A Prayer for Our Time and for the Earth
As we prepare for another Earth Day, this prayer by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry is worth reprinting here. It was offered in fall 2017 at a gathering in Fairbanks, Alaska. Those gathered were discussing the future of the area in relation to oil and gas development, the health and welfare of the people who lived there, and the health and protection of the environment. It was published in our newsletter, The Corner, in 2017.
Dear God. Creator of the earth, this sacred home we share,
Give us new eyes to see the beauty all around and to protect the wonders of Creation.
Give us new arms to embrace the strangers among us and to know them as family.
Give us new ears to hear and understand those who live off the land and to understand those who extract its resources.
Give us new hearts to recognize the brokenness of our communities and to heal the wounds we have inflicted.
Give us new hands to serve the earth and its people and to shape beloved community.
For you are the one who sees the lost, binds the wounds and sets us free, and it is in the name of Jesus the Christ, we pray. Amen
Sharing of our common home, the earth, and becoming part of the “beloved community” is a common theme of our presiding bishop. The work is never easy. However, we really need the coming together of community to truly protect the earth, reduce the ever escalating forces that cause global warming while still providing jobs and safe and clean communities.
Earth steward action: Continue to look for ways to communicate with those who might not understand the harm that comes to all if we do little to reduce global warming. Attend the Earth Day Service at Trinity, led by TEST (see article).