April 19 – Earth Sunday!

Many thanks to all who filled in for me while I was away last week, I haven’t watched the service on Youtube yet, but I hear through the grapevine that Holy Humour Sunday was well celebrated! I was told one of the jokes today, and I’d include it here, but I never remember jokes, so I can’t. But, it was funny!

This Sunday, we celebrate Earth Sunday, in honour of Earth Day, April 22. It’s so appropriate to celebrate Earth Day at this time of year. I’m not even a birder, but it is jaw-dropping to stand outside and listen in awe to the wonderful cacophony of the birds who have flown farther than any of us might travel in our lifetimes to be on this peninsula right now. It is humbling to think about.

There is an ecumenical initiative for Earth Day 2026 entitled Together for the Love of Creation, and the United Church of Canada has produced an Earth Sunday Prayer Service for this project. Much of our worship on Sunday will be inspired by this beautiful resource, which includes a water-honouring song in Anishinaabemowin, created by Doreen Day and her grandson, Mashkoonce:

Ne-be Gee Zah- gay- e- goo

Gee Me-gwetch -wayn ne- me – goo

Gee Zah Wayn ne- me- goo

Water, we love you.

We thank you.

We respect you.

To prepare, read Genesis 1 (all of it), Genesis 2:7 and Luke 6:47-49 and ponder the following:

1.      What strikes you about Genesis 1?

2.      The passage from Luke speaks about those who act versus those who don’t act. What is one thing that you commit to, either presently or from now on, as a friend of the Earth?