul’s reminder that all of Creation is depending on us
John 6:3-13 CEB: Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000+
As you can see, this package is meant to be accessible for churches of all sizes and styles. It’s been created by pastors currently in ministry with a deep passion for the Church and our call to tend the earth. We hope this resource will be a blessing to your ministry and help your congregation continue to be a blessing to the world!
We’d love to hear from you! If you have any questions or feedback don’t hesitate to contact us at churchinthewildcommunity@gmail.com.
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