Creation Care: Devotional Prayer Resources
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NRSV).
"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." (Matthew 6:5-6 NRSV)
Here we offer some suggested prayers. You might have others you prefer – use them, or use your own words to speak your thanks, your concerns, your reflections on the gifts of creation. Pray often this Lent and all the year through, and know we will be praying with you.
BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER 840: FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
"We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and forever. Amen."
PSALM 104: GOD THE CREATOR AND PROVIDER
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent;
3 you set the beams of your[a] chambers on the waters;
you make the clouds your[b] chariot;
you ride on the wings of the wind;
4 you make the winds your[c] messengers,
fire and flame your[d] ministers.
5 You set the earth on its foundations,
so that it shall never be shaken.
6 You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
8 They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys,
to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills,
11 giving drink to every wild animal;
the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By the streams[e] the birds of the air have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle
and plants for people to cultivate,
to bring forth food from the earth
15 and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine
and bread to strengthen the human heart.
16 The trees of the field[f] are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
21 The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw
and lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their work
and to their labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
25 There is the sea, great and wide;
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you
to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit,[g] they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!
LITURGICAL MATERIALS FOR HONORING GOD IN CREATION
REPORTS TO THE 78th GENERAL CONVENTION: SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS
- A Confession of Sin against God’s Creation
- Proper for Honoring God in Creation
"Holy and merciful God, we confess that we have failed to honor you by rightly claiming our kinship with all your creatures. We have walked heavily on your earth, overused and wasted its resources, taken for granted its beauty and abundance, and treated its inhabitants unjustly, holding future generations hostage to our greed. Have mercy on us and forgive us our sin. Renew in us the resolve to keep and conserve your earth as you desire and intend, with grateful and compassionate hearts, through your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen."
or this
"Merciful and sustaining God, we have sinned against you. We confess our lack of gratitude for the beauty and bounty of your creation:teach us to see that your earth sustains us and all that lives. We confess that we have misused your earth: grant us amendment of life. We confess that we have been intemperate in our appetites: strengthen us in self-control. We confess that we have taken the abundance of your world for granted: make us urgent now for its protection. Forgive and renew us now through our Savior Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, with whom you live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen."
or this
"God of compassion, have mercy upon us.Heal our relationship with all creation. Forgive us for our mistreatment and neglect of the creatures who share the earth with us.We are truly sorry and we humbly repent for what we have done to harm them, and for what we have not done to help them.Fill us with your Spirit, that we may care for one another and for all creatures, according to your will and in the fullness of your love;through Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us,forgive us all our sins through the grace of Jesus Christ,strengthen us in all goodness,and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen."
God, the source and destiny of the cosmos
Author of creation: In wisdom you brought forth all that is, to participate in your divine being, and to change, adapt, and grow in freedom. You make holy the matter and energy of the universe that it may delight you and give you praise. We thank you for gathering all creation into your heartby the energy of your Spirit and bringing it through death to resurrection glory;through the One in whom all things have their being, Jesus Christ, your Wisdom and your Word. Amen.
Isaiah 40:21–28a Psalm 136:1–9, 25–26 Revelation 22:1–5 John 3:16–17
or this
God of order and dynamic change
Mysterious God, whose imagination and desire embrace all: We seek to discern you in the interplay of us grace to honor your goodness in what we know and in what we do not know, in the world’s harmonies and turbulence, and in its promise and change. For you are in, through, and beyond all that is: one God, made known to us in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, our inspiration and guide. Amen.
Job 37:1–7 Psalm 102:25–28 Revelation 21:3–5a Luke 13:6–9
or this
The justice of God and the dignity of all creatures
Holy God, your mercy is over all your works, and in the web of life each creature has its role and place. We praise you for ocelot and owl, cactus and kelp, lichen and whale; we honor you for whirlwind and lava, tide and topsoil, cliff and marsh. Give us hearts and minds eager to care for your planet, humility to recognize all creatures as your beloved ones, justice to share the resources of the earth with all its inhabitants, and love not limited by our ignorance.This we pray in the name of Jesus, who unifies what is far off and what is near, and in whom, by grace and the working of your Holy Spirit,all things hold together. Amen.
Jonah 3:4–10 Psalm 145:8–10, 16–18 Ephesians 1:8b–10 Luke 10:25–37
COMMUNION FOREST TREE PLANTING LITURGY: PLEASE PRAY FOR GOD'S WORLD, OUR PLANET
Prayer 1
Creator God, we thank and praise you for giving us the opportunity to be co-creators with you and to ensure the sustainability of Mother Earth,” our meeting place with God. God as a community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit teach us as the Anglican community to work together for mutual respect with one another and your creation. We repent for our negligence leading the earth to be in peril from loss of habitats and species. Help us to be caretakers of your gifts, protecting the land from abuse, and ready to share with all in need. Amen.
- The Late Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya, Swaziland, Southern Africa (RIP)
Prayer 2
Breath of Life, from whom all order was created, the whole of creation bears witness to you. Teach us to respect all creatures, increase our gratitude for your loving providence. Forgive us for our insensitivity and carelessness with the environment. Instigate us to fight for socio-environmental preservation and for the end of the climate crisis, taking care and working for the preservation of species and the maintenance of life on earth, as living proof of our conversion to the way of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
(inspired by the Collects for the Environmental Responsibility of the Common Prayer Book of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil) Bishop Marinez Rosa dos Santos Bassotto, Amazon, Brazil
Assistant Bishop
Mission Strategy Coordinator
