“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:14 (NRSV)
Here is the link for Sunday, May 11, 2025 worship service: https://youtu.be/PWUYltVEgO8
Sunday, May 18, 2025 – Worship starts at 10:45 a.m.
Scripture to Ponder & Prayer
Fifth Week After Easter
May 12, 2025
Scriptures of the Week: Acts 11:1-18; Psalm 148; Revelation 21:1-6; John 13:31-35
Pondering on: Revelation 21:1‒6 & John 13:31‒35
Scripture offers us a powerful vision — a new heaven and a new earth, a world renewed by God’s presence, where pain and sorrow are no more. But this is not only a future promise; it’s an urgent call to faithful living here and now. We are entrusted as stewards of creation — not owners, but caretakers. We are invited to live in ways that honor the land, uplift the vulnerable, and reflect God’s redeeming love.
But can we pause and imagine what the land endures?
Think of the scars left behind by decades of nuclear tests, the long-term poisoning from chemical spills, and the devastation wrought by bombs and deforestation. These are not just isolated events in history — their impact lingers in the soil, in the water, and in the very air we breathe. The earth remembers.
Hint to ponder: What does it mean to confess harm not just in personal terms, but as participants in larger systems that damage God’s creation?
The groaning of the earth is no longer hidden.
Temperatures rise.
Droughts stretch longer.
Floods come faster and stronger.
Species vanish.
Fertile land lies barren.
Grocery prices soar, while ecosystems unravel. Farmers—already pressed by climate extremes—are now burdened by tariffs and unstable markets. Dairy producers dump their unsold milk. And in all of this, it is the poor who suffer most — caught in a system where profit is valued above people and the land that sustains us all.
And yet, Jesus says: “Love one another.”
This command is not confined to our households or churches. It must reach into how we treat the land, how we make daily choices — in what we buy, how we vote, and whether we stay silent or speak out.
Hint to consider: How might “love one another” challenge the way I consume, waste, or protect resources?
Faith is not passive. It calls us to action. Every sustainable choice we make, every policy we support that protects the vulnerable and the earth, every time we raise our voice for justice — we move closer to God’s vision of renewal.
God is making all things new. Will we be part of that holy work?
Questions for Reflection:
How can I live as a faithful steward of creation today?
What practical steps can I take to support struggling farmers or local food systems?
Where is God inviting me to challenge systems of exploitation and injustice?
How will my faith inspire daily actions — not just beliefs?
Let Us Pray
God of New Creation,
You promise a new heaven and a new earth — a world healed and whole, grounded in justice and overflowing with love.
You are not distant, but dwell among us, calling us to love not only in word, but in deeds that care for your earth and every living being.
We confess our failure to live in harmony with your creation.
We mourn the destruction caused by war, greed, neglect, and indifference.
We grieve with farmers whose labor is devalued, with communities suffering environmental ruin, and with ecosystems thrown out of balance.
Yet even in the ashes, you plant seeds of hope.
Renew our minds and hearts.
Make us faithful stewards, bold truth-tellers, and agents of restoration.
Let our lives reflect your promise — that all things are being made new — and help us walk boldly in that truth.
In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen
Trinity United Church 