ENVIRONMENT SUNDAY - 2011 LITURGY (THEME: FOREST: OUR GOOD NEIGHBOUR)

ORDER OF SERVICE

THE PREPARATION

VESTRY PRAYER

Celebrant: Thank you, O Lord, for bringing us together this morning to worship You.

Help us, O Lord, to see the beauty of Your creations and worship You with them.

Inspire us, O Lord, with Your love that encompasses and redeems all Your creation.

Transform us, O Lord, so that we return, realizing our role as co-creators with You and co-creatures with Your creation.

In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, AMEN.

OPENING HYMN/LYRIC

Let us all join together with the creation in singing Hymn/Lyric no. ….

PRAYER FOR PURIFICATION

Celebrant: O God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who continues to reveal Your glory through the beauty of nature, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hid, by the inspiration of Your same Spirit, that brooded over the waters and created life out of chaos, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts, that we may perfectly love You and Your creations and worthily magnify Your holy name in union with them; through Christ our Lord, AMEN.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS

In Unison: Glory to God in the highest … in the glory of God, the Father, and AMEN.

OUR LORD’S SUMMARY OF THE LAWAND THE PROPHETS

CALL TO CONFESSION

Celebrant: Dearly beloved in Christ, by the Word of His mouth everything was created and through His Body and Blood, everything was redeemed. We have come together to hear this holy Word and to receive this Body and Blood. Let us therefore, kneel and examine ourselves in, silence, seeking God’s grace that we may draw near to Him with repentance and faith.

All kneel. After a period of silence the celebrant continues

CONFESSION

For failing to realize that there are no bounds to God’s capacity for love. Silence

For not living as ambassadors of God’s inclusive love for all creations. Silence

For our reluctance to be God’s hands and feet in this world. Silence

For refraining ourselves from the call to be stewards of God’s creation. Silence

For exploiting the earth, resulting in drastic climate change, global warming and environmental hazards. Silence

For seeing forests not as a good neighbor but as a means to multiply our profit. Silence

For not voicing to speak for those tribal communities and Adivasis who are silenced. Silence

For being dormant in restoring the displaced, in feeding the hungry, in visiting the sick and comforting the faint hearted. Silence

Then the presbyter stands and reads

Hear the gracious Word of God, to all who turn to Him through Jesus Christ, the First born of all creations,

God loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD. (Psalm 33:5)

The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.... The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made." (Psalm 145:9, 13)

The Lord will surely comfort Zion and look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. (Isaiah 51:3)

Through Him God was pleased to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. (Colossians 1:20)

(Silence)

ABSOLUTION

Presbyter: Almighty God, our Merciful Saviour, who of His great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all who truly forgive fellow beings and with heartfelt repentance and faith turn to Him; have mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you with all goodness; enable you to be responsible stewards of His creation; and bring you to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Congregation : Amen, thanks be to God.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD OF GOD

Celebrant: The Peace of the Lord be with you.

Congregation: And also with you.

COLLECT

Celebrant: O God, Creator of the whole universe, we praise You for the environment, especially forests, that you have given us. Give us, Lord we pray, the vision and strength to protect all forest ecosystems and the whole of Your creation, which have been corrupted by human exploitation, pollution and destruction, so that the whole creation may be renewed, made whole and experience Your grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. AMEN.

SCRIPTURE READING

Old Testament : Gen. 2:4-9

Gradual : Ps. 104:10-17

Epistle : Rom. 8:18-23

Gospel : Mark 1:9-13

HYMN/LYRIC

NICENE CREED

THANKSGIVING (Response shall be “With joy, we thank You, O Lord”)

Celebrant: For the forests, since they release oxygen into the atmosphere while storing carbon dioxide.

Congregation: With joy, we thank You, O Lord

For the forests, since they feed our rivers and are essential to supplying the water for nearly 50% of our largest cities.

Congregation: With joy, we thank You, O Lord

For the forests, since they create and maintain soil fertility; they help to regulate the often devastating impact of storms, floods and fires.

Congregation: With joy, we thank You, O Lord

For the forests, since they are the most biologically diverse ecosystems on land, and are home to more than half of the terrestrial species of animals, plants and insects.

Congregation: With joy, we thank You, O Lord

For the forests, since they provide shelter, jobs, security and cultural relevance for forest-dependent populations.

Congregation: With joy, we thank You, O Lord

For the forests, since they are the green lungs of the earth, vital to the survival of people everywhere -- all seven billion of us.

Congregation: With joy, we thank You, O Lord

INTERCESSION (Response shall be ‘Hear our prayers’.)

Celebrant: God, in a world where mountains of garbage pile up, nuclear waste threaten life, where trees are cut down at a fatally faster rate, give us the courage to realize our call and live as stewards of Your creation. Lord, in Your mercy,

Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Celebrant: God, in a world where agricultural lands are filled up for constructions, where toxic chemicals and human waste are dumped into lakes, rivers and oceans, where fish and plants die from acid rain, give us the courage to realize our call and live as stewards of Your creation. Lord, in Your mercy,

Celebrant: Hear our prayer.

Celebrant: God, in a world, where ground water level has gone down, seasons have lost their rhythm, global atmosphere heats up from chemical gases, ozone layer is destroyed, clean air is poisoned by car and truck pollution, give us the courage to realize our call and live as stewards of Your creation. Lord, in Your mercy,

Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Celebrant: God we pray for the 1.6 billion people who depend on forests for their livelihoods are struggling to survive. We also remember the precious species face extinction and the biodiversity being obliterated. In the midst of a plundered earth, exploited forests and its resources grabbed, we groan with creation. Give us the wisdom to tend and care Your creation as stewards of Your creation. Lord, in Your mercy,

Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Celebrant: God, this day we remember all people, walking and sleeping, working and resting, fulfilled and frustrated, mourning and celebrating, all who are suffering, all who are in want, house-less, widows, widowers, orphans, refugees and prisoners, all who are banned from speaking truth and thirst for justice, all those who risk reputation, livelihood, and life itself, people of one world and of one humanity. Lord, in Your mercy,

Congregation: Hear our prayer.

Celebrant: God, this day we pray for all the Churches, especially for the Church of North India, Marthoma Church and for the Church of South India, the office bearers, the episcopate, the presbyterate, the deaconate, the sisterhood, all the 22 dioceses, churches and mission fields, hospitals, colleges, schools and other institutions, her mission partners and all other ecumenical endeavors.Lord, in Your mercy,

Congregation: Hear our prayer.

CALL TO COMMITMENT (Celebrant shall read and the congregation may repeat)

We join with the earth/ and with each other,/ to bring new life to the land,/ to restore the waters,/ to refresh the air./

We join with the earth/ and with each other/ to renew the forests,/ to care for the plants,/ to protect the creatures./

We join with the earth/ and with each other/ to celebrate the seas,/ to rejoice in the sunlight,/ to sing the song of the stars./

We join with the earth/ and with each other,/ to recreate the human community,/ to promote justice and peace,/ to remember our children./

We join together/ as many and diverse expressions/ of one loving mystery:/ for the healing of the earth/ and the renewal of life./

Help us, O Lord, / to partake in Your mission/ to be caretakers/ of Your creation./ AMEN.

FIRST BENEDICTION

Presbyter: May the Grace, Love and Peace of our Triune God, be with us, now and forever more. AMEN

THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD

( The worship service from here shall be as in the CSI Eucharist Liturgy. Along with the offertory and Bread and Wine, it will be meaningful if we could offer a tray of flowers with other signs of God’s goodness in creation, and placed on the altar)

BENEDICTION

Presbyter: May the Triune God give you wisdom, courage and strength to preserve and live as good neighbours in fellowship with the nature. Blessings of God, the Creator, the Redeemer and Sustainer, be with you all, now and forever more. AMEN.

CLOSING HYMN

Following the service, any ecologically relevant symbolic acts like planting of a few saplings

or launching any ecological programme shall be initiated.

Acknowledgements:

· The Church of South India Book of Common Worship

· ‘Environment Sunday Liturgy’ <http://www.neccsa.org.za/Resources-Liturgy2003. html>

· ‘Forests: Nature At Your Service’ < http://www.unep.org/wed/theme/>

DECODING ‘GERONIMO EKIA’: Condemning Codenaming Osama as Geronimo

The origin of the use of cryptonyms (code names), words or names used furtively to refer to another name or word, for military purposes or in espionage, seemingly could be dated to the Second World War. Cryptonyms were used during the war in order to refer to nations, cities, geographical features, military units, military operations, diplomatic meetings, places, and individual persons. The modalities of forming cryptonyms varies from nation to nation, for ex., while the British forces tend to use one-word names, Americans prefer two-word names and the Australians and Canadians use either. Interestingly, the French military prefers names drawn from nature. A few of the famous military cryptonyms are “Operation Barbarossa” (used during World War II to denote the Nazi Germany plan to go east and invade the Soviet Union), “Operation Desert Storm” (used during the Persian Gulf War for US air and land operations), “Operation Overlord” (used during the World War II, for the Allied invasion of Normandy) and “Manhattan Project” (used during the World War II, for the US nuclear weapons program). The purpose of having a cryptonym during a military action is to identify projects and missions while maintaining secrecy against rival concern.

However, the recent cryptonym or codename used by the United States’ military force to designate their operation to raid and kill the Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Mohammed Bin Awad Bin Laden is of striking importance. After Osama was killed in the US raid in his compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan, the military sent a message back to the White House: “Geronimo EKIA”- enemy killed in action. Decoding this Cryptonym-Acronym “Geronimo EKIA” shockingly decodes the very American mindset which has not changed in the past 200 years, of targeting Native Indians (precisely speaking Native Americans) as enemies of the United States, that too despite having an African-American president in the White House.

Geronimo, born on June 16, 1829, an outstanding Native American leader of a group of Apache Native Americans, which lived in the southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona in the United States, and in northern Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico. He fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident, but his real name was Goyaale from the Chiricahua language meaning "one who yawns"; often spelled Goyathlay or Goyahkla in English.

Embittered by the death of his mother, wife, and children at the hands of Mexicans in 1858, Geronimo joined revenge attacks on the Mexicans and later against the United States. He became known for bravery and daring deeds and was honored by the Apaches as a warrior with spiritual powers. History says, in 1886 Geronimo was eventually tracked down by U.S. authorities and surrendered. As a prisoner of war in old age he became a celebrity but was never allowed to return to the land of his birth. By the time Geronimo died as a ‘prisoner of war’ on February 17, 1909 he had become an Apache icon, who fought against the invasion of his country and the oppression of his people and horrific atrocities committed against the Apache.

It is the name of this Apache freedom fighter Geronimo, who fought to protect his land, his people and their way of life, which the United States has used as a cryptonym for Osama. As the demise of Osama bin Laden is being hailed as a triumphant moment for the Obama administration, the Apaches are already up in arms against the US military codenaming Osama bin Laden, "Geronimo" and in fact,according to the Associated Press it is reported that the Fort Sill Apache tribe in the US has demanded an apology from President Obama for the same. Also, it is reported that Loretta Tuell, staff director and chief counsel for the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, has condemned this act, saying, “These inappropriate uses of Native American icons and cultures are prevalent throughout our society, and the impacts to Native and non-Native children are devastating.” The weekly, “Indian Country Today” also criticized the same by reporting it as "a disrespectful use of a name revered by many Native Americans."

The pain, frustration and insult that the Native Americans, felt is very much evident in the words of Tom Holm, a former Marine, a member of the Creek/Cherokee Nations and a retired professor of American Indian studies at the University of Arizona, who said “I was celebrating that we had gotten this guy and feeling so much a part of America. And then this ‘Geronimo EKIA’ thing comes up. I just said, ‘Why pick on us?’ Robert E. Lee killed more Americans than Geronimo ever did, and Hitler would seem to be evil personified, but the code name for bin Laden is Geronimo?”

Lise Balk King wrote in ‘Indian Country Today’, “Embedded within it is a message that an Indian warrior, a symbol of Native American survival in the face of racial annihilation, is associated with modern terrorism and the attacks on 9/11. It equates being Native American with being hated, an enemy to the world, and someone to be hunted down and killed, and re-casts one of their heroes into a villainous role.”

In a statement, Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians, has noted, “To associate a Native warrior with bin Laden is not an accurate reflection of history and it undermines the military service of Native people. It’s critical that military leaders and operational standards honor the service of those who protect our freedom.”

Decoding the codenaming of Osama as ‘Geronimo, therefore, unveils what Steven Newcomb explains in his book, ‘Pagans in the Promised Land’ the “cognitive unconscious” of the United States. Newcomb says, “Certain ingrained traditions of thought, both conscious and unconscious, have been used for generations by US government officials. Such thinking has resulted in the development of predominantly anti-Indian US federal Indian laws and policies.” He further says, “one of the normative American metaphors throughout the history of the United States has been ‘Indians are enemies’. We're talking about a US tradition of dehumanisation and dominance used against our nations and peoples.” Geronimo perfectly fits into this non-Indian metaphorical frame "Indians are enemies". I feel sad!!!

EASTER PRAYER!!!

May we be granted the serenity and wisdom to understand the divine mystery of passion and ressurection - THE BECOMING THROUGH 'UN-BECOMING', THE POWER OF BECOMING POWERLESS and THE LIFE THROUGH DYING. May this 'Friday', 'Saturday' and 'Sunday' become the trajectory of our discipleship. We pray this in the name of the One who is seen upon the Cross, saying 'It is Finished' and unseen in the Tomb, for HE IS RISEN'. Amen.

SIBLINES

To the mountain of sand,
I told my story.
And in the end,
He remained unmoved.
Then,
To a drop of water,
I told my story.
And she became a rain,
Yes, down poured.
...And the rain flood into her heart,
Where I believed my destiny lied,
She stood string with me,
Like an unmoved mountain,
Held my hand in her's,
Made me trust in myself,
To move through,
The dark tunnels of confusions...

FEAST OF ANNUNCIATION

March 25, is celebrated as the Feast of Annunciation, which refers to the announcement of Angel Gabriel to Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus. 10 months from this day would be December 25 - Christmas. As we celebrate the Feast of Annunciation, let us also remember it is includes the message of 'Renunciation'... since Mary replied 'Here am I, Your servant. Let Thy will be done', knowing that her commitment would cost her to risk many things, much more than any of us could even imagine. It is easy to celebrate the Feast of Annunciation as a worshiper. But, the challenge is to practice the message of renunciation, as a disciple. May God bless you all!!!

mailto:gayathrijayaraj@mm.co.in "Response to 'Women's World' - March 19, 2011"

Dear Gayathri,

Greetings from the Church of South India.

Let me introduce myself.

I am Rev. Viji Varghese Eapen, a Priest in the Church of South India.

I belong to the Diocese of Madhya Kerala, Kottayam, but presently serving at the CSI Synod Secretariat, Royapettah, Chennai (this is the head quarters of CSI) as the Director for the Department of Ecumenical Relations and Ecological Concerns.

As you may know, the CSI has always been committed to the social and ecological cause and continues to be. Through our Department of Diaconal Concerns, we involve in Women Empowerment and Girl Child Empowerment, focusing mostly in the rural villages of South India.

Well, Gayathri, I mail this to applaud you for the letter you had published on March 12, 2011, in the News Plus under the title 'Penn Nagarm'. And in your subsequent article in 'Women's World', Metro Manorama, March 19, 2011, you have expressed your disappointment and frustrations in many not positively responding to your letter cited above (except three).

I just want to assure you that we all are there with you for this just cause. In fact, let me tell you that I myself has read your letter in the church where i had led the Communion Service on March 13, 2011. (For the past three years (2008 May -2011 January) I was the vicar of the Holy Trinity CSI Malayalam Congregation at Vepery, Chennai. As part of this huge congregation, we have a small church in Mogappair, Chennai too. Though the Church of South India celebrated March 8th as Women's Sunday, we celebrated Women's Sunday on March 13th.) During the service, just before the Public Confession, I read out your letter to the congregation, quoting your name, and led the confession in the light of this. The same letter was read just before the intercessory prayers during one of the Area Prayers, held at Kilpauk.

Gayathri, your letter is so moving, and we express our solidarity with your stand, and at the same time we the Church of South India, pray for a transformation of our society, that no more Anna Mammen, Radhika Thanvar and Soumya repeat...

May be we can even think of the Church and the Media joining hands together in conscientizing the public, not only bringing the churches together but bringing youth of different faiths together, championing against such social evils. After all, to foster a spirituality without sensitivity is to be like a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal, na?

Well,

I pray that the Almighty would continue to use you. Do continue to voice out.

Also, I thank God for the vision and mission of the Malayala Manorama. It is my hope that God would continue to bless the Malayala Manorama more abundantly so that all of you would be a blessing for others.

Yours Sincerely,

Rev. Viji Varghese Eapen

CSI EUCHARISTIC LITURGY

You are requested to go through an humble effort, "Church of South India Eucharist Liturgy: Celebrating 60 Years of ‘Intra-Pluralism’ and ‘Inter-Pluralism’ " by me in the book, "The Church and Culture in India, Inculturation: Theory and Praxis", Edited by Paul Pulikkan & Paul M. Collins

(Published from ISPCK, Delhi, 2010, pp. xx, 306. ISBN: 978-81-8465-097-6 Price: $ 15 £ 9 Rs. 325)