Canticle of the North Shore

O give thanks to our creator who is good*
     whose love endures forever.
You son, moon, stars, & the northern lights*
     give to our Creator thanks & praise.
Sunrise & sunset, night & day*
     give to our Creator thanks & praise.
Hills, valleys, wetlands & lakes, fog, rain, mist & snow*
     give to our Creator thanks & praise.
Birch, pine, spruce & maple, moss & ferns*
     give to our Creator thanks & praise.
Lake trout & walleye, bass & northern, loons & herons, ducks & geese*
     give to our Creator thanks & praise.
Deer, moose, cats and dogs, eagles & sparrow, grouse & hawk*
     give to our Creator thanks & praise.
Young & old, women & men, saints & faithful of the Great North Woods*
     give to our Creator thanks & praise.

-- The Rev. Howard Anderson, from the Rev. Debbie Royals, ed.  A Sampler: Native American/Alaska Native and Native Hawai’ian Liturgies, Prepared for the 76^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, July 2009, Anaheim, CA

Image: The North Shore of Lake Superior in Michigan, photo from the Nature Conservancy

Canticle of Creation

O Most High, all-powerful, good Lord God,

   to you belong praise, glory,
   honour and all blessing.
Be praised, my Lord, for all your creation
   and especially for our Brother Sun,
   who brings us the day and the light;
   he is strong and shines magnificently.
   O Lord, we think of you when we look at him.
Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Moon,
   and for the stars
   which you have set shining and lovely
   in the heavens.
Be praised, my Lord,
   for our Brothers Wind and Air
   and every kind of weather
   by which you, Lord,
   uphold life in all your creatures.
Be praised, my Lord, for Sister Water,
   who is very useful to us,
   and humble and precious and pure.
Be praised, my Lord, for Brother Fire,
   through whom you give us light in the darkness:
   he is bright and lively and strong.
Be praised, my Lord,
   for Sister Earth, our Mother,
   who nourishes us and sustains us,
   bringing forth
   fruits and vegetables of many kinds
   and flowers of many colours.
Be praised, my Lord,
   for those who forgive for love of you;
   and for those
   who bear sickness and weakness
   in peace and patience
   - you will grant them a crown.
Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister Death,
   whom we must all face.
   I praise and bless you, Lord,
   and I give thanks to you,
   and I will serve you in all humility.

--attributed to St. Francis of Assisi (ca 1181-1226)

A Song of Our True Nature (Canticle S)

Christ revealed our frailty and our falling, * 

    our trespasses and our humiliations.
Christ also revealed his blessed power, *
    his blessed wisdom and love.
He protects us as tenderly and as sweetly 

when we are in greatest need; *
    he raises us in spirit
    and turns everything to glory and joy without ending.
God is the ground and the substance, 

the very essence of nature; *
    God is the true father and mother of natures.
We are all bound to God by nature, *
    and we are all bound to God by grace.
And this grace is for all the world, *
    because it is our precious mother, Christ.
For this fair nature was prepared by Christ
for the honor and nobility of all, *
    and for the joy and bliss of salvation.

--Dame Julian of Norwich (1343-ca 1416), English mystic, visionary, and anchorite

A Song of Christ the Servant

(based on 1 Peter 2.21b–25)

1 Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, ♦

    that you should follow in his steps.
2 He committed no sin, no guile was found on his lips, ♦
    when he was reviled, he did not revile in turn.
3 When he suffered, he did not threaten, ♦
    but he trusted himself to God who judges justly.
4 Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, ♦
    that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
5 By his wounds, you have been healed,
for you were straying like sheep, ♦
    but have now returned
    to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

--from the Church of England

A Song of Humility

(based on Hosea 6.1–6)

1 Come, let us return to the Lord ♦
    who has torn us and will heal us.
2 God has stricken us ♦
    and will bind up our wounds.
3 After two days, he will revive us, ♦
    and on the third day will raise us up,
    that we may live in his presence.
4 Let us strive to know the Lord; ♦
    his appearing is as sure as the sunrise.
5 He will come to us like the showers, ♦
    like the spring rains that water the earth.
6 ‘O Ephraim, how shall I deal with you? ♦
    How shall I deal with you, O Judah?
7 ‘Your love for me is like the morning mist, ♦
    like the dew that goes early away.
8 ‘Therefore, I have hewn them by the prophets, ♦
    and my judgement goes forth as the light.
9 ‘For loyalty is my desire and not sacrifice, ♦
    and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.’

-- From the Church of England

A Song of Jonah (Canticle I)

I called to you, O God, out of my distress, and you answered me;
     out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.
You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas,
     and the flood surrounded me;
          all your waves and billows passed over me.
Then I said, "I am driven away from your sight;
     how shall I ever look again upon your holy temple?"
The waters closed in over me, the deep was round about me;
     weeds were wrapped around my head at the roots
          of the mountains.
I went down to the land beneath the earth,
     yet you brought up my life from the depths, O God. 
As my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, O God,
     and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple.
With the voice of thanksgiving, I will sacrifice to you;
     what I have vowed I will pay, for deliverance belongs to the Lord!

-- Jonah 2:2-7, 9, from Enriching Our Worship 2: Ministry with the Sick or Dying; Burial of a Child

Canticle: A Song of Our True Nature

Christ revealed our frailty and our falling,
our trespasses and our humiliations.
Christ also revealed his blessed power,
his blessed wisdom and love.
He protects us as tenderly and as sweetly when we are in greatest need; 
he raises us in spirit
and turns everything to glory and joy without ending.
God is the ground and the substance, the very essence of nature;
God is the true father and mother of natures.
We are all bound to God by nature,
and we are all bound to God by grace.
And this grace is for all the world,
because it is our precious mother, Christ.
For this fair nature was prepared by Christ for the honor and nobility of all,
and for the joy and bliss of salvation.

-- Dame Julian of Norwich (1342-1416), English anchoress, mystic, and spiritual writer

A Song of Christ's Goodness (Canticle Q, Enriching Our Worship 1)

Jesus, as a mother you gather your people to you:
  You are gentle with us as a mother with her children;
Often you weep over our sins and our pride:
  tenderly you draw us from hatred and judgement.
You comfort us in sorrow and bind up our wounds:
  in sickness you nurse us,
  and with pure milk you feed us.
Jesus, by your dying we are born to new life:
  by your anguish and labour we come forth in joy.
Despair turns to hope through your sweet goodness:
  through your gentleness we find comfort in fear.
Your warmth gives life to the dead:
  your touch makes sinners righteous.
Lord Jesus, in your mercy heal us:
  in your love and tenderness remake us.
In your compassion bring grace and forgiveness:
  for the beauty of heaven may your love prepare us.

--St. Anselm of Canterbury, (1033-1109)

Mosaic from the altar of Dominus Flavit Church on the Mount of Olives.

Song of True Motherhood (Canticle R, Enriching Our Worship 1)

God chose to be our mother in all things
and so made the foundation of his work,
most humbly and most pure, in the Virgin's womb.
God, the perfect wisdom of all,
arrayed himself in this humble place.
Christ came in our poor flesh
to share a mother's care.
Our mothers bear us for pain and for death;
our true mother, Jesus bears us for joy and endless life.
Christ carried us within him in love and travail,
until the full time of his passion.
And when all was completed and he had carried us so for joy,
still all this could not satisfy the power of his wonderful love.
All that we owe is redeemed in truly loving God,
for the love of Christ works in us,
Christ is the one whom we love.

-- Dame Julian of Norwich, Shewings, 1395