Holy Spirit, you hovered over the deep,
and you know the deep problems we face today
around energy and fossil fuel consumption,
and the way this conflict gnaws at the church.
We live in a cold country, we need to keep warm.
Our homes are heated with oil and gas.
Help us find efficient and affordable ways
to keep ourselves warm.
We are people on the move; thank you for new technologies
that reduce our consumption of fuel,…
Mothering God,
thank you for giving us life and breath on this most beautiful of days!
The sun beams out praise!
The leaves unfurl their green hallelujahs!
The nesting birds join the spring song of praise!
Buried in the soil, seeds leap upward at your command!
The glory of your goodness bursts out all around us,
our hearts overflow with your presence!
Today we say thank you for all who are nurturing life.
For those who give birth or adopt,
for those who cook and clean,
for those who change diapers and do laundry,
for those who listen and encourage,
This is a prayer we are reluctant to pray
because it is so hard to name what we fear out loud.
We go through our days trying to pretend
that life as normal will continue forever,
but that is harder and harder to sustain.
And so we need this prayer where we lay out
the disasters of climate change to you and to each other:
the loss of species never to be seen again,
the bleaching of the coral reefs,
I’m another in the long line of admirers.
Eve and Adam admiring the garden,
Abram staring, open-mouthed, at the stars,
Elijah running through a beautiful rain,
and David singing, always singing on the hillsides.
God’s praises being sung through the ages,
praise to a Creator whose work stands the test of time.
This time, it’s my turn.
I close the computer, open the back door
and step into the garden.
My heart is a sounding board
for the night sky, deep with stars.
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.
I love to write and to lead worship! If you are finding my writing helpful, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to use or adapt the material here, it is all written by me. If printing material, please credit “Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com” (and say whether you modified it). If publishing, please contact me for permission. Contact me at carol@leadinginworship.com
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