Prayers – The Green Tau

The Joys and Sorrows of Civilisation

14th February 2026

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. Isaiah 11:1

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: So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: ‘You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors ….. he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.” Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised. Acts 13: 16, 17a, 22b,23

Reflection

Roots secure us to the past, ensure that we are part of the continuity of creation; shoots and branches take our lives forward into the as yet unformed future. Without the next generation there will be no ongoing continuity. The gospels of Luke and Matthew both locate Jesus within a human family tree; the prologue of John’s gospel locates him as co existent with the beginning of all creation. Later in John’s gospel, Jesus affirms his coexistence with the Father and the ongoing coexistence, through him, of all believers, all God’s children.

For gifts of past generations:

We thank you God.

For the gift of fire for cooking and heating

For the gift of clean water and sewers:

We thank you God.

For the domestication of cattle and horses,

Cats and dogs, sheep and pigs,

Hens and geese:

We thank you God.

For the gift of gardening and arable cultivation,

sowing and reaping,

growing and harvesting:

We thank you God.

For the gift of healing and caring,

of medicine and surgery

For the understanding of the intricacies of mind and body:

We thank you God.

For the gift of story telling and drama,

of art and observation

means of sharing grief and joy:

We thank you God.

For the gift of learning and research,

of teaching and sharing:

We thank you God.

For the gift of exploration and endeavour,

of travel and communication:

We thank you God.

For the gift of worship,

of self realisation

and of the knowledge of God:

We thank you God.

But what shall we pass on to generations to come?

Do we offer gifts or burdens?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Clean air or choking smog?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Living water or dying oceans?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Renewables or fossil fuels?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Biodiversity or widespread extinction?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Fertile soils or inhospitable dust?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Balmy summers or wild fires?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Snow capped mountains or drowned coastlines?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

Homes for all or camps for migrants?

Merciful God forgive and inspire us.

May we be wise guardians of what we have received

Skilful custodians of what we consume

Generous donors of what we hand on

That the future of creation will be bright and beautiful,

fair and just.

Amen

Love overcomes hate

7th February 2026

Love never fails. 1 Corinthians 13:8

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 5:43-47 (The Message)

“You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the supple moves of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.

Response

Hate or love?

Hate smoulders and burns.

It reduces cheer to ash and clinker..

Love soothes the flaming rage,

And untangles twisted thoughts.

Hate rides roughshod over compassion.

It disregards the truth.

.

Love reads between the lines,

And hears the hidden words of hope..

Hate erects rigid boundaries.

It ring-fences every option.

Love sees beyond the corner,

And stretches out new horizons.

Hate casts an evil guise over every action.

It masks every sign of joy.

Love lifts the veil,

And finds the hidden virtue.

Hate feeds on anger.

Its rapacious appetite knows no limit.

Love expands with humility,

And grows with easy care.

Hate is all consuming –

Till nothing true remains.

Love is all consuming –

Till only truth remains.

Prayers

Holy God of love,

Heal the wounds where hate festers.

Renew our trust in one another.

Holy God of love,

Remove the log that blinds the eye.

Restore our vision of the world aright.

Holy God of love,

Open the ears that are stopped.

Retune our understanding of forgiveness.

Holy God of love,

Cut through warfare and vengeance –

In streets and cities in the UK.

In Palestine and Isreal.

In Iran.

In Yemen.

In North Sudan and the Sahel.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In Ukraine and in Russia.

Cut through war and vengeance –

wherever it is found.

Replant the seeds of peace,

Water them with love,

with compassion,

and feed them with vigorous determination.

Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Candlemas – where does the light shine?

31st January 2026

“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations. Isaiah 42:6

You Lord are the light of the world:help us to see.

Your word is a light for our path:guide us in all we do.

Whatever we say or do:let it be to the glory of God.

A reading from Luke 2: 29- 35

“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,

as you have promised.

I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.

He is a light to reveal God to the nations,

and he is the glory of your people Israel.”

Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

Where will that light shine?

Will it reach the tops of the mountains where the glaciers are fast disappearing?

Will it follow the rivers that flow down from the mountains?

Will it light upon the people who rely on the river for their livelihoods?

Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?

Where will that light shine?

Will it reach the depths of the earth where conglomerates mine for minerals and riches?

Will it reach the depth of the oceans where conglomerates drill for oil and gas?

Will it follow the flow of money that skips lightly past those who labour,

and fills the ever deepening pockets of the wealthy?

Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?

Where will the light shine?

Will it reach the verdant understory deep within the rainforests?

Or will it find that space already punctured by sugar and soy plantations?

Will it be embraced by a rich biodiverse ecosystem –

or will it search desperately for indigenous lives that are no more?

Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?

Where will the light shine?

Will it glitter on the vast whiteness of the poles?

Or will it sink into the void that melting ice has left behind?

Will it bring life to the Arctic tern and the walrus?

Will it be a ray of light for the penguin chick and the polar bear cub?

Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?

Where will the light shine?

Will reach inside apartment blocks split open by bombs?

Will it reach inside the ‘temporary’ abodes of the refugee camp?

Will it reach inside those precarious homes where the need for heat

is in a constant battle with the need to eat?

Will it spotlight communities in need of levelling up?

Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?

For the times we have masked your light so that its message is obscured:

Lord have mercy.

For the times we have refocused your light away from those in need:

Lord have mercy.

For the times we have directed your light away from our own shortcomings:

Lord have mercy.

For the times we have refused to see where your light is pointing:

Lord have mercy.

Renew in us your spark that we may be visible agents of your Kingdom and active agents of your purpose.

Amen.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5

The Glory of Creation and our Failings

24th January 2026

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 24:1

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 Ephesians 2:8-10 (The Living Bible)

Because of God’s kindness, you have been saved through trusting Christ. And even trusting is not of yourselves; it too is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good we have done, so none of us can take any credit for it. It is God himself who has made us what we are and given us new lives from Christ Jesus; and long ages ago God prepared that we should spend these lives in helping others.

Glory to God,

Creator of rivers and streams, lakes and mountains.

We praise you for the majesty of the Alps, their glittering snowy peaks

and the frozen waters stored in their glaciers.

Glory to God,

Creator of forests and plains:

We thank you for the vast lands where we can grow crops, for hillsides where we grow vines, and for meadows where sheep and cattle may graze.

Glory to God

Creator of rocks and minerals:

We thank you for the wealth of raw materials with which we can make so much;

we thank you for fast flowing waters that provide us with energy.

Glory to God,

Creator of curiosity and ingenuity:

We thank you for the wisdom we have learnt from the study of your world;

thank you for the skills we have learnt in harnessing the resources you have given us.

Forgive us when we have misused that wisdom;

forgive us when we have used those skills for ill.

Merciful God,

Creator of human kind,

Forgive our greed that has mined land and sea for fossil fuels, jeopardising our future.

Forgive our greed that industrialises farming, destroying soils and draining lakes.

Forgive our greed that turns animals into commodities and disregards their sentient nature.

Forgive our greed for consumer goods that strips the earth’s reserves.

Merciful God,

Creator of our brothers and sisters:

Forgive the casualness with which we let the rich grow richer

and the poor poorer.

Forgive the casualness with which we let the rich break the laws

and yet still penalise the poor.

Forgive the carelessness with which we discard what we buy

ignoring the meagre pay of those who labour.

Guiding God,

Source of all wisdom,

Transform our hearts and minds, turn the direction of our hands and feet

so that with alacrity and commitment we will reform our lives

and live only in harmony with your creation.

Amen.

The Grace

The water of eternal life

17th January 2026

(Part of the underlying stress in Iran is a lack of water. Tehran and other cities are on the verge of ‘Day Zero’ – when there will literally be no water in the pipes. This is a result of climate change, over consumption and a failure to maintain traditional means of collecting and storing water).

Jesus said … “Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14b

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 Ezekiel 47:1-12

Now he brought me back to the entrance to the Temple. I saw water pouring out from under the Temple porch to the east (the Temple faced east). The water poured from the south side of the Temple, south of the altar. He then took me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the gate complex on the east. The water was gushing from under the south front of the Temple. He walked to the east with a measuring tape and measured off fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet, leading me through water waist-deep. He measured off another fifteen hundred feet. By now it was a river over my head, water to swim in, water no one could possibly walk through. He said, “Son of man, have you had a good look?”

Then he took me back to the riverbank. While sitting on the bank, I noticed a lot of trees on both sides of the river. He told me, “This water flows east, descends to the Arabah and then into the sea, the sea of stagnant waters. When it empties into those waters, the sea will become fresh. Wherever the river flows, life will flourish—great schools of fish—because the river is turning the salt sea into fresh water. Where the river flows, life abounds. Fishermen will stand shoulder to shoulder along the shore from En Gedi all the way north to En-eglaim, casting their nets. The sea will teem with fish of all kinds, like the fish of the Great Mediterranean.

“The swamps and marshes won’t become fresh. They’ll stay salty. But the river itself, on both banks, will grow fruit trees of all kinds. Their leaves won’t wither, the fruit won’t fail. Every month they’ll bear fresh fruit because the river from the Sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”

In the beginning

it was a mere drop of water,

a slight dampness on the ground:

It will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

The wetness gathers,

soaks into the ground,

bubbles up and becomes a spring:

It will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Overflowing,

the spring gives birth to a stream,

slipping and sliding and a journey begins:

It will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Meeting with others,

joining forces, growing in magnitude,

the stream becomes a river:

It will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

From youth to maturity

the river grows in girth and presence,

bearing an ever growing load:

It will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Spilling over, spreading out,

the river branches out into a delta

disbursing its fertility across the land:

It will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Returning, homing in on the tideline,

the river pours out unhesitatingly

into the greater depth of the sea:

It will become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

From cradle to grave, may our lives be channeled by God’s wisdom.

From beginning to end, may our lives serve God’s kingdom.

From source to sea, may our lives overflow with God’s love.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Psalm 19 – where we fall short

19th January 2026

And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 61:1b

Lord you created the world in love:

Glory to you.

Lord you sustain the world through love:

Glory to you.

Lord you invite us to share that love:

Glory to you .

A reading from Psalm 19:1-5

The heavens are telling the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Day to day pours forth speech,
and night to night declares knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;
their voice is not heard;

yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.

In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun,

which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy,
and like a strong man runs its course with joy.

Response

Is it in the coal pits and oil fields

that we see God’s glory?

Or is it in the wind, the sun and the sea?

Is it in the soya plantation and the chicken factory

that we see God’s glory?

Or is it in in the vegetable plot and the meadow?

Is it in the fumes of the combustion engine

or in the exhaust from the coal-fired power station

that we see God’s glory?

Or is it in the uphill slog and the down hill rush of the cycle wheel?

Is it in the land cleared of people to make way for luxury flats and runways

that we see God’s glory?

Or is it in the primeval forest and the indigenous village.

Is it in the spoil heap and stagnant stream

that we see God’s glory?

Or is it in the free running caribou and the eager beaver?

Is it in the slave to the workplace and the gig economy conscript

that we see God’s glory?

Or is it in the community of friends and neighbours?

Heavenly God,

Help us strip away the blinkers and disguises

that prevent us and others from seeing your glory.

Help us clear away the rules and expectations

that separate us from your glory.

Help us break down the indebtedness and inequalities

that so weigh us down that we cannot look up.

In simplicity let us know you.

In freedom let us follow you.

In joy let us celebrate your glory.

Amen.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Prayers for the New Year

3rd January 2026

“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:22

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 – Ecclesiastes 3:1-4,8

For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

Creator God,

As one year follows another,

open our hearts and minds

to hear your word and know your will.

There is a time wait and a time to act:

Give us patience when we must wait

and courage when we must act.

There is a time to buy and a time to make do:

Help us buy wisely thinking of the welfare of others,

and not be snared by the wiles of advertising.

There is a time to mend and a time to recycle:

Enable our hands to mend with dexterity

and to recycle with equal care.

There is a time to invest and a time to divest:

May our money support renewable resourcing,

and not damage the environment.

There is a time to grow and time to leave fallow:

May our use of the land follow the seasons,

enabling regeneration and new growth.

There is a time renew and a time to replace:

Give us the humility to dismantle systems that are harmful,

and the wisdom to create anew those that are beneficial.

There is a time to restore and a time to rewild:

Help us to be generous in sharing both land and water,

making space for the natural world with whom we are as one.

There is a time for fighting and a time for making peace:

Strengthen us to be fight for justice

and equip us to be peace makers.

Creator God,

As one year follows another,

open our hearts and minds

to hear your word and know your will.

Amen.

And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. Genesis 1:14-15

Prayers for New Year’s Eve

31st December 2025

The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory. Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart. Psalm 97:6,11

Let’s seek God with all our heart
Amen. Christ be our still-point.
Let’s seek God with all our soul
Amen. Christ be our vision.
Let’s seek God with all our mind
Amen. Christ be our wisdom.
Let’s seek God with all our strength
Amen. Christ be our souls’ companion.

(Adapted from Our Common Prayer)

A reading from Daniel 7:9-10

While I was looking, thrones were put in place. One who had been living forever sat down on one of the thrones. His clothes were white as snow, and his hair was like pure wool. His throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire, and a stream of fire was pouring out from it. There were many thousands of people there to serve him, and millions of people stood before him. The court began its session, and the books were opened.

Year’s End

As the old year turns to the new,

as days past give way to days to come

there is time for remembering and for hoping,

for forgiving and for planning.

It is a time of reckoning,

a time to open the books

and review the record.

Has the year past profited the poor?

Have the rich relinquished their wealth?

Have the young been uplifted

– and the old respected?

Have strangers been welcomes

– and outsiders embraced?

Have resources been equitably garnered

– and shared?

Have soils been replenished

– and water supplies restored?

Has the number of endangered species reduced

– and the number of wild habitats increased?

How will future generations judge us?

How will the earth reward us

or punish us?

Is there time for amendment?

Is there yet time

to rebalance the accounts?

God of all time and space, God of eternity and mercy,

draw a line under what has happened –

and yet show us, again, how to start over,

to make good what we have destroyed,

to replenish the world with love,

to live wisely, in harmony, in unity

with one another and with you.

Pause to reflect

As one year ends, let us give thanks for all that has been good:

For the establishing of a Just Transition Work Programme at COP30,

For the coming together of the National Emergency Briefing,

For the activists who have made the well-being of the planet a world priority;

For conservation and re-wilding projects that restore life to the earth;

For the individuals who have switched to more sustainable lifestyles;

For businesses who have focus on ethics above profits;

For churches and faith communities who celebrated creation-tide.

As a new year begins, we pray for renewed commitment by

Leaders and peoples,

Activists and individuals

Conservationists and farmers

Businesses and investors

Churches and faith communities.

As we make new year resolutions,

we ask for vision and strength that we may determined

to live and work together,

to cherish the earth,

to protect its flora and fauna,

and ensure an equal sharing of opportunities and resources.

The Grace

The Word – God in creation

23rd December 2025

Let’s seek God with all our heart
Amen. Christ be our still-point.
Let’s seek God with all our soul
Amen. Christ be our vision.
Let’s seek God with all our mind
Amen. Christ be our wisdom.
Let’s seek God with all our strength
Amen. Christ be our souls’ companion.

Adapted from Our Common Prayer

A reading John 1:1-5, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Response:

God is nowhere

if not in creation.

God’s breath over the void

drew forth light and dark, land and sea.

God’s will caused water to flow

and plants to sprout.

God’s breath inspired life a human form

and God’s imagining inspired creatures,

companions all in an ecological union.

God’s vision of a perfect world

displayed in a garden.

God is nowhere

if not with creation.

But human tenacity is short lived,

promises forgotten and undertakings overlooked.

Never quite getting a grip

on the need for teamwork,

side-lining others in the interests of self.

Wilfully ignorant

of the inter connected relationships

of plant and animal life,

failing to see the human role is in –

not over- creation.

God is nowhere

if not in human form –

conceived in flesh and blood,

born in time and space,

occupying our human limitations,

sharing our divine inspiration.

True to his calling,

working in union,

disciplined to God’s will,

humbling self to love the other,

following God’s vision of a world

displayed in perfect humanity.

Let us pray:

Rejoicing in the miracle of God’s Word present in creation from the beginning,

may we honour all that has life,

cherishing trees and plants, birds and animals, insect life and sea life so that their life is not extinguished by our thoughtless actions.

Rejoicing in the miracle of the Word that brings light to the world,

may we learn from the light.

Help us overcome our pride, to acknowledge our ignorance, and to live in harmony with all creation.

Rejoicing in the miracle of God born in human flesh, may we be inspired to follow Christ’s example,

humbling ourselves to better love one another,

humbling ourselves to better love the world around us,

humbling ourselves to know our place in and not above creation.

Amen

Advent – in the bleak mid winter

20th December 2025

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Christina Rossetti

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 Isaiah 55:10-11

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Response

Winter, the fallow season,

prepares the land for spring.

The small seed lies dormant

lest the cold freeze its vulnerable growth.

But in due time what is small will swell,

what is vulnerable will gain strength,

and what is hidden will bloom forth.

Winter, the fallow season

is when we prepare for spring.

Waiting,

but gaining strength,

patiently building networks of support.

Confident that the Word in us

will accomplish God’s desire.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for those who feel they have no hope,

for those who anticipate a Christmas without joy.

We give thanks for all who ease their pain and desolation.

We give thanks for those who offer time and money with generosity.

Open our hearts that we too may be givers.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for birds and animals seeking food and warmth,

for wildlife threatened by human greed and ignorance.

We give thanks for all who stand up for the rights of creation.

We give thanks for all who offer time and money with generosity.

Open our hearts that we too may be givers.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for all affected by systems that fail to deliver,

systems corrupted by prejudice, selfishness and complacency.

We give thanks for all who stand up for the rights of others,

who challenge the status quo and seek a better world.

Open our hearts that we too may act for change.

Lord God, unfreeze frozen hearts,

bring new life to hearts of stone,

and work in us and all your creation

the transformative power of you Word.

May your will be done!

Amen.