for the love which from our birth over and around us lies,
God of all, to you we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.
2 For the beauty of each hour of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower, sun and moon, and stars of light, R
Yesterday, on the first Sunday of Lent, there were more people present for in-person worship at Trenton United than for any service since the pandemic re-ordered or disordered our lives in March 2020. At the conclusion of the service on March 15th two years ago we were informed that the plan was to resume coming together on Palm Sunday -- three weeks down the road.
While we have worshipped in-person at Trenton UC for probably a little more than online during the two years, every aspect of congregational life was disrupted, including faith formation study groups.Two years ago we had just commenced weekly sessions based on a daily Lenten devotional book on the theme For the Beauty of the Earth by Rev. Leah Schade. The introduction mentioned that 2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the original Earth Day which takes place in April.
As the title suggests, each week was based on a stanza from the familiar and beloved hymn with daily reflections and questions. We'd jumped through all the hoops of ordering the booklets from the States and distributing them to 15 or more participants. We actually came together once, then COVID erupted, and we weren't yet Zoom-savvy enough to provide an alternative format.
I think I'll dip into the book during this Lenten season and see where it leads me. The importance of "living with respect in Creation" with all its beauty and peril is more acute than ever.
3 For the joy of human love, brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above, for all gentle thoughts and mild, R
4 For each perfect gift sublime to our race so freely given,
graces human and divine, flowers of earth and buds of heaven, R
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