Prayers – Page 3 – The Green Tau

Holy is God’s name

27th September 2025

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of her hands. Psalm 19:1

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 Genesis: 1:29-31

: God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Prayers of praise –

Holy is your name and

Holy is the sky above,

shades of blue –

azure, periwinkle, powder –

with clouds billowing and piled high,

little puffs and wispy streaks;

glowing white or deepest dark greys,

fair weather or storm bearers:

Holy is the sky!

Holy is your name and

Holy is the earth below,

shades of brown –

umber, ochre, taupe –

stones and grit, dust and hummus,

teeming with life –

worms and beetles,

microfauna and fungi:

Holy is the earth!

Holy is your name and

Holy are the waters far and wide,

more shades of blue –

aquamarine, cobalt, sea green –

sparkling spring and dancing stream,

majestic river and languid lake,

and voluminous ocean –

each overflowing with the gift of life:

Holy are the waters!

Holy is your name and

Holy are the weeds that toil and spin,

shades of green –

lime, moss, emerald –

rooted in the earth, clinging onto rocks,

colonising the desert, reaching for the sky,

brimming with fruits in season,

breathing life into the air

Holy are the weeds!

Amen.

Prayers of sorrow-

Heavenly Parent,

We have erred against you and your world.

We have polluted the air and the water,

the seas and the soil.

We ask for forgiveness and healing.

We have squandered the earth’s resources,

and consumed more than our fair share.

We ask for forgiveness and healing.

We have decimated plants and animals,

we have destroyed habitats and poisoned food chains.

We ask for forgiveness and healing.

We have abused our kin and ignored their humanity,

grinding them down into lives of misery.

We ask for forgiveness and healing.

From a place of sorrow, revive us.

From a place of penitence, quicken us.

From a place of humility, rebuild us.

Amen.

The Grace

Prayers for peace

20th September 2025 – tomorrow is the UN day for world peace

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You bless us with a world that is good

and look to us to be peace makers and peace keepers:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters:

May we live together in peace.

Reading Micah 4: 2- 5

  And many nations shall come and say:
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
    to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
    and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
    and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

He shall judge between many peoples,
    and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
    and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
    neither shall they learn war any more;

but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

For all the peoples walk,
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
for ever and ever.

We cannot read these words today and not weep with distress and anger at what we have seen and heard these last two years in Gaza and Israel.

Lord of mercy and healing,

be a source of comfort to all who are suffering,

all who are in pain, all who terrified and fearful,

all who feel lost and without hope.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

How can humans allow relationships to sink to this level of violence, hate and revenge?

Open our hearts and minds to perceive all that eats away at peace.

Pause our snap judgments that cannot see the bigger picture.

Remove our blinkers of prejudice and hate.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

How can humans created in the image of God, cause such pain and suffering on those equally created in the image of God?

Open our hearts and minds to empathise with those who suffer

Pause our urge to look away and forget

Remove our hardness of heart.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

How can communities and tribes believe that they can create a better future through warfare and violence?

Open our hearts and minds – and our purses – to rebuild peace:

To build a world where all have food and homes,

Where all can work and all can rest,

Where all are loved and all are valued.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

Devastated by our ignorance and impotence, we realise that we are not the wise and clever people we though we were.

Transform our urge to disparage and find fault,

Transform our urge to put focus on our own interests,

Transform our lack of will.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

Peace is not just the absence the war.

Peace provides clean water and sanitation.

Peace provides an ample sufficiency of healthy food.

Peace provides a loving home.

Peace provides protection from the elements.

Peace provides security from danger and freedom from fear.

Peace provides energy and resources to sustain daily occupations.

Peace provides health care.

Peace provides education.

Peace provides the freedom to worship.

Peace provides the means to listen to others and to tell your own story.

Peace encourages respect.

Peace provides the means to discuss and plan shared futures.

Peace enables fresh food to be grown and harvested.

Peace shares resources equitably.

Peace provides space to rest and time to enjoy friendship.

Peace it is a way of living that provides for the wellbeing of everyone.

Amen.

I am the Good Shepherd

13th September 2025

‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD. Ezekiel 34:31

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 John 10:11-15

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.”

A response:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

In your gift is daily bread, sustenance for each day

From you comes wisdom and understanding –

the gift of peace.

The Lord desires green pasture and clear waters,

wooded hills that clap their hands,

streams that overflow with joy –

a world where all may rest in peace.

The Lord restores my soul,

forgives my sins and heals my pain.
He renews my confidence so I too

may renew broken relationships.

The Lord leads me in right paths.

He goes before us, leading by example

and marking the way –

on earth as in heaven.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,

even though the news is of floods and drought,

fires and tempest, I am comforted

for the Lord is my steadfast companion.

I hear of evil – of warfare and greed,

of persecution and oppression;

of self-interest and self-delusion

– yet I fear not evil, for the Lord is our righteousness.

You prepare a table before me

where bread and wine will satisfy my wants.

In the face of adversity,

You anoint me with the Holy Spirit.

The goodness and mercy of the Lord

shall stay with me all the days of my life,
for the Lord is my shepherd

and I shall not want.

Prayer:

Sovereign God, Shepherd of your people:

When we walk along pilgrim ways,

You lead us and we thank you.

When we sing and pray for your guidance,

You are with us and we thank you.

When we stand alongside our brothers and sisters,

You are with us and we thank you.

When we call on those in authority to take action,

You inspire us and we thank you.

As the days unfold, keep within us the hope of change.

Soften the hearts of those in authority

in industry, in government and in the churches,

that all may respond to the cry of the earth

and the cry of the poor.

Amen.

The Grace

Forgive our oily sins

6th September 2025

“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” John 11:25-26

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 Deuteronomy 30: 15-29

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live

A response –

When oil is pumped from the ground

it leaves a sticky trail

that reappears

as polluted soil, polluted water and polluted air.

It never becomes nothing.

Living God,

Forgive our sinful ways and restore life.

When seeds are sown in the ground,

the energy of the sun is absorbed

and reappears as waving heads of corn.

It never becomes nothing.

Living God,

Praise to you for the generosity that gives life.

When oil becomes petrol it powers the car

but then reappears

as an exhaust that pollutes the air and pollutes our lungs.

It never becomes nothing.

Living God,

Forgive our sinful ways and restore life.

When the corn is cut the grain is milled

and the straw reappears as mulch,

and the grain reappears as bread.

It never becomes nothing.

Living God,

Praise to you for the generosity that gives life.

When oil becomes plastic it can become anything –

but then reappears

as pollution in the rivers and pollution in the seas,

it reappears

as micro particles in the air we breath, the water we drink and the food we eat –

it even reappears in our blood!

It never becomes nothing.

Living God,

Forgive our sinful ways and restore life.

When the bread is shared and the people fed,

the energy reappears

as hearts that love,

as hands that heal and as minds that learn,

as feet that walk alongside and as shoulders that share the load.

It never becomes nothing.

Living God,

Praise to you for the generosity that gives life.

The Grace.

In all creation God’s name is holy

31st August 2025

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. Luke 12:27

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 Job 12:7-9

But ask the animals, and they will teach you;
the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

ask the plants of the earth, and they will teach you;
and the fish of the sea will declare to you.

Who among all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?

A response:

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!

Amen.

Living God,

when we neglect to see the beauty around us,

open our eyes.

When we neglect to hear the music around us,

open our ears.

When we neglect to feel your presence,

awaken our senses.

When we neglect to receive your love,

open our hearts.

Living God,

re-inspire us with your Spirit,

so that in us too your name is holy.

Amen.

Prayers for peace

9th August 2025

Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You bless us with a world that is good

and look to us to be peace makers and peace keepers:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters:

May we live together in peace.

Reading Micah 4: 2- 5

but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees,
and no one shall make them afraid;
for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

For all the peoples walk,
each in the name of its god,
but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
for ever and ever.

We cannot read words today and not weep with distress and anger at what we have seen and heard this week in Gaza and Israel.*

Lord of mercy and healing,

be a source of comfort to all who are suffering,

all who are in pain, all who terrified and fearful,

all who feel lost and without hope.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

How can humans allow relationships to sink to this level of violence, hate and revenge?

Open our hearts and minds to perceive all that eats away at peace.

Pause our snap judgments that cannot see the bigger picture.

Remove our blinkers of prejudice and hate.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

How can humans created in the image of God, cause such pain and suffering on those equally created in the image of God?

Open our hearts and minds to empathise with those who suffer

Pause our urge to look away and forget

Remove our hardness of heart.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

How can communities and tribes believe that they can create a better future through warfare and violence?

Open our hearts and minds – and our purses – to rebuild peace:

To build a world where all have food and homes,

Where all can work and all can rest,

Where all are loved and all are valued.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

Devastated by our ignorance and impotence, we realise that we are not the wise and clever people we though we were.

Transform our urge to disparage and find fault,

Transform our urge to put focus on our interests,

Transform our lack of will.

Lord in your loving mercy, restore peace on earth.

Peace is not just the absence the war.

Peace provides clean water and sanitation.

Peace provides an ample sufficiency of healthy food.

Peace provides a loving home.

Peace provides protection from the elements.

Peace provides security from danger and freedom from fear.

Peace provides energy and resources to sustain daily occupations.

Peace provides health care.

Peace provides education.

Peace provides the freedom to worship.

Peace provides the means to listen to others and to tell your own story.

Peace encourages respect.

Peace provides the means to discuss and plan shared futures.

Peace enables fresh food to be grown and harvested.

Peace shares resources equitably.

Peace provides space to rest and time to enjoy friendship.

Peace it is a way of living that provides for the wellbeing of everyone.

Amen.

first written in October 2023

The Lord’s Prayer rephrased

2nd August 2025

Behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst. Luke 17:21b

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 13:18-21

Jesus said therefore, ‘What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.’ And again he said, ‘To what should I compare the kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’

A response:

Heavenly Mother & Father of us all,

Holy is your name.

Holy is your creation,

from the heights above to the deepest depths,

from the farthest horizon to the ground beneath our feet.

May your Kingdom come,

may your reign prevail and never end.

For the rule of God is to act

with loving kindness and justice,

with mercy and humility.

Give us today our daily bread,

feed us with your love,

nourish us in our insecurities –

and give not just to us your people

but to all our kindred in creation.

And in receiving,

may we too become givers,

giving bread,

giving love,

giving respect.

Forgive us our sins,

forgive us where we have fallen short

and heal us,

that we too may forgive

and heal the wounds we have caused.

Enable us to look upon each other with love,

knowing each and everyone

to be a child created in your image

Protect us from pride and apathy,

direct us away from greed,

vanity and temptation.

Deliver us from evil,

from the ills we have created.

In your Kingdom we will find glory,

in your reign we will find harmony,

and under your rule we will find peace.

Amen. Amen.

Amen.

“Thy will be done”

26th July 2025

Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their sibling are liars; for those who do not love a sibling whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 1 John 4:20

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

May your name be hallowed.

You call us to love every neighbour as ourself:

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 25: 35-40

for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,[a] you did it to me.”

Love the Lord your God with heart and soul and mind and strength.

The migrant is a figure of hate,

the asylum seeker despised;

the Jew is stereotyped,

the Muslim is vilified.

“Thy will be done”?

Have mercy on us good Lord,

that we learn to do your will.

Love your neighbour as yourself.

The homeless lie destitute on the pavement,

the lonely sit isolated in their homes,

the poor queue in food banks,

the rich are spoilt for choice.

“Thy will be done”?

Have mercy on us good Lord,

that we learn to do your will.

Do not opposes the orphan, the widowed, nor the foreigner.

The children are reduced to bones by malnutrition,

the widowed go hungry;

the stateless have no rights

and the alien is deported.

“Thy will be done”?

Have mercy on us good Lord,

that we learn to do your will.

Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty.

Food aid sits in compounds as Palestinians die on their feet;

whilst those collecting water become targets for snipers.

In the West, food banks and food waste co-exist,

whilst health service tackle obesity and malnutrition.

“Thy will be done”?

Have mercy on us good Lord,

that we learn to do your will.

Seek justice, love mercy.

Warfare grinds on in Ukraine and the Congo,

in Myanmar and Thailand, in Gaza and Yemen.

Justice falters where drug wars and gang violence,

land grabs and forced migration take precedence.

The rich and powerful have no mercy.

“Thy will be done”?

Have mercy on us good Lord,

that we learn to do your will.

Speak out for the voiceless and rescue the oppressed.

Refugees languish unreported in North Sudan and Yemen;

Afghan women wait at borders with no hope of rescue,

and trafficked workers remain hidden out of sight.

“Thy will be done”?

Have mercy on us good Lord,

that we learn to do your will.

Release the prisoner, heal the sick.

Activists are imprisoned,

political opponents jailed,

the disabled are trapped by lack of support,

the mentally ill are left in limbo for lack of care.

“Thy will be done”?

Have mercy on us good Lord,

that we learn to do your will.

Tend and protect the Earth; declare the year of the Lord’s favour.

Soils are degraded through overuse,

waters are polluted with sewage and chemical spills;

temperatures rise and glaciers melt;

industrial farming displaces forests;

wildlife diminishes.

“Thy will be done”?

Have mercy on us good Lord,

that we learn to do your will.

Lord whenever we pray as Jesus taught us,

inspire us with the vision of how things could be on Earth just as jn Heaven.

Challenge us to live according to your will.

Embolden us with strength to make the changes that are needed.

Empower us with wisdom to speak the truth to power where your will is ignored.

And enfold us in your loving compassion.

Amen.

remind us that how things are is not ‘Thy will’ help us understand that we are called to

Magnificat reimagined

19th July 2025

Trust in the Lord and be doing good; dwell in the land and be nourished with truth.
Let your delight be in the Lord and he will give you your heart’s desire.
Psalm 37:3-4

You Lord are the bread of life;

feed us with your wisdom.

Our nourishment is to do God’s will;

guide us in all we do

Whenever we eat or drink

Let it be to the glory of the kingdom of God.

A reading from Matthew 25: 34-36 (The Message)

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’”

A canticle reimagining the Magnificat:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

Praise to you O God, for the rich creation of this world

for which you have created humans to be under-gardeners.

From this day all generations will call me blessed;
the Almighty has done great things for me
and holy is his name.

You have blessed Earth with fruit bearing trees and plants,

ensuring food throughout the seasons.

God has mercy on those who fear him,
from generation to generation.

Your wisdom guides those who, in each generation,

have the honesty and humility to seek it.

God has shown strength with her arm
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

May each generation see the damage

they cause when they disdain your will.

Casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.

Raise the spirits of those who work at the grassroots,

give them strength to overcome the deceits of big business.

God has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.

Bless the work of food banks and charities that feed the hunger,

and teach those with wealth to be sacrificial in their giving.

God came to the aid of his servant Jacob
to remember his promise of mercy,

Help nations and communities to work together

for justice and for peace.

God’s promise is made to our ancestors,
from Abraham and his children and for all generations to come.

May every generation to come, reap the harvest,

not of our greed, but of God’s grace .

Amen.

Trust in the Lord and be doing good; dwell in the land and be nourished with truth.
Let your delight be in the Lord and he will give you your heart’s desire.
Psalm 37:3-4

Protest! Speak truth to power! Thanks be to God!

12th July 2025

Let there be no hate in your heart for your neighbour; but make protest to your neighbours, so that they may be stopped from doing evil. Leviticus 19:17

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to love every neighbour as ourself:

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 3: 7 – 14, 18 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptised by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.’

And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply he said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’ Even tax-collectors came to be baptised, and they asked him, ‘Teacher, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.’ Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what should we do?’ He said to them, ‘Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.’

So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

A response that we too may proclaim the good news, speaking truth to power:

Heavenly God, mother and father of all,

Hear our prayers of grief and puzzlement

as we see a world filled with hate and suffering,

a world where speaking truth is condemned,

a world where money and profit hold sway.

In your mercy hear our prayer

and let those in positions of power hear our cry

Heavenly God, mother and father of all,

Soften the hearts of those who inflict evil on their neighbours,

those who withhold food from the hungry,

who withhold water from the thirsty,

who withhold shelter from the homeless,

who withhold medical aid from the injured.

In your mercy hear our prayer

and let those in positions of power hear our cry

Heavenly God, mother and father of all,

Soften the hearts of those who support wrong doing,

those who license armaments that kill and maim,

those who finance military operations that target civilians,

those who facilitate operations that terrorise and displace local populations.

In your mercy hear our prayer

and let those in positions of power hear our cry

Heavenly God, mother and father of us all,

Break down the walls that divide

the world of commerce from the world of life,

that separate the pursuit of profit from the pursuit of wellbeing,

that separate the experiences of those who have from those who do not,

that separate expediency from moral imperatives.

In your mercy hear our prayer

and let those in positions of power hear our cry

Heavenly God, mother and father of all,

Enflame the hearts of those who turn away,

who choose not to see the horror,

who ignore the suffering of their fellow human and creaturely beings,

who disregard the cries for help.

In your mercy hear our prayer

and let those in positions of comfort to hear our cry

Heavenly God, mother and father of all,

Empower our hearts and minds

so that we may always pronounce the good news,

that we may always speak truth to power,

that we may always protest for the rights of the poor and forgotten,

that we may always act out of love and compassion.

Amen.