11/17 CCC: Thankful Prayerful Responses for Creation's Blessings

Nov. 2017 Creation Corner Column (CCC)

Thankful Prayerful Responses for Creation's Blessings

Including prayers in church liturgy is one of many ways to express our care for creation, as we are instructed to by the "First Commandment" in Genesis 2:15, to "serve and protect" the creation.  Consider these:

Creator God, you provide daily for our nourishment.  Bless fields and orchards, oceans and lakes, birds and animals, insects and fish.  Sustain those who harvest your life-sustaining bounty.  Help us share the gifts you have freely given.  Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Reveal your will for your creation, mighty God.  Renew waters, lands, and skies that are threatened by our carelessness.  Teach us to honor and care for the works of your hand.  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for the renewal of creation: for a shared, plentiful harvest, for lands unable to bear fruit, for what is neglected or destroyed by our hand, and for the earth's advocates.  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

You rejoice in your good creation.  Provide moisture for parched places, wind and sun for flooded lands, and shelter and sustenance for creatures of every kind.  Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Restore what is broken in creation, gracious God.  Revive farmlands and vineyards, protect waters needed by all living things, and move us to care for this earthly home.  Hear us, O God.  Your mercy is great.

Give bountiful pastures, safety and health to herds, livestock, and all animals.  May our care for all of your creation reflect the shepherding love for all that you have made.  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

We pray for parks and open spaces, for clean air and clear water.  Help us protect places where we are reminded of God's work in creation and find renewal.  Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Note:  The above Prayers of Intercession are derived from recent 2017 "Celebrate" bulletin inserts and are reproduced by permission of Augsburg Fortress.  No future reproduction is allowed without written permission.

                                                              

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