Week 6: Commit
Scripture: Isaiah 6:1-8 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.’ The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’ Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: ‘Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I; send me!’ Prayer of Commitment by Bruce Prewer In a world that selfishly lives for the moment, without thought for whatever evil we may be causing the future, we thank you, God, for commanding us to be people of hope. Do not allow us to be conformed to the present short-sighted, self-serving attitudes but open our eyes to see all those things that are possible through Christ Jesus our Saviour. Give us a sure commitment to your new heaven and new earth by living some of the promised future in the here and now: giving with no thought of reward, reaching out to the forsaken, bandaging the wounded, challenging injustices, fostering seeds of faith, caring for mother earth, exposing pride and greed, building bridges of understanding, and loving our neighbours of the future. Stretch our vision to include the improbable and strengthen our wills to take the next step on your road. Assure us again that you can do exceedingly more than we can ever ask or imagine. Glory be to your loving purposes, now and forever! Amen. Reading: Worship and Commitment by Peter Sawtell Spiritual Practice: Commit to a new practice of creation care, and begin to live out that new practice this week. Week 5: Imagine
Scripture: Isaiah 43:15, 18-21 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King. Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honour me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise. Prayer: Refine us in Your Fire by Jenny Gregory Let us pray for the transformation of ourselves, and of God’s world. Lord, refine us in your fire. That, as you led your son through death, you might roll back the stone of little faith. Lord, refine us in your fire. That we may see anew the earth that is ours, and dream anew of an earth that is yours. Lord, refine us in your fire. That, as you walked in your garden in the evening, our steps may be light on its paths. Lord, refine us in your fire. That, as you invited all to your table, earth’s stores may be open to all people. Lord, refine us in your fire. That wolf and hare, lion and lamb, people in conflict, may lie down together. Lord, refine us in your fire. That, as no pain of the earth is denied you, so nothing is denied your resurrection life. Lord, refine us in your fire. That, as your hands brought us to birth, ours may be midwives of your new creation. Lord, refine us in your fire. That, as you looked on your work and called it good, you may look upon ours, and call it blessed. Lord, refine us in your fire. Reading: Worship and Imagination Peter Sawtell Spiritual Practice: Imagine – in small ways, in wild ways – changes in your life, changes in our society, which would create a greener, more sustainable world. Hold these imaginings in prayer before the God who transforms and empowers us, and in whom all things are possible. Lenten Prayers for Creation
Week 4: Confess Scripture: Jeremiah 4:22-26 My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. Prayer: Confession and Lament for Creation Rev. Allyson Sawtell Oh God of time and space We confess we are running out of both. Species whirling into extinction faster than ever before. Habitat created over millennia destroyed in the blink of an eye Sea levels rising, threatening, moving closer and the poor and the brown and the voiceless taste the bitter salt Oh God of time and space, we confess we are running out of both. Oh God of hope and Resurrection, We confess to despair that creates the denial of a Good Friday world. We tremble on the brink of the temptation to simply give up. Oh God of transformation, we confess to choosing Business as Usual because it is easier because it hurts too much to care because we don’t want to give up what we have. because we are afraid. Oh God of deep sighing, these are our prayers. And we know it is not only from you we need to ask forgiveness, but from all your creation You polar bears Forgive us, we pray You coral reefs Forgive us, we pray You Black Rhino and Green Turtle Forgive us, we pray You Monarch butterfly, Ivory-Billed woodpecker, Gray Wolf Forgive us, we pray Oh air that we breathe, oceans that give us life, mountaintops of Appalachia, Forgive us, we pray Remake us, oh Creator. Transform us into a new being. Open us to your love which can open our eyes and our hearts. Give us courage to walk in your path with all creation. Forgive us and make us free, for healing and for hope. Reading: Forgive Us, For We Know Not What We Do Christine Penner Polle Spiritual Practice: “True sustainability means transcending a narrow calculation of self-interest and weighing the effect of our actions on a larger scale, seeking right relationship to the wider community, and ultimately the Earth community” (Quaker Earthcare Witness website). Take some time each day to ponder and confess the effects of your actions on the wider community and on the Earth. |