Prayers – Page 2 – The Green Tau

Advent – for those who work and give

13th December 2025

Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting.

He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying his bag of seed,

Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm 126:5-6

In Scandinavia a sheaf of wheat or other grains is saved and put out at Christmas for the birds. If lots of birds come, it is said to presage a good harvest. Maybe it is a reminder that generosity is frequently reciprocal.

A reading from Deuteronomy 24:10-21

When you reap your harvest in your field and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow. “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow.

As we prepare for Christmas amidst a rush to buy all that we want and more, let us pray for those from whose labour we gain:

We pray for shop staff and shelf stackers, warehouse workers and delivery drivers:

May their work be rewarding and well rewarded.

We pray for factory hands and machinists, for assemblers and packers:

May their labour be rewarded, their safety ensured.

We pray for farmers and growers, labourers and pickers:

May the fruits of their work be savoured and not be wasted.

We pray for the soil and the water table:

May what is extracted be replenished, may their good health be sustained.

We pray for agricultural live stock – birds, animals and fish:

May they be raised with love and respect and, at their life’s end, with dignity and care.

May we as consumers, always show out thanks and respect for the work of others.

May we be measured in what we buy,

may we be conscientious in caring for what we have,

and may we be generous in passing forward all that we can share.

Amen.

Go forth into the world in peace.

Be of good courage.

Hold fast that which is good.

Render to no one evil for evil.

Strengthen the fainthearted.

Support the weak.

Help the afflicted.

Show love to everyone.

Love and serve the Lord,

rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit;

and may the blessing of almighty God,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be with us all.

Amen.

From the Book of Common Prayer

Remembrance for Lost Species

This Sunday, 30th November, is Remembrance Day for Lost Species. For some species in the UK it is now too late, but for others there is perhaps still time to safeguard their existence for future generations – provided we take action now.

The Greater mouse-eared bat; the Kentish plover; the large chequered skipper; the short-haired bumblebee; the blue bugle – these have all in recent years become extinct or near extinct in the UK

Amongst the woods and forests,

between oaks and cedars,

God’s name is holy.

In the seas and oceans,

with whales and sea urchins,

God’s name is holy.

Across the moors and meadows,

with curlews and plovers,

God’s name is holy.

By riverbanks and streams,

following eels and kingfishers,

God’s name is holy .

High up on mountain peaks and glaciers,

sheltering in cwms and gullies,

God’s name is holy .

Gathered in barns and hives,

buzzing with bees and bats,

God’s name is holy .

Hidden under stones and snuck into crevices,

lying low with lizards and spiders,

God’s name is holy .

In all corners of the world

and where ever life exists,

God’s name is holy!

Creator God, we come from, and we dwell in, your beautiful, magnificent world. We share it with the myriad of creatures and plants that praise you by being what you created them to be. By our lack of care, our lack of love, we are wiping out pieces of your handiwork, silencing their praise.

We are sorry.

Forgive us.

Give us now what we need to safeguard the beauty and diversity of your world. Let us not be thwarted by the immensity of the challenge, for your power working within us can do more than we can imagine. May the love, unearthed by the sadness we feel for that which is lost, burn in our hearts, and ignite in us the courage to stand up against all that threatens what remains.

Through Jesus Christ, in whom and for whom all things were created.

Amen.

This prayer comes from the Green Christian website – where you can also find other resources and a link to their workshop ‘Remembering Lost Species’ on 7th December.

Remembrance Day for Lost Species

Now is the sky blue!

Now is it framed

by a fretwork of branches

where leaves still linger –

some as big as dinner plates

some as small as butterflies.

Jackdaws riddle the earth

harvesting riches that lay below.

And squirrels skip and skitter

their autumn dance.

All is now, and now, and now!

But tomorrow, next week, next year?

Merciful God will they still be there?

Will our apathy,

our slowness to act,

our aversion to change

allowed all this

to be threatened,

diminished, and

evicted from life?

Have mercy.

But not just mercy –

rather prod us, prompt us,

push us into action.

Renew our hearts and minds,

reverse our expectations

so that we change the future

and once more

be restorers of creation.

Grief and sorrow over our failure to care for creation

22nd November 2025

My eyes grow dim with weeping. Each day I beg your help; O Lord, I reach my pleading hands to you for mercy. Soon it will be too late! Psalm 89:9, 10a

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 Luke 18: 9-14 (The Message) Jesus told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’ “Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’” Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

Response

Suffering God,

Full of grief, I pour out my sorrows;

Full of mourning, I bewail our loss:

Bluebells that cannot keep pace with climate change,

Ash, elm and chestnut trees felled by disease,

Frogspawn that succumbs to unseasonal cold,

Butterflies caught out by unseasonal rain.

Suffering God,

Full of grief, I pour out my sorrows;

Full of mourning, I bewail our loss:

Wetlands that are no longer wet,

Curlews that have nowhere to feed,

Streams overwhelmed by fertilisers,

Rivers polluted by sewage.

Suffering God,

Full of grief, I pour out my sorrows;

Full of mourning, I bewail our loss:

Glaciers receding up mountains,

Alpine plants pushed over the edge,

Mountain hares with nowhere to go,

Moorlands and tundra burnt to a cinder.

Suffering God,

Full of grief, I pour out my sorrows;

Full of mourning, I bewail our loss:

Oceans with no whales,

Savannahs with no elephants

Coral reefs with no coral,

Icecaps with no ice.

Merciful God,

Forgive us our greed and our complacency,

Our folly and selfishness.

Forgive us when we have failed to see our errors,

and have chosen to overlook our faults.

Forgive us when we have not listened to the facts,

preferring to believe our own stories.

Forgive us when we have ignored the plight of others,

caring only for number one.

Restore in us a right mind and a right spirit.

Strengthen our hands and our hearts to care for your world.

Embolden our will to love our neighbours as ourselves.

Free up our grasp on wealth and resources

that all may benefit from your bounty.

Release us from our pride and self assurance

that we can truly worship you,

our creator, redeemer and sustainer.

Amen.

The Grace

The water of eternal life

15th November 2025

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.”

A response:-

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

Life giving Spirit

8th November 2025

The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Job 33:4

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 Genesis 2: 7,15 (based on The Message)

God formed Human out of dirt from the ground and blew into their nostrils the breath of life. Human came alive—a living soul! God took Human and set them down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.

A reading from John 20:21-23 (The Message)

The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were awestruck. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”

Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”

A response:

Air,

flutters in my nostrils,

brushes my lips,

on the tip of my tongue,

filling my mouth

flows into my lungs –

oxygen interchange

recharges my blood.

Life!

Spirit,

flutters in my nostrils,

brushes my lips,

on the tip of my tongue,

filling my mouth

flows into my lungs –

oxygen interchange

recharges my soul.

Life!

Prayers:

Thank you for the ever renewed gift of life.

Thank you for biology and chemistry

and physicality.

Thank you for heart and soul

and imagination.

Thank you for love and faith

and compassion.

Living God,

We lay before you our own sins and short comings,

our guilt and our stupidity.

Forgive us and relieve us of our shame.

Help us to make recompense

for the damage we have caused,

to rebuild our lives and those we have afflicted.

Living God,

We lay before you our failure

to tend and care for the earth,

our failure tend your plants

and care for your creatures.

Grant us time for amendment,

to renew and re-wild

to reclaim and regenerate your beautiful earth.

Living God,

We lay before you the sins of our communities

and those sins which afflict our lives.

Bestow again your forgiveness and mercy

and enable us to be forgiving too.

Help us to rebuild our communities,

to bind the wounds and heal the scars,

and to renew the bonds of kinship.

Amen.

The Grace.

God’s love encompasses all

1st November 2025

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14

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 Genesis 1:1-2, 9-10, 20, 31

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Response
As the oceans encompass the earth,

so the Lord’s love encompasses creation.

As the seas fill the depths,

so the Lord’s love fills the hearts of all.

As the waves constantly wash upon the shore,

so the Lord’s love constantly washes upon our souls.

As the oceans are home to many creatures,

so the Lord creates a home for every living thing.

As the seas produces a rich harvest,

so the Lord provides food so that all may eat.

As the waves embody the energy of the sun and wind,

so the Lord energises the world.

More than the sounds of many waters,

than the mighty breakers of the sea,

the Lord on high is mighty. Psalm 93:4

In times of fear

25th October 2025

The earth is the Lord’s and all that fills it, the compass of the world and all who dwell therein. Ps 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 from Mark 4: 35-40

On that day, when evening had come, Jesus said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’

A response

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you:

When the waters catch us by surprise,

when the rain is heavy and the floods rise up,

Give us courage not to panic,

Give us compassions to help others,

Prompt us to change how we live

And grant us wisdom to avoid further crises.

When you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you:

When we are caught out by wld fires,

when we are overwhelmed by heatwaves,

Give us courage not to panic,

Give us compassions to help others,

Prompt us to change how we live

And grant us wisdom to avoid further crises.

When you hear of wars far away,

when you hear the sound of explosions close at hand,

know that God’s will is for peace:

Give us courage not to panic,

Give us compassions to help others,

Urge us to seek peace and justice

And grant us wisdom to avoid further crises.

As we look for your coming among us this day,

open our eyes to behold your presence

and strengthen our hands to do your will.

Ever remind us that the earth is yours and all that fills it.

Amen.

Lamenting our shortcomings

18th October 2025

The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

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: Psalm 10:1-6, 12

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, ‘God will not seek it out’;
all their thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’

Their ways prosper at all times;
   your judgements are on high, out of their sight;
   as for their foes, they scoff at them.
They think in their heart, ‘We shall not be moved;
   throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.’

Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed.

Response based on Daniel 9:4-10

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have sinned and done wrong:

our greed has made paupers of those we should love,

our desire for more has taken away even the little they had,

we have despised and oppressed our brothers and sisters.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have acted wickedly and rebelled:

we have carved out our paths

and ignore the ways of your creation

leaving behind us a trail of devastation.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have turned aside from your commandments:

we over-grazed the land, over fished the seas,

we have decimated the forests and polluted the waterways,

we have taken more than we can restore.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have not listened to your prophets, who speak in your name:

we have ignored the wail of the sea birds,

the gasps of the rhino

and the disappearing drone of the insects.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

shame falls on us:

we let islands drown and ice sheets melt,

we let the tundra burn and rivers dry up,

we let cities flood and fields whither.

Lord our God,

to you belong mercy and forgiveness,

reform and redeem us,

renew a right spirit within us,

that all your creation may be treated

with love and care.

Amen.

The Grace.

With wisdom tend the earth

11th October 2025

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matthew 6: 28b,29

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 Proverbs 3:13-15

Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,

for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.

She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.

Response:

If with wisdom we tend the earth,

if with an understanding of creation

we shape our daily lives,

then daisies will be our silver.

If with wisdom we tend the earth,

if with an understanding of creation

we choose to measure wealth,

then buttercups will be our gold.

If with wisdom we tend the earth,

if with an understanding of creation

we value streams and rivers,

then raindrops will be our diamonds.

If with wisdom we tend the earth,

if with an understanding of creation,

we protect trees and forests

then leaves will be our emeralds.

If with wisdom we tend the earth,

if with an understanding of creation

we cherish insects and pollinators,

then roses will be our rubies.

If with wisdom we tend the earth,

if with an understanding of creation,

we love our fellow creatures,

then fullness of life will be our everlasting treasure.

(With thanks to Jan Struther’s for the hymn ‘Daises are our sliver’.)

Ever patient God,

forgive us when we focus on the the work of our hands

and disregard yours.

Forgive us when we think we know all the answers

and yet ignore yours.

Forgive us when we value human approbation

more highly than yours.

Forgive us when we hoard monetary wealth

and neglect the wealth that comes from serving you.

Forgive us when our desire for more takes away

what we might rightly have shared with the rest of your creation.

In your loving mercy,

hear us and pardon us.

Amen.

Creator God, source of wisdom and understanding

inspire us to discover the true treasures of life on earth.

Open our eyes to see the full glory of what you have created.

Guide us not to be selfish,

neither keeping that wealth for ourselves

nor squandering it.

Remind us to be grateful, giving thanks and praise

for the treasure trove you have provided.

Grow in us a caring and responsive attitude

for the well being of creation –

its different plants and creatures,

birds and insects,

our brothers and sisters.

Amen.

For peace makers

4th October 2025 – feast of St Francis

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9

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 Exodus 26: 19- 22, 26-31

Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarrelled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek (quarrel) because they quarrelled with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarrelled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah (enmity). And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth (spaciousness), because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’ ”

So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

Response:

To be a peacemaker is to strive, and strive and strive again.