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ROGATION SUNDAY Welcome everyone to our Rogation Service, Rogation comes from the Latin "rogare" which means to beseech. And so, today we beseech God's blessing for the seed, for the soil, for those who labor in the fields and for all of God's creation . . . this includes you. May God bless and keep you during the coming year. A special welcome to our guests. We're glad you are worshipping with us this morning. We learn from the Holy Scripture that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and caused the sin to shine and the rain to fall, the plants to grow and the earth to give forth its increase. God is the giver of life in the seed, in the soil, and on the sowers. We affirm our baptismal creed where, in the First Article, we acknowledge that God "makes all creation help provide the comforts and necessities of life sun, moon, and the stars in the heavens, day and night, air, fire, water, the earth and all that it brings forth, birds and fish, beasts, grain and all kinds of produce." (Luther's Large Catechism) We gather today to ask God's blessing on the seed that has been or will be planted, the soil that has been cultivated, and the farmers who labor to the service of God and for the good of all humanity. Let all here present yield high praise to our Creator that he may crown the year with his goodness. For from God comes every good and perfect gift: the rich soil, the smell of fresh-turned earth, the keenness of the winters frost, the rumble of the machine, the gleam of a cutting blade; the blistered hand, the sweat of the brow, the skill of those who plow; the beauty of a clean-cut furrow, the sweep of a well-plowed field &endash; all reveal the mind of the Creator. Blessed be God in all his gifts, and holy in all his works. Prelude Gathering Song "As The Deer" THANKSGIVING, CONFESSION & ABSOLUTION P: Creator God, we praise you for your creation, for your gift of the beauty of nature, for your trust in human kind in giving us dominion over your world. We thank you for the power of thought and talent that has produced people whose daring, down through the ages, has made life more comfortable for us through faithful use of your gifts. We praise you most for your great gift of your Son, Jesus Christ. He has brought to us the awareness of your love for us. Help us to be good stewards of that love by sharing it with others. C: Holy God, you have called us to live in faith and freedom, but we live with tightness in our chests. You have called us to be the light of the world, but we have often times covered our light in the presence of others. You have called us to move in new directions, but we cling to the paths that we know. You have called us to reach outward to each other on love, but we draw inward to ourselves for protection. You have called us to live, in fear. God, forgive us. P: By the mercy of God we are united with Jesus Christ, and in him we are forgiven. We live now in his peace. C: Amen. Hymn "Seeds Scattered and Sown" LITANY AND WORDS OF DEDICATION P: Let us give thanks to God: For the beauty of your world, the glory of starlit skies, the wonder of the changing seasons, the ever new miracle of stirring life in field and forest C: We give you thanks, 0 God. L: For the Privilege of sharing with you in the act of creating the good things of earth for your children and for your nearness in all the processes of agricultural life. C: We give you thanks, 0 God. L: For the Christ of the country road, who walked and served in the pleasant land of Galilee, and who today walks the country roads of the world in comradeship with all who till the soil, C: We give you thanks, 0 God. L: For widening horizons of rural life, the open doors in which entering we may serve the rural peoples of the world, and walk the byways with Christ, C: We give you thanks, 0 God. L: That it may please you speedily to grant a just and lasting peace in all the earth, that all peoples may again beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, that they may all live together in fellowship and tranquility in the lands you have given them C: We beseech you to hear us, 0 Lord. L: To the recreation of the beloved community bound together by ties of love in every countryside, in which all people shall share with joy in sowing the seed and reaping the harvest of the Kingdom of God, C: We dedicate our hands and minds, 0 Lord L: to a renewed appreciation of the Holy Earth and its resources, material and human. C: We dedicate our hands and minds, 0 Lord. L: To comradeship with the rural folk of all the world, and to serving them devotedly with all the gifts and graces you have bestowed on us. C: We dedicate our lives, 0 God. Pastor and Congregation: Accept our thanksgiving, hear our prayers and intercessions, graciously use the gifts of mind, body, and life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. First Lesson: Genesis 1: 27-28,31 Second Lesson: Romans 8:18-25 Children's Sermon Hymn "Farm Song" Sermon Offering Offertory "Create In Me" THE LITANY AND PRAYER OF "BLESSING" P: Brothers and sisters in Christ; Today we seek God's blessing as we gather with thankfulness for his wondrous creation. We especially seek God's blessing at this time of planting and so we have brought with us signs of this season. C: We dedicate our equipment, our seed, our time, and our selves to the glory of God. P: All your works praise you. 0 Lord. C: and your faithful servants bless you. P: Blessed are you, 0 Lord our God, ruler of the universe. You make the whole earth for your glory; all creation praises you. We lift our voices to join the songs of heaven and earth. of things, seen and unseen. You stretched out the heavens like a curtain; you divided the day from night; you appointed times and seasons for work and rest, for tearing down and for building up. Be with us now and bless the work of those who labor in the fields. Grant us faith to know your gracious purpose in all things and continue your blessings to us through the bounty of your creation. C: Amen. P: Let the people praise you, 0 God: C: let all the peoples praise you P: The earth has brought forth her increase; C: may God, our own God, give us his blessing. P. May God give us his blessing, C: and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him. P: For the seed . . . Almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth, you give seed to the sower and bread for food. Nourish, protect, and bless the seedwhich people have sown and will sow in hope, so that by your good providence and bountiful giving, it may bring forth fruit in due season and be gathered with thanksgiving to satisfy the needs of your people. Lord in your mercy. C: Hear our prayer. P: For the equipment . . . Gracious Lord, be with us now and bless us as we set apart this equipment to your glory and praise. Grant us diligence in maintenance, safety and caution in use, and patience during breakdowns. Give us the faith to know your gracious purpose in all things, give us joy in them, and lead us to the building up of your kingdom. Lord in your mercy, C: Hear our prayer. P: For the soil . . . 0 Loving Lord, the eternal fountain and giver of life, we give thanks that we again behold on every side the awakening of nature in answer to your call to arise from winter's sleep; and as you cheer our spirits with freshening grass, budding trees, and unfolding plants, grant us thankful hearts to praise you for the promise of your renewed provisions for our bodies and lives and an abiding trust in your unchanging love now and forever. Lord in your mercy, C: Hear our prayer. P: For the rain and sunshine . . . Lord God, by your providence alone we receive the fruits of the earth. In your mercy send us such weather that our fields may bring forth abundantly to our sustenance and that at the time of harvest we may take of your gifts for our good and give thanks to your with gladness. C: Amen. The Lord's Prayer Benediction P: May God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit bless the pastures and meadows, all growing grass and green fields. May the soil be wholesome and the crops good. May the weather be favorable and the workers of good heart. And may God who gives breath and life to the sower, multiply the seed sown and increase its fruits. May God be with us and among us and around us now and forevermore. Closing Hymn "There is a Redeemer" Postlude Bell
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