Creation Care Prayers

Infinite Spirit, when I pray each day
for shelter for the homeless,
let me not ignore the pet without a home;

As I ask for protection for those in areas
of turmoil and unrest,
let me not forget endangered species of life;

When I pray that the hungry be fed,
let me be mindful
that all God’s creatures have need of sustenance;

As I ask Divine assistance for those afflicted
by fire, flood, earthquake, storm or drought,
let me remember that this includes every living thing;

In seeking miracle cures for human disease,
may I also speak for the well-being of the planet itself.

Let the words of my mouth,
the meditations of my heart
and the actions of my life be as one,
that I may live each day in harmony
With Mother Earth. Amen.

Jennie Frost Butler, Earth Prayers

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Creator God, You who are Holy Trinity,
By your spoken Word you created all that is seen and unseen.
That Word is Jesus Christ, through whom and for whom you created this and all worlds.
We thank you for making creation astounding with complexity and variety
And for calling it very good.

We praise you for entrusting us with so great a responsibility, that of caring for creation.
We acknowledge our dependence on your world—
The air we breathe
The water we drink
The food we eat.

We confess our polluting influence we so often have on your world—
The air we breathe
The water we drink
The land we farm.

Open our eyes, O gracious Creator, to see the destruction we cause by our careless consumption.
Open our ears, O merciful God, to hear the groaning of all creation and the cries of those without voice.
Open our hearts, O compassionate Lover, to feel remorse for our unfaithful care of your creation.

And so, enable us to change our ways.
Give us a vision of faithful living on this great globe.
Empower us to make both the simple and complex changes you desire for us. Amen.

Prayer of Confession by Presian Burroughs

Benedictions

Deep Peace of the running wave to you
Deep Peace of the flowing air to you
Deep Peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep Peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the shades of night to you
Moon and stars always giving Light to you.

Celtic Peace Prayer from Antiquity

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Thanksgiving Blessings

Lord of the springtime, Father of flower, field and fruit, smile on us in these earnest days when the work is heavy and the toil wearisome; lift up our hearts, O God, to the things worthwhilesunshine and night, the dripping rain, the song of the birds, books and music, and the voices of our friends. Lift up our hearts to these this night and grant us Thy peace. Amen.

W.E.B Du Bois

We venerate the Three Treasures:
Buddha, Dharma, Sangha,
And are thankful for this meal,
The work of many people
And the sharing of other forms of life.

Zen Prayer

My friends, let us give thanks for Wonder. Let us give thanks for the Wonder of Life that infuses all things now and forever.
Blessed is the Source of Life, the Fountain of Being the wellspring of goodness, compassion and kindness from which we draw to make for justice and peace.
From the creative power of Life we derive food and harvest, from the bounty of the earth and the yields of the heavens we are sustained and are able to sustain others.
All Life is holy, sacred, worthy of respect and dignity. Let us give thanks for the power of the heart to sense the holy in the midst of the simple.
We eat not to simply satisfy our own appetites, we eat to sustain ourselves in the task we have been given.
Each of us is unique,
Coming into the world with a gift no other can offer: ourselves.
We eat to nourish the vehicle of giving; we eat to sustain our task of world repair, our quest for harmony, peace and justice.
We eat and we are revived, and we give thanks to the lives that were ended to nourish our own.
May we merit their sacrifice, and honor their sparks of holiness through our deeds of loving kindness.
We give thanks to the Power that makes for Meeting, for our table has been a place of dialogue and friendship.
We give thanks to Life. May we never lose touch with the simple joy and wonder of sharing a meal.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro

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Almighty and ever-living God,
you have made us stewards over the created world,
so that in all things we might honor the demands of charity.
Graciously hear our prayers,
that your blessing may come upon all those
who use these objects for their needs.
Let them always see you as the good surpassing every good
and love their neighbor with upright hearts.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

From Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers © 1988, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect for Thanksgiving Day from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.

Other Resources

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Prayers

Prayers for Creation Care

Benedictions

Thanksgiving Blessings

Other Resources