Lord of the starfields
Ancient of Days
Universe Maker
Here's a song in your praise
Wings of the storm cloud
Beginning and end
You make my heart leap
Like a banner in the wind
O love that fires the sun
Keep me burning.
Lord of the starfields
Sower of life,
Heaven and earth are
Full of your light
Voice of the nova
Smile of the dew
All of our yearning
Only comes home to you
O love that fires the sun
keep me burning (Bruce Cockburn)
A Psalm of Praise (read responsively)
Leader Praise the
Lord!
Praise God from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him all his host.
All Praise him, sun
and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.
Leader Let them praise
the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
All Praise the Lord
from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command.
Leader
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
All Kings of the
earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
Leader Let them praise
the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
All
Praise the Lord.
Song:
Blessing the Farm
The Garden
Leader Let us pray a blessing upon this
garden:
Divine Gardener,
in the beginning your fingernails got dirty
as you planted that first garden.
You have always been the God of gardens,
the God of a fruitful and abundant creation.
And it was in a garden that Jesus rose from the dead,
the gardener of the New Creation.
And so we pray for this garden and for those who
will labour in it.
May this soil be rich,
may these plants be rich in abundance,
may this garden be a place of joyful labour,
of good food,
of loving stewardship.
All Bless, Lord,
we ask you to shower down your blessings on this garden.
The Pastures
Leader Let us pray a blessing on these
fields and pastures:
The earth is yours, O Lord,
and the fullness thereof.
Creator of grass and grain,
so shine down upon these fields
and give wisdom to those charged with their care,
that they will provide food for domestic animals,
habitats for other creatures,
and a sight of beauty to all who behold them.
Let the fields exult and everything that is in them.
All Bless, Lord,
we ask you to shower down your blessings on these pastures.
The Domestic Animals
Leader Let us pray a blessing on these animals:
You own the cattle on a thousand hills, O Lord.
And you own these two Kerry cows,
and these six (and counting) cats,
and these six Muscovys,
and all of the twenty-four chickens,
even Shadow and Pantera, the farm dogs.
Bless these animals in our care,
bless them as they are fruitful and multiply,
bless them as they provide food for the hungry,
bless them as they are our friends and companions.
All Bless, Lord,
we ask you to shower down your blessings on these animals.
The Farm Machinery
Leader Let us pray a blessing on these farm
machines:
Ancient tractors,
rusting farm machines
shovels, hoes, rakes and axes,
electric wiring, generators, inverters,
solar panels and wind generators …
Praise the Lord!
May we always beat our swords into plows
and our spears into pruning hooks.
May our tools serve the common good,
help us to be better stewards of the earth,
and never become idols in our midst.
All Bless, Lord,
we ask you to shower down your blessings on
and through these tools.
The Forest
Leader Let us pray a blessing on this forest:
You shall go out in joy
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
Cedar and maple,
ironwood and birch,
pine and balsam,
cherry and apple.
Habitat for birds and animals,
insects and amphibians.
Place of healing and reflection,
joy and beauty.
Bless this forest, Creator God,
so that the trees of the forest will sing for joy.
All Bless, Lord,
we ask you to shower down your blessings on this forest.
The House
Leader Let us pray a blessing on this house:
Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders will have laboured all in vain.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Thanking you for Barb and Milt Wallace
who built this house for sustainable living,
we pray that this house will continue to be
a place of safety and community,
a site of hospitality and celebration,
a home rich in memory and hope.
All Bless, Lord,
we ask you to shower down your blessings on this house.
The Pond
Leader Let us pray a blessing on this
pond and the waters of this farm:
O Healing River,
send down your waters,
send down your waters,
upon this land.
O Healing River
send down your waters
upon our parched land.
We pray for the waters of irrigation
and the well water of this farm.
Shower your blessings, Lord,
send down your waters.
All Bless, Lord,
we ask you to shower down your blessings on these waters.
Song “O Healing River”
(this is a call/response song)
O healing river,
send down your waters
Send down your waters
upon this land
O healing river,
send down your waters
And wash the blood from off the sand
This land is parching,
this land is burning
No seed is growing
in the barren grounds
O healing river,
send down your waters
O healing river,
send your waters down
Let the seed of freedom
awake and flourish
Let the deep roots nourish,
let the tall stalks rise
O healing river,
send down your waters
O healing river,
from out of the skies
The Farm Community
Leader Let
us pray a blessing on the new stewards of Sun Run Farm:
May the word of Christ dwell richly in the lives
of this farm community.
May the peace of Christ rule in their hearts and
guide their actions.
May this farm be a place of renewal and hope,
a site of education and spiritual growth,
a place of justice and stewardly love.
And so we ask you, O Lord, to bless
Alan, Diane, Marianne,
Sylvia, Brian,
Henry and Sarah;
give them wisdom and patience,
a spirit of hospitality and love.
And we especially pray your blessing upon the
children;
Madeleine, Lydia, Jeremy, Faith, and
¬– with special joy this weekend ¬–
baby Hanah Ray.
May they delight in this place,
have an ever deepening curiousity about your world,
and grow to people who love God, creation and their
neighbours.
All
Bless, Lord, we ask you to shower your blessings on these
brothers and sisters, friends and neighbours.