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Sacred Song Service – Mother Earth

The Rt. Rev. Eugene T. Sutton
Presider

Sonya Subbayya Sutton
Director & Organist

The Chautauqua Choir

Owen Reyda
Organist

We invite you to quietly prepare your hearts for worship during the Prelude.

* Denotes that the congregation is invited to rise in body or spirit.It is our custom to sing the first and last verses of hymns in unison, the interior verses may be sung in parts.

Prelude

Rubrics: “The Peace May Be Exchanged” 

Dan Locklair, 1988

Hymn

“Day is dying in the west”

Chautauqua, William Fisk Sherwin, 1877
Mary Lathbury, 1877

Day is dying in the west;
Heav’n is touching earth with rest;
Wait and worship while the night
Sets her evening lamps alight
through all the sky.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Heav’n and earth are full of Thee;
Heav’en and earth are praising Thee,
O Lord most high!

Welcome
Canticle: A Song of Creation

Benedicite, omnia opera Domini

Invocation:
Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
In the high vault of heaven, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.

The Cosmic Order:
Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord, *
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew, *
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and summer, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, *
drops of dew and flakes of snow.
Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, *
O shining light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.

The Earth and Its Creatures:
Let the earth glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains
and hills, and all that grows upon the earth, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams, *
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild, *
and all you flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.

Anthem

i thank You God for this amazing

Music: Lloyd Pfautsch, 1964
Text: e.e. cummings, 1950

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the
birthday of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

Reading

Genesis 1:9-12, 20-22, 25

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

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.

Hymn

“Creating God, Your Fingers Trace”

Tune: Prospect
Text: Jeffrey Rowthorne, 1979

Anthem

Earth Teach Me 

Music: Rupert Lang, 2010
Text: From the Ute Nation

Earth teach me stillness, as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach me suffering as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring as a mother who secures her young.
Earth teach me courage as the tree stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation as the ant crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom as the eagle which soars through the air.
Earth teach me resignation as the leaves that die in the fall.
Earth teach me regeneration as the seed rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness as dry fields weep with rain.

Reading: Prayer of the Seven Directions

Adapted from the prayer of Sister Jose Hobday, Seneca Elder and member of the Franciscan Order

Turn to the North:
Oh, Spirit and angels of the North, where fierce storms come from. Come to us and give us strength and courage. Teach us to be strong like the buffalo who turns and faces the fierce winds and storms head on. Come, Spirit and angels of the North.

Turn to the East:
Oh, Spirit and angels of the East where the sun rises every day. Bring light into our hearts and minds so we may also resurrect every morning, acknowledging new life and creativity and renewed hope every day. Come, Spirit and angels of the East.

Turn to the South:
Oh, Spirit and angels of the South where the sun shines the hottest. Bring warmth into our hearts and friendships and all our relations. Come, Spirit and angels of the South.

Turn to the West:
Oh, Spirit and angels of the West, where the sun sets every night. Teach us to be at home in the dark and in the silence of the night and teach us to let go and to trust as we sink into the unknown and await the sun rising tomorrow. Come, Spirit and angels of the West.

Return to the East and look up to Father Sky: 
Come, Spirit and angels from above. Teach us to fly high with the eagle and so, seek wisdom and perspective in life. Come, Spirit and angels from above.

Look Down: 
Come, Spirit and angels from below. Where all plants find their roots in Mother Earth. Teach us to remain grounded and thankful for the Earth, our Mother, and to treat her with respect. Come, Spirit and angels from below. 

Look inward: 
Come, Spirit and angels from all six directions, into our hearts. Gather in our hearts and make them full with blood that is red, full of energy and flowing with love, gratitude and generosity. Ah Ho. Amen.

Hymn

“Many and Great”

Tune: Laquiparle
Lakota Odowan, 1878

Anthem

A Gaelic Blessing 

Music: John Rutter, 1978
Text: A Gaelic Rune

Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ, of Christ
The light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ to you
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ, of Christ
The light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ to you

Closing Prayers

God, maker of marvels, you weave the planet and all its creatures together in kinship; your unifying love is revealed in the interdependence of relationships in the complex world that you have made. Save us from the illusion that humankind is separate and alone, and join us in communion with all inhabitants of the universe; through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who topples the dividing walls by the power of your Holy Spirit, and who lives and reigns with you, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Hymn

"Now the day is over"

Merrial, Joseph Barnaby, 1868
Sabine Barind-Gould, 1865

Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh,
shadows of the evening steal across the sky.

O God, give the weary calm and sweet repose
with thy tend’rest blessing may our eyelids close.

When the morning wakens, then may I arise
pure, and fresh, and sinless in thy holy eyes. Amen.


Postlude

Largo

George Frederick Handel, 1738
from the opera Xerxes

Use of this piece to close the Sunday evening service has been Chautauqua’s tradition since the dedication of the Massey Memorial Organ on August 6, 1907. Part of the custom has been to remain in our seats until the piece is finished. It is a gesture that we treasure, and one in which you are invited to join. We invite you to leave the Amphitheater silently—without applause.

CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION
Department of Religion

Robert Wilson-Black
Director of Religion

The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Senior Pastor

Sonya Subbayya Sutton
Interim Director of Sacred Music

Owen Reyda
Organ Scholar

Carolyn Snider
Administrative Assistant

Alicen Roberts
Religion Intern

Image for Sacred Song Service
Sacred Song Service – Mother Earth

The Rt. Rev. Eugene T. Sutton
Presider

Sonya Subbayya Sutton
Director & Organist

The Chautauqua Choir

Owen Reyda
Organist

We invite you to quietly prepare your hearts for worship during the Prelude.

* Denotes that the congregation is invited to rise in body or spirit.It is our custom to sing the first and last verses of hymns in unison, the interior verses may be sung in parts.

Prelude

Rubrics: “The Peace May Be Exchanged” 

Dan Locklair, 1988

Hymn

“Day is dying in the west”

Chautauqua, William Fisk Sherwin, 1877
Mary Lathbury, 1877

Day is dying in the west;
Heav’n is touching earth with rest;
Wait and worship while the night
Sets her evening lamps alight
through all the sky.

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!
Heav’n and earth are full of Thee;
Heav’en and earth are praising Thee,
O Lord most high!

Welcome
Canticle: A Song of Creation

Benedicite, omnia opera Domini

Invocation:
Glorify the Lord, all you works of the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
In the high vault of heaven, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.

The Cosmic Order:
Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord, *
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew, *
all winds and fire and heat.
Winter and summer, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O chill and cold, *
drops of dew and flakes of snow.
Frost and cold, ice and sleet, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O nights and days, *
O shining light and enfolding dark.
Storm clouds and thunderbolts, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.

The Earth and Its Creatures:
Let the earth glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O mountains
and hills, and all that grows upon the earth, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O springs of water, seas, and streams, *
O whales and all that move in the waters.
All birds of the air, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.
Glorify the Lord, O beasts of the wild, *
and all you flocks and herds.
O men and women everywhere, glorify the Lord, *
sing praise and give honor for ever.

Anthem

i thank You God for this amazing

Music: Lloyd Pfautsch, 1964
Text: e.e. cummings, 1950

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the
birthday of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

Reading

Genesis 1:9-12, 20-22, 25

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”

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.

Hymn

“Creating God, Your Fingers Trace”

Tune: Prospect
Text: Jeffrey Rowthorne, 1979

Anthem

Earth Teach Me 

Music: Rupert Lang, 2010
Text: From the Ute Nation

Earth teach me stillness, as the grasses are stilled with light.
Earth teach me suffering as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring as a mother who secures her young.
Earth teach me courage as the tree stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation as the ant crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom as the eagle which soars through the air.
Earth teach me resignation as the leaves that die in the fall.
Earth teach me regeneration as the seed rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness as dry fields weep with rain.

Reading: Prayer of the Seven Directions

Adapted from the prayer of Sister Jose Hobday, Seneca Elder and member of the Franciscan Order

Turn to the North:
Oh, Spirit and angels of the North, where fierce storms come from. Come to us and give us strength and courage. Teach us to be strong like the buffalo who turns and faces the fierce winds and storms head on. Come, Spirit and angels of the North.

Turn to the East:
Oh, Spirit and angels of the East where the sun rises every day. Bring light into our hearts and minds so we may also resurrect every morning, acknowledging new life and creativity and renewed hope every day. Come, Spirit and angels of the East.

Turn to the South:
Oh, Spirit and angels of the South where the sun shines the hottest. Bring warmth into our hearts and friendships and all our relations. Come, Spirit and angels of the South.

Turn to the West:
Oh, Spirit and angels of the West, where the sun sets every night. Teach us to be at home in the dark and in the silence of the night and teach us to let go and to trust as we sink into the unknown and await the sun rising tomorrow. Come, Spirit and angels of the West.

Return to the East and look up to Father Sky: 
Come, Spirit and angels from above. Teach us to fly high with the eagle and so, seek wisdom and perspective in life. Come, Spirit and angels from above.

Look Down: 
Come, Spirit and angels from below. Where all plants find their roots in Mother Earth. Teach us to remain grounded and thankful for the Earth, our Mother, and to treat her with respect. Come, Spirit and angels from below. 

Look inward: 
Come, Spirit and angels from all six directions, into our hearts. Gather in our hearts and make them full with blood that is red, full of energy and flowing with love, gratitude and generosity. Ah Ho. Amen.

Hymn

“Many and Great”

Tune: Laquiparle
Lakota Odowan, 1878

Anthem

A Gaelic Blessing 

Music: John Rutter, 1978
Text: A Gaelic Rune

Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ, of Christ
The light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ to you
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ, of Christ
The light of the world to you
Deep peace of Christ to you

Closing Prayers

God, maker of marvels, you weave the planet and all its creatures together in kinship; your unifying love is revealed in the interdependence of relationships in the complex world that you have made. Save us from the illusion that humankind is separate and alone, and join us in communion with all inhabitants of the universe; through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who topples the dividing walls by the power of your Holy Spirit, and who lives and reigns with you, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Hymn

"Now the day is over"

Merrial, Joseph Barnaby, 1868
Sabine Barind-Gould, 1865

Now the day is over, night is drawing nigh,
shadows of the evening steal across the sky.

O God, give the weary calm and sweet repose
with thy tend’rest blessing may our eyelids close.

When the morning wakens, then may I arise
pure, and fresh, and sinless in thy holy eyes. Amen.


Postlude

Largo

George Frederick Handel, 1738
from the opera Xerxes

Use of this piece to close the Sunday evening service has been Chautauqua’s tradition since the dedication of the Massey Memorial Organ on August 6, 1907. Part of the custom has been to remain in our seats until the piece is finished. It is a gesture that we treasure, and one in which you are invited to join. We invite you to leave the Amphitheater silently—without applause.

CHAUTAUQUA INSTITUTION
Department of Religion

Robert Wilson-Black
Director of Religion

The Rt. Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Senior Pastor

Sonya Subbayya Sutton
Interim Director of Sacred Music

Owen Reyda
Organ Scholar

Carolyn Snider
Administrative Assistant

Alicen Roberts
Religion Intern