Prayers for Creation

31st March 2023 

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Matthew 3:3

 You Lord, are the source of all good things: 

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation: 

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives: 

May we live together in peace. 

A reading from Matthew 21: 8-11

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosannah to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosannah in the highest heaven!”

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Response – A Day of Action

Willow branches burst at the tips 

into the delicate green of spring.

The aroma of new life 

gently rises on the air.

Footsteps, hoof beats, 

small feet, big feet – 

that walk at a measured pace, 

that take a calculated risk.

Not flags, nor banners 

but branches torn from trees. 

No red carpet, no paparazzi 

but coats laid thick upon the road.

Hold your palms high, 

lift them not in surrender 

but in defiance. 

We will not bow to public pressure.

Cast down your coat, 

your mask, your many disguises. 

Cast down your self-conscious pride. 

Uncover the real you. 

Raise your hands, raise your voices!

Shout out loud! 

This is your King, your humble King!

The one at home with the poor and needy.

The slow moving crowd 

that swells and surges, 

now pauses, and then gathers momentum – 

nothing can hold back our passion now.

Onward! Upward! Into the city –

we the outsiders, the outcast, 

the forgotten and the marginalised,

 are taking our place in the story of salvation.

Take courage, take heart! 

Turn the world upside down. 

This is our King! 

This is the Saviour of the world!

Hosannah! Lord save us!

Lord, our loving Saviour,

We give thanks for all who stand up 

for the wellbeing of creation. 

Guide their actions with your wisdom.

Fill their hearts with your love.

Give strength for their bodies 

and compassion for their spirits.

Comfort those who are overcome with sadness.

Reassure those who are loosing hope. 

Heal those who have been injured.

Encompass those who have died.

The road to salvation seems long and uncertain.

May your redeeming power restore creation 

to new life in the Kingdom of God.

Amen.