Lament & Hope

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Words by Rev'd Jon Swales MBE
Music by Chris Sayburn. 

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Sermon delivered by Rev'd Jon Swales  at Light Church, Bradford, Oct 2021

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Words and Prayers by Jon Swales,
Video version here
Piano by Alice Brencher

Father of Creation, The first and the last,

You created a world of wonder,Full of possibility and potential,

You declared it to be good.

And it was good,

And it is good,

To you be all praise, honour and glory.

A river flowed through Eden,Watering the garden of delight.

And Creation flourished in the blessing of biodiversity.We praise you for the rivers.

A river flowed through Eden,Sustaining, Maintaining, and Participating, In the cosmic dance of wonder. We praise you for the rivers. 

Watercourses of wonder,Spread across the globe,Teeming with life,We praise you for the rivers.

Streams, creeks, brook and gills,Collecting, Gathering, Growing, Moving,Flowing,Still,Calm,Fast,Furious,Shallow,Deep,

From source to mouth.

We praise you for the rivers.

Amphibians, reptiles, fish, Birds and mammals,Are sustained by  flowing freshwater ,The river choir of non human worshippers Joining a symphony of praise. 

Beavers,Otters,Crocodiles, & Hippopotamus,Open their lips to sing your praise.Kingfisher, 

Mallard, Herons,& Swans,

Open their wings to proclaim your praiseTrout,Chub,Dace,& Minnow.Perform an underwater waltz of wonder.

For the flow of the Yukon ,and the life giving Ganges,For the Rio Grande, and the

Mighty  Mekong,We praise you for the rivers.

For the flow of the  Amazon And the life giving Zambezi,For the beauty of the Bhramaputra, 

And the mighty Mississippi.We praise you for the rivers.

Closer to home,We give thanks.For local rivers, full ofLife, love and laughter,Fishing and fun,Ducks and Birds,Willows and Waterfalls,Swimming, Stepping Stones, and Skipping stones Romantic walks and peace of mind.For the healing wisdom of walks beside water.

In local rivers,At local rivers.A taste of Eden

For the Tees, Wharfe and  AireThe Ribble, Severn and the WyeWe praise you for the rivers.

For the Tyne, Thames and TamarThe Mersey,  Avon and the Ure We praise you for the rivers.Father of Creation,

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Your son was plunged in Jordan flow,

And in the waters of baptism you remind us of,

Waters that wash, 

Of streams that sanctify 

Of rivers of rebirth, 

We praise you for the rivers.

Father of Creation,

God of Justice,

The rivers of this world are not as you intended them to be.

For we have sinned and done evil in your sight.

The natural network of wondrous watercourses are now plagued with pollution,

Lord have mercy.

Industrial chemicals and agricultural runs offs upset the balance of biodiversity, 

Lord have mercy.

Our children Swim in sewage,

Lord have mercy.

Non human worshippers face population decline, decimation and extinction,

Lord have mercy.

Forgive us Lord,

For what we have done,

We have poisoned our own wells,

And fear that we will reap what we have sown.

Have mercy on us.

Rivers,

Be renewed ,

In Jesus’ named.

Father of Creation,

God of restoration and renewal.

In you there is hope,

Hope for the human,

Hope for the rivers.

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Words and voice Rev’d Jon Swales
Music, used with permission from Chris Sayburn

New Years : Prayer for the Climate and Ecological Emergency

Father of Creation,

God of Faithfulness ,

The First and the Last,

You show your love to us through time,

Every moment of existence a fragile gift,

A blessing in the beauty of biodiversity.

To you be praise and glory.

Father of Creation,

God of Redemption,

In space and time,

Frail flesh is blessed by you,

To bear an image of eternal,

As divine honour is bestowed on us. 

A commendation 

A benediction,

From on high,

To to be all praise and glory.

Father of Creation,

God of Participation,

You have called humanity,

To tend and keep,

To love and serve,

Through space and time,

Through seasons, soil and sweat.

To you be all praise and glory.

The cosmic temple of your creation,

Takes our breath away,

Called to worship alongside non-human worshippers,

Who participate in a symphony of praise,

In soil and sky,

Rainforests  and rivers,

In grassland, oceans and savanna.

To you be all praise and glory.

Father of Creation,

God of Justice,

We all like sheep have gone astray,

And wandered  from your way,

We have betrayed our calling.

Instead of tending and keeping, 

We have plundered and pillaged.

The soil and sky are dying.

Lord have mercy. 

Instead of loving and serving,

We devastated and despoiled,

The rainforests and rivers are dying,

Lord have mercy.

Instead of participating in a symphony of praise, 

Our grasslands, oceans and savannah,

Take up a lament,

A cry of extinction. 

Lord have mercy.

Father of Creation,

God of Hope,

We look back at,

The beauty,

The brokenness,

The joy 

and the sorrow,

Of our Lives.

Father of Creation,

God of Hope,

We look forward,

With anticipation and fear,

Not knowing what the coming years will hold,

As we come to terms with our own existential threat.

We have been seduced by consumerism and unrestrained capitalism, 

We will reap what we sow.

Lord have mercy.

Father of Creation,

God of Hope,

Even in our present dark hour we look to you,

For the light and radiance of your Son,

To shine upon our hearts,

To lift our souls,

To move us from despondence and despair, to

A loving rage,

A holy anger,

A righteous rebellion,

In which we will 

Tend, 

Keep, 

Love and serve,

And do and be,

Something beautiful, 

As we take up the song of cosmic justice.

Father of Creation,

God of Faithfulness ,

The first and the last,

You show your love to us through time,

Every moment of existence a fragile gift,

A blessing in the beauty of biodiversity.

To you be praise and glory.

Amen

https://youtu.be/9QohvB6LpRU

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'Lay Down the Sword' taken from 26 Prayers for the Climate and Ecological Emergency by Rev'd Jon Swales https://atyourservice.arocha.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/26-Prayers-for-the-Climate-and-Ecological-Emergency-Jon-Swales.pdf

Voice: Katie Dowds
Images: Freely Available from Prexels
Music:  Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound)

11: Lay Down the Sword, Take Up the Cross

Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
We praise you for your son Jesus, The Lamb upon the Throne.

We praise you that your son Jesus said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers’ and called us to love our enemies. We thank you that your son rules and reigns through self-giving sacrificial love.

We thank you that Jesus took up the violent symbol of empire and, in his death, transformed it into a symbol of hope restored and sins forgiven.

We thank you that your son, in his dying breath, said, 'Father forgive them, for they know not what they do'.

We praise you that, in his death, his bloody execution, he dragged the forces of sin, death, empire and violence into the grave, offering us an alternative kingdom.

We thank you that your son’s glorious resurrection demonstrated that death will not have the last word and love itself wins.

He reigns victorious, forever glorious. He is the lamb.

Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
We stand on the brink of climate breakdown, which will lead to an increase in conflict and war. Humanity will reap what it sows,
Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.

Lord have Mercy.

As Temperatures rise, Tensions arise.

As food shortage and malnutrition increases, Conflicts follow.

As refugees flee flooded lands, Wars will follow.
Tribal Conflicts,
Local Conflicts,

Regional Pressures, Battles for resources.

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

And so in the coming months, and through whatever follows, we commit ourselves afresh to Kingdom Peacemaking.

In our homes,
Blessed are the Peacemakers.

In our churches,
Blessed are the Peacemakers.

In our cities,
Blessed are the Peacemakers.

For our nation's leadership, Blessed are the Peacemakers.

For global leaders,
Blessed are the Peacemakers.

Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
Grant us the courage to speak out against increased militarism.

Grant us the courage to speak out against the arms trade.
Grant us the courage to speak out against increased nuclear capability.
Grant us the courage in a world of increasing violence to stand fast to the peaceable kingdom and the peaceable King.
Grant us the courage to seek the path of peace until that day when all weapons of war are turned into ploughshares, and

War will be no more.

We lay down the sword.
We take up our cross.
Blessed are the Peacemakers.

Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Those who by the spirit will walk in the spirit. Blessed are the peacemakers.

To him who sits upon the throne, And to the lamb,
Be praise, honour and glory.

Amen.

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Words and Voice Jon Swales
Background Music is freely available.

Father of Creation,

God of Hope,

We marvel at the sacred mystery of faith,

The incarnation,

The enfleshment  of your son

Fully God,

Fully Man,

Jesus,

To him be all prayer and glory.

Father of Creation,

God of Hope 

We marvel at the sacred mystery of faith,

Word became flesh, 

Love became dust,

Beauty revealed, 

Jesus,

To him be all praise and glory.

Your life, O Lord, which has bubbled up from eternity,

Has now stepped into time.

Your love, O Lord, which created a world of wonder, 

Pitched a tent and took up the human cause.

And yet our Christmas carols ,

Our advent anthems,

And joyous joy at incarnation

Is conjoined with songs of lamentation.

For a world plunging headlong into climate devastation.

Lord Jesus Christ 

You took up flesh, 

But we take up the sword of ecological violence.

Lord Jesus Christ,

You sanctified dust and walked this cosmic temple

But we plunder and pillage your Father’s world.

Lord Jesus Christ,

You welcomed the weak and loved the lost,

But we turn our backs on the world most vulnerable 

Maranatha, 

Come Lord Jesus,

Bring your justice,

Set the world to rights

But Lord remember mercy.

Maranatha, 

Come Lord Jesus,

Bring your justice,

Set the world to rights

But Lord remember mercy.

Father of Creation,

God of Hope,

We thank you that the birth of Jesus,

The incarnation,

Shows that matter matters,

That everything is spiritual

To you be all praise and glory.

Father of Creation,

God of Hope

Equip your church afresh to behold the holy mystery,

May our wonder and our worship of the enfleshment of God  

lead to lives of care, compassion and service for the world which you came to save

May we wait for the  return of your Son,

Jesus the God-Man

with

Embodied love,

Embodied hope,

And embodied peace.

Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus,

Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus,

Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus, 

 -Swales, Dec 2021

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Words: Rev'd Jon Swales
Voice: Rosie Smith
Music: Used with Permission. Chris Sayburn 'It pours'

A Lament for Covid & Omicron Variant  (Draft)

Father God,

Healer of All Hurts.

We come to you in our hour of need saying.

How Long? O Lord.

How Long?

We find ourselves caught up in the storm of Covid.

We feel stranded and alone,

Fearful that we will be cut off from those we love.

A new variant,

A new wave,

Damned if we lock down,

Damned if we don’t. 

Catch 22 loaded with suffering.

How Long? O Lord.

How Long?

We face shipwreck and catastrophe,

Battered and bruised by the storm of this pandemic.

Our nation is in peril,

Our NHS is stretched,

Our Souls feel anxious and afraid.

How Long? O Lord.

How Long?

Healer of all hurts,

We come to you in our hour of need pleading.

That you would still the wind and waves,

And act,

And move,

And comfort,

And heal,

And embrace us in your healing hands.

Covenant God,

Father of Lights,

We bring before your tender love.

Those who are sick,

Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.

Front Line workers for protection and resilience, 

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

For energy and patience for those in education

Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.

For the vulnerable and those shielding,

Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.

Step in,

Hold back the Wave.

Step in and bid the storm to cease.

Help us to move,

And act,

In love,

And hope.

Father God,

Healer of All Hurts.

We come to you in our hour of need praising you,

That you do not leave us,

or forsake us.

You have shown your love to us in Jesus. 

Covenant God,

Father of Lights,

We come to you in our hour of need praising you,

That there is not a hurt you will not heal.

Nor a tear you will not wipe away.

You have shown your love to us in Jesus.

We praise you that in Jesus is a balm to soothe our souls.

We praise you that in Jesus there is always hope.

We praise that in Jesus all will be well.

Until that day,

We Weep and Pray.

How Long? O Lord, 

How Long?

-Swales, Dec 2021

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Words by Jon Swales 
Music Here.
Youtube Version 

Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
We have heard it said of old,
That you acted in history,
To redeem your people from tyranny, From Slavery in the Empire of Egypt, To a land flowing with milk and honey.

Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
You saw the affliction of your people,
You heard the cries of the oppressed,
You heard the groans of the enslaved,
And you delivered them with a strong and mighty hand.

Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
We desperately need your help,
To redeem us from beastly forces,
From Slavery in the empire of unstrained capitalism, To a land of flowing with biodiversity and justice.

Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
Do you see the affliction of your planet?
Do you hear the cries of the hungry?
Do you hear the groans from refugees?
Deliver us from our greed with a strong and gracious hand.

Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
In the death of your Son, you disarmed the powers of empire,

16: Exodus and Empire

In the resurrection of your Son, a new way has become possible, For he rules and reigns with self-giving sacrificial love.

Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
You have called us to be faithful, whatever befalls,
You have empowered us with your life-giving Spirit. Help us to tend and keep with self-giving sacrificial love.

And so we speak and name our captors, We renounce their power and sway,
We will not yield nor bow the knee.

Unrestrained Capitalism- your days are numbered. Consumerism- your days are numbered. Individualism- your days are numbered.

They bring death,
But you, O Lord, bring life.

They bring destruction,
But you, O Lord, bring restoration.

They bring slavery,
But you, O Lord, are the God of freedom.

They bring sorrow,
But in you, O Lord, is fullness of joy.

They build walls,
But you, O Lord, extend the table.

In your kingdom,
A new way is possible.

In your kingdom, Justice flows.

In your Kingdom, Jesus is Lord.

Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
To you be all praise, honour and glory Now and Forever.

Amen.

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Words and Voice by Jon Swales
Music Copyright Free.  Click here.

Father of Creation,

In our bleak mid-winter we are confronted again 

With 

Something startling

Something shocking

And something profoundly beautiful.

A Holy mystery 

The story that the Mighty God

Has revealed himself 

In the Babe born in Bethlehem.

To him be all praise and glory

Father of Creation,

We remember that holy night 

When eternal son of God 

Took  up fragile flesh, 

In a lowly cattle shed

grows inside Marys womb, journies through the birth canal and is born  to a colonised and oppressed people group.

To him be all praise and glory.

In Jesus we see a new power, a new might at work in the world.

A power so powerful, yet so beautiful

A power so powerful, yet so loving

A power so powerful, 

Yet 

wrapped in swaddling clothes and extravagant mercy. 

And now,

Right now,

As we stand within the unfolding of the climate apocalypse,

As we lament for what has already been lost,

As we grieve in anticipation for what is already locked in.

We look to you with advent hope.

O come, O Come Emmanuel,

Comfort us with your presence.

O COme, O Come Emmanuel,

Bind up the Broken hearted

O Come, O Come Emmanuel,

Restore unto us the joy of our salvation

And now, 

Right now,

As we stand between the first and second coming of your son,

As we weep for a world in the grip of beastly powers,

As we hope against hope for the manifestation of your cosmic shalom

We look to you with advent expectation.

O come thou rod of Jesse, free

Your world from Satans Tyranny

O Come thou rod of Jesse, Come

And deliver us from from climate breakdown hell

O Come thou rod of Jesse, Free

Your world from the tyranny, 

From the beast of  the unholy trinity

Deliver us O Lord from unrestrained capatilsm, 

Deliver us O Lord from consumerism 

Deliver Us, O Lord from individualism.

Father of Creation, 

God and Father of our Advent Hope.

We thank you that your son  is, 
A Mighty God who binds up the wounds of the broken hearted

We thank you that your Son is,
 A Mighty God who who stoops and serves and washes feet,

We thank you that your son is,
 A Mighty God who Holds the hands of the leper, 

Who takes up his cross,

And  recieves a crown of thorns 

A Mighty God who enters the grave and in doing so deals the death blow to death itself. 

A Mighty God crucified and raised to life. 

Asacended to glory. 
The servant King, 
the butchered lamb,
 the name above all names.

And His name will be called
 Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
 Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

And now,

Right now,

As we stand within the unfolding of the climate apocalypse

We look to Jesus,

We confess him as Lord,

Maranatha, Come lord Jesus

Maranatha Come lord Jesus

Maranatha, Come lord Jesus 

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Voice and Words by Jon Swales
Music from Scott Buckley

Father of Creation,
God of Justice.
Your kingdom is one of love, joy and peace. For this, we give you praise.

In this time of climate breakdown, Temperature rises will act as a threat multiplier Across the world

Through food shortages and extreme weather, Our neighbours will suffer.
Our neighbours in vulnerable nations,
Our neighbours in future generations.

This suffering may work alongside a climate apartheid world in which we Build walls,
Prioritise the western world,
Silence the voices of the oppressed,

Whilst keeping ourselves busy with consumeristic hedonism.

In this world of climate breakdown,
Prepare your church for love,
That we would be a community which extends the table, So that the marginalised may find a place.

Prepare your church for love,
That we would be those
Who listen to the voices of the oppressed.

Prepare your church for love,
That we would be those
Who love the Lord God with all our heart, mind and soul, And love our neighbours,

Both global and future, As ourselves.

Remove from us our idolatrous hearts,
Which, through consumerism, consumes more than we need at the expense of the world's most vulnerable.

Father of Creation,
God of Justice.
Your kingdom is one of love, joy and peace. For this, we give you praise.

In this time of climate breakdown,
Temperature rises will act as a threat multiplier Across the world,
As climate grief increases,
As once hoped for futures seem to be reduced to ash, As mourning and grief increase.

In a world of climate grief,
Prepare your church for hope and joy,
That we would be those who speak truth in a culture of despair,

Prepare your church for hope and joy,
That we would be those who celebrate the gift of life, With simplicity and gratitude.

Prepare your church for hope and joy,
That we would be those who are rooted and grounded in the hope and joy of Jesus.

Remove from us our idolatrous hearts which can wander down the paths of denial and despair. Make us, in Christ, hope and joy-filled realists.

Father of Creation,
God of Justice.
Your kingdom is one of love, joy and peace. For this, we give you praise.

In this time of climate breakdown,
We will see temperature rises act as a threat multiplier Across the world.
Through food shortages and increased migration,
We will see an increase in conflict,
With a potential for sustained violence
Locally,
Regionally,
Globally.
Lord have mercy.

In this world of climate breakdown, Prepare your church for peace.

That we would be a community of shalom, that works for the healing of the nations.

Prepare your church for peace,
That we would be those
Who take up the cross and lay down the sword.

Prepare your church for peace,
That we would be those
Who move and act
With a commitment to self-giving sacrificial love.

Prepare your church for peace, That we would be those

Who act as peacemakers For the peaceable kingdom.

Remove from us our idolatrous hearts,
Which bow the knee to nationalism and militarism At the expense of the world's most vulnerable.

Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Your kingdom is one of love, joy and peace. For this, we give you praise.

To you be all praise, honour and glory.