God, hear our cries. Our calm and trust have been shattered. Keep us ever mindful that you are our God, the Prince of Peace, the God of Love. Let our hearts not respond with hate or generalizations, not with phobias nor a desire for payback. We pray for all who have been personally impacted by […]
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While Earth Day is set on 22 April, these creation-focused resources might be used throughout the year. Many will be relevant for the Season of Creation (also called Creation Time) now celebrated in several countries in September. Recently posted Earth Day resources: (Click on image.) Alphabetical listing of Earth Day resources:
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Gracious God, giver of peace, planter of justice, spirit of love, we lift up to you our world – giving thanks for its beauty and majesty, for its many creatures and peoples, for its bounty and flourishing. In our thanksgiving, we also remember those who struggle day in and day out simply to survive, those […]
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This annual observance, stretching from 1 September to 4 October (Day of St. Francis of Assisi), aims to raise awareness about the urgency to care for creation as a response to the ecological crisis. Click on category to view resources created for the Season of Creation (Creation-tide): Songs Complete services Psalms Prayers Dramas, litanies, […]
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As the atrocities and genocide continue in Palestine… We shall remember them. We shall not lose heart. Minute of Silence… for the victims of all the recent atrocities in _______ We pray for our suffering world, for the end of enmity and strife between nations, for the end of inequality and poverty affecting people of […]
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Today’s lament What’s this pit in my stomach, God? Where has my equilibrium gone? Why does my trust waver? Events, some which have not yet transpired, fill me with fear. The writing – bold crude graffiti – seems to be on the walls Surrounding my thoughts Love, break through Hope, shine relentlessly into this darkness […]
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Written for Season of Creation and Earth Day Romans 8.19-25 Tune: Abbot’s Leigh All creation waits with longing for a better world to be, for a kinder, fairer planet, where all life has been set free, where Christ’s death and resurrection works renewal for it all, where God’s Spirit fills God’s children, ends all traces […]
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Great God, we want a fairer world! A plea for help in the struggle for justice, drawing on Elijah’s struggle and God’s response Tune: Repton (Dear God and…) Great God, we want a fairer world, an end to foolish ways; a world where might is not the right and vested int’rests lose their fight, where […]
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Note: before using the ‘Digital Manifesto’ in full, consider the congregation. What are local concerns and worries about digital usage? Perhaps a selection from the Manifesto might suffice. Perhaps there are other concerns to be added or inserted. May this act of faith be meaningful. Worship offers us space in which to reflect on our […]
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Text to read before the message: John 13:31a, 34-35 Prepared as a Children’s Message, but usable with all ages. To learn the tune: Todah, La El, Hallelujah – YouTube ( start at 1:12; not great, but the best example I can find) Script How does God say to treat one another? [with love] What does […]
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World Day of Prayer is a global, ecumenical movement of Christian women joined together to observe a common day of prayer each year on the first Friday of March. The World Day of Prayer motto, ‘Informed Prayer & Prayerful Action’ signifies that prayer and action are inseparable. While the language used in the annual liturgy […]
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Sustaining God, we pray with urgency for the leaders of our species and those with concern for our common home. Give to those who make decisions a freedom from the burdens of a past which have pushed us to this cliff-edge. Give a dawning vision of your offer of healing greater than the blocked horizon […]
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Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. (Isaiah 40:1) Holy God, ever present, our hearts are once again heavy as we watch this disaster unfold. We pray comfort for those who have lost loved ones and remember those who have lost their lives, commending their souls to your care. In the midst of this […]
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Adapted from a prayer written by Terri Hord Owens God of Love, our hearts break at the violence in our world, the loss of life, the dishonouring of children of God, the vile insults hurled and the wounds of history reopened. We pray for the families of those who have died and all the wounded. […]
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A responsive prayer of intercession & confession Inspired by Psalm 51 Silence: a diamond symbol (♦) indicates a short pause. One: God, we call to mind the fractured beauty of the world we live in. All: May we be people of reconciliation. ♦ One: We call to mind broken relationships. All: May we be people […]
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Bleak Gaia* A climate kairos worship resource responding to the climate crisis All at peace Slowly rotating Tomorrow creeps Procrastinating Swirled in mists Alone in space Where we exist On a wafer-thin face Clothed in blue Silently screaming And wrapped anew Resplendently dreaming Suspended and drifting A mountain of wealth And angels are lifting More […]
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Original worship resources from Zambia — including prayers and complete services — are posted on the ‘Zambia Praise’ section of Worship Words. Click here to explore Zambia Praise. Thanks to all who have shared their creative work with Worship Words — Zambia Praise, especially students at the United Church of Zambia University, many of whom […]
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Eternal God, we turn to you knowing you are the source of the living water for which we thirst. Living water, In faith, we lift our prayer to you. We pray for those, like the woman by the well, confronted by their own reality and being invited to step boldly into the unknown. May they […]
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A prayer for the World Week of Prayer for Peace in Palestine and Israel (third week of September) God, loving Parent of all humankind, You are our Peace. In Jesus you embodied peace with justice – And you still do— Peace at its most down-to-earth, Peace, which can still prevail In the face of all […]
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Dear God of all, grant us understanding of our brothers and sisters worldwide. Plant in us the seed of oneness. Nourish us with your love and grace so that we may live God-like in our interactions with those who are different from us. Grant us the ability to recognize the spirit and sameness that unites […]
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This prayer has been written in response to the cover-up of sexual abuse revealed within the Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania USA. Items italicized might need to be updated to be more relevant to today’s worship. God of righteous anger and holy healing, We pray for our world For Ireland and Pennsylvania and Roman Catholics […]
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Songs for Season of Creation, Creationtide and Earth Day George Stuart writes inclusive language lyrics to use with familiar tunes. Have a look on George’s easy-to use website (click here) for numerous ‘Eco-Church’ songs focusing on God in creation/nature, the environment and our care thereof. Each song includes the lyrics, musical score, a link to […]
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A prayer each week highlights an area of our world in greatest need. Click here to read and access these timely and relevant prayers written by staff and missionaries serving Global Ministries (a joint ministry of the United Church of Christ USA and the Christian Church – Disciples of Christ, USA). A related photo and […]
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Words to help us face the situation in Syria…
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Tune: Sursum Corda 10.10.10.10. (How Like a Gentle Spirit) (Use freely, with attribution) One truck delivers us our wine and bread Another swerves and leaves our children dead One driver sings a hymn of love and life Another chants a call to holy strife One phone is used to set a bomb alight Another used […]
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Holy God, Today we pray for the people of (area effected by bombings)… For parents whose children will never return, For children, youth and young adults whose safe world has been shattered, For first responders who arrived on the scene To care for the injured, the traumatised, the deceased. Gracious God, We give thanks for courage and […]
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Day of Action and Prayer for Syria & Peace 21 September What words can express the horror, the sadness, the hope, the truth? Newest ‘Day for Syria’ posts . . . (images link to posts) Alphabetical archive of all ‘Day for Syria’ resources . . . Words to help us face the situation in Syria…
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The moderators of General Assembly (United Reformed Church in Great Britain), Alan Yates and Kevin Watson, offer a prayer for us all, in the aftermath of the attack on Westminster , London, Wednesday 22 March 2017. A prayer for the world God of the world,Our hearts go out to all those directly or indirectly affected by […]
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All my relations. I honour you in this circle of life with me today. I am grateful for this opportunity to acknowledge you in this prayer… To the Creator, for the ultimate gift of life, I thank you. To the mineral nation that has built and maintained my bones and all foundations of life experience, […]
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This resource originates from Creation Justice Ministries USA which develops Earth Day Sunday materials each year to help congregations celebrate and care for God’s Creation. Ready-to-print downloads: PDF – Water, Holy Water – ready-to-print download WORD – Water, Holy Water – ready-to-print download Faith Reflection “I don’t know what tallies as sacred for you but […]
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Appropriate for Earth Day, during the Season of Creation and other services focusing on the vastness of creation. The Cosmic Walk, an inter-active ritual with actions and readings, invites participants into the story of the universe. Moving between ‘stations’ along a long rope laid out in a spiral, participants are introduced to 21 major events in the history of […]
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A service for Earth Sunday or Season of Creation (Creationtide) The National Council of Churches USA Creation Justice Ministries develops Sunday worship materials each year to help congregations celebrate and care for God’s Creation. To access these annual resource packets for eco-justice worship services, visit their Earth Day Resource page. PDF – Eco-Justice Service – […]
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This multi-voice responsive prayer might incorporate groups of readers or individual voices. Group/Voice 1 states the facts about the suffering in our world. Group/Voice 2 lifts up those taking action to improve the situation and change the world. Group/Voice 3 voices a prayer request. Leader: Through our faith, we reach out to God, interceding […]
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Written by David while he served as Co-ordinator for the Isle of Wight Street Pastors, this song was inspired by an interaction with a young man on the streets of Ryde. This video recording might be played as an integral part of a worship service.
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What words shall we use on Valentines Day? Valentines Day as an opportunity to express our love for our earth. These Valentine bookmarks can be distributed as Valentines or used to complement a service focusing on the earth and caring for our environment. PDF Bookmarks – Valentine for the Earth, ready-to-print To You, My Valentine Oh, it […]
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Perfect love casts out fear. — 1 John 4:18 Pastoral Prayer Holy One, We live in fearful times. Suicide bombers, terrorists, climate change, economic crises— these are overwhelming realities. Hold us in our fears. Sometimes candidates in elections may prey on these fears. They paint pictures of disaster—especially if we vote for their opponents. Help […]
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We continue to pray for Syria and peace. Prayers for Syria. . .
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God, you are not distant from us You came to us in vulnerability You offered yourself as a gift of love. We pray today for those who are in the midst of darkness The darkness of poverty The darkness of loneliness The darkness of grief The darkness of despair Wherever shadows threaten to overwhelm Wherever […]
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Our God, The world is more magical, less predictable, more autonomous, less controllable, more varied, less simple, more infinite, less knowable, more wonderfully troubling than we could have imagined being able to tolerate when we were young. More surprising, able to operate without us adaptive, resistant robust fragile complex and into this environment, we are. […]
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Our God, Your living word is not static but the unfolding story of your actions in the world We pray that we would be part of that story as recipients and participants cutting across the addiction people have for the world cultural addictions of greed, of status, appearance, recognition, of voyeurism, celebrity worship, the need […]
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