Prayers – Page 4 – The Green Tau

Tune our senses to God’s wisdom

7th June 2025

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: ‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Job 38:1-2

The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. John 3:8

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Ephesians 5:17

Listen; attune your ears – what do you hear?

The excited chatter of children,

and the chatter of jackdaws,

wind rustling the leaves,

and feet tapping the road.

Or the drone of cars – too much!

Or the whine of planes – too many!

Look; focus your vision – what do you see?

a lacework of branches against the sky,

and curvaceous clouds,

the green patina of leaves,

and the tight curl of a snail shell.

Or traffic crawling bumper to bumper – too much

Or discarded tatters of plastic – too many!

Stretch; bare your skin – what do you feel?

The warm caress of the sun,

the gentle frisson of the breeze,

the prickle of grass,

the textured bark of a tree.

Or the rasp of exhaust in your throat – too much!

Or the scratch of particulates in your eyes – too many!

Sniff; breathe deeply – what do you smell?

The aroma of fresh coffee,

and the zest of orange juice,

the fragrance of the rose,

and the warmth of ground spices.

Or the reek of petrol – too much!

Or the sting of pesticides – too many!

Savour; let it linger on your tongue – what do you taste?

The fresh acidity of an apple,

and the earthy satisfaction of bread,

the squashy sweetness of banana,

and the melting delight of chocolate.

Or the fake sweetness of green wash – too much!

Or the gall of climate injustice- too many !

Merciful God,

bring us to our senses.

Help us rebuild a world

of right experiences.

Amen.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17

Holy God,

in the hour of our stupidity,

guide us with your wisdom.

Help us to understand afresh

the intricacies and interconnectedness

of the world you have given us.

Holy God,

in the hour of our need,

repair the damage we have caused

to your world

so that we might all be saved.

Amen.

Celebrating the gift of smell

31st May 2025

Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. Psalm 45:7b, 8a

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 the Song of Songs 4:13-14

Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with all choicest fruits, henna with nard, nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all chief spices— a garden fountain, a well of living water, and flowing streams from Lebanon.

Praise be to God for the gift of smell:

Summer sweet smells,

the spiced scent of roses,

the honey sweetness of lime blossom,

the calming fragrance of lavender.

The morning’s scents of dew damp grass,

of hay in the noon day’s heat,

the evening’s languid aroma of honeysuckle

draws in the smells of night.

The burnt earth smell of bracken,

the pungent smell of the first rains.

The slip-sliding smell of fresh water,

the salty tang of the sea.

The simple – overlooked? – nose

plays host to an olfactory banquet,

attuning us to the time of day,

the seasons and the weather.

Picking up signals

that suggest delight or warn of danger,

that pique our appetite,

and speak of attraction, reward and love.

Praise be to God for the gift of smell.

Ever present God,

bless our mindfulness,

our ability to sense your presence,

to find you in the smells of the everyday,

to relish the delights than come less often.

Ever present God,

be with those surrounded by the smell of war and fear,

of destruction and decay.

Breathe compassion

into the hearts of those who wage war,

and those who make peace.

Ever present God, be with those

surrounded with pollution and those who breath acrid air.

Bless the work of all who create green spaces,

whose living organisms purify the air.

Lend strength to those who protect the environment

and those who seek a cleaner way of life.

Ever present God, be with those

in need of healing in body, mind and spirit.

May they breathe out all that causes harm

and breathe in all that is wholesome.

Inspire and renew us one and all

with the sweet fragrance of your Spirit.

Amen.

Weave a web of care

24th May 2025

“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years. We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us. The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty. We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it.” Pope Francis, Laudate Si

When I am tempted to meanness,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

When I fail to care for your creation,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

When I am too busy to stand and stare,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

Rhythms of Remembering, Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild, with permission

Pause for reflection.

A reading Job 12:7-11

“But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;
    let the birds tell you what’s going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.
    Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.
Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree
    that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—
Every living soul, yes,
    every breathing creature?
Isn’t this all just common sense,
    as common as the sense of taste?

Response:

To know you in all things

Weave a web of your presence around us today.

Be with our hands as they work.

Be with our eyes as they see.

Be with our ears as they hear.

Be with our tongue as it speaks.

Be with our feelings and our thoughts.

Be with the people we meet.

Be with the trees we pass by and the grass we walk upon.

Be with the birds we hear and the creatures we see.

Be with the things we fashion and the things we take.

Be with the decisions we make.

Be in and through, over and under all,

that doing and hearing and seeing, speaking and making and being,

may we glimpse your glory, hear your voice

and joyfully work with you

to create a new heaven and a new earth.

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

be with us all,

amen.

Listening to the sounds of the world

17th May 2025

I will listen to you, LORD God, because you promise peace to those who are faithful and no longer foolish. Psalm 85:8

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.

Reading from 1 Kings 19: 11b – 13a

Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

The day is quiet.

It catches my attention.

No murmur of cars, nor drone of airplanes.

No crash or thump of builders.

Silence –

Silence? Are you sure?

I can hear a bird –

no not one but two, maybe three –

singing.

The buzz of a passing insect.

The wind rustling a leaf.

The slight crunch of my shoes on the ground.

The soprano voice of a child –

Mummy, why do ….?

God, creator and companion,

Stay my attention on the sounds of ‘silence’,

on the sounds of life.

Attune my heart to hear

the unabated sound of creation,

to sift out the raucous noise

of the unimportant sounds.

Open my ears just enough to know your presence.

Ever mindful God, be present

with those surrounded with the noise

of guns and bombs.

Bring compassion

into the hearts of those who wage war.

Remove greed and pride from those

who might then make peace.

Ever mindful God, be present

with those surrounded with the noise

of traffic and engines.

Bless the work of those who create green spaces,

those who bring calm to frenzied lives.

Lend strength to those who protect the environment

and those who seek a quieter way of life.

Ever mindful God, be present

with those who seek to tell the truth –

however inconvenient.

Open hearts and minds to hear your word,

to discern your wisdom.

Give grace to all who question,

to all who seek to understand

and to all who are willing to learn –

for you the way, the truth and the life.

Amen.

Psalm 23 – another retelling

10th May 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. Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass. (Psalm 37:3-5)

You Lord are the bread of life;

feed us with your wisdom.

Our meat is to do the Father’s will.

guide us in all we do.

Whenever we eat or drink

Let it be to the glory of God.

A reading from Micah 4:3-4

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.

A canticle based on Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;

Year by year, the earth produces fresh food,

enough to feed 10 billion people.

He leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.

River waters flow through all the earth’s continents –

volumes of fresh water but unequally apportioned.

He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

Your word shows us where truth lies,

your wisdom guides us.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;

Rather amongst business leaders and politicians,

autocrats and diktats do I tremble.

but you are with me;
your rod and your staff— they comfort me.

As you comfort and protect us, so may we

comfort and protect all who live in fear.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;

May we be peace makers,

generously sharing the abundance we have.

you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

May we bring health and well being

to all our brother and sisters in creation.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,

May we all dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of our lives.

The Grace .

In praise of May

Friday 6th May 2022

From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine. Genesis 27:28

The month of May May owes its name to the Greek goddess of fertility, Maia. For many May is the month dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Queen of May. It is certainly the month when spring growth is at its most abundant.

Glory be to God for the may tree –

the happy hawthorn:

Decked in white blossom,

she serves a feast for insects – alleluia!

Glory be to God for the mayfly –

ephemera vulgate:

Older even than dinosaurs, this insect surrenders its underwater life

for one brief air born day of delight – Alleluia!

Glory be to God for the maybug –

the cockchafer:

Four years toiling as grub underground,

she emerges a chestnut gilded member of the scarab family – alleluia!

Glory be to God for the may flower –

the cuckoo flower, Cardamine pratensis:

Pink flowers veined with purple, a dainty plant

that feeds the caterpillars of orange-tip and the green-veined white butterfly –

Alleluia!

A reading: Genesis 1: 29-31

And look! I have given you the seed-bearing plants throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I’ve given all the grass and plants to the animals and birds for their food.” Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day.

God of all creation,

May we cherish what you have created,

respecting each plant and animal,

bird and insect as both unique and irreplaceable.

May we honour with reverence

what spreads out before our feet,

what flies in the air above,

slides through the water

or creeps in the soil below.

May we temper our lives

to make space for others,

ceding priority to the vulnerable

and encouraging the faint- hearted.

May we listen with our ears,

see with our eyes

and comprehend with wisdom

the harmony of your Kingdom here in earth.

Amen.

The Grace

For all our brothers and sisters – in thanksgiving for the life and teachings of Pope Francis

26th April 2025

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40

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 58:6-11

Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am. If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail.

Prayer of Pope Francis

All-powerful God,

you are present in the whole universe

and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love,

that we may protect life and beauty.

Fill us with peace, that we may live

as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,

help us to rescue the abandoned

and forgotten of this earth,

so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives,

that we may protect the world and not prey on it,

that we may sow beauty,

not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts

of those who look only for gain

at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,

to be filled with awe and contemplation,

to recognise that we are profoundly united

with every creature

as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle

for justice, love and peace.

Amen.

Lament for the sorrows of the world

7th July 2023

As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. Psalm 42:1

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: Exodus 3:1-7

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings…’

Response
Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

We lay before you the sorrows of the world:

Soldiers and civilians killed in war,

police and rioters caught in the crossfire of inequality

refugees risking death to seek a safer life,

lives lost in floods and heatwaves.

Lord have mercy:

and hear our prayer.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

We lay before you the sorrows of the world:

Rivers drained by drought,

glaciers and ice caps carved away by heat,

burning tundra and wild fires,

coral reefs bleached by heat stress.

Lord have mercy:

and hear our prayer.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

We lay before you the sorrows of the world:

Livelihoods gone because of rising fuel prices,

harvests lost as rainfall diminishes,

futures destroyed by armed conflict,

lives lost through lack of medical attention.

Lord have mercy:

and hear our prayer.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

We lay before you the sorrows of the world:

Wildlife made homeless by forest clearance,

migrating birds dying from heat exhaustion,

bees and butterflies poisoned by pesticides,

marine ecosystems decimated by over fishing.

Lord have mercy:

and hear our prayer.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

We lay before you the sorrows of the world:

Political intransigence that leaves people powerless,

broken promises that relegate the needs of biodiversity,

half-baked measures that ignore the vulnerable,

taxes that reward the rich and take from the poor.

Lord have mercy:

and hear our prayer.

Holy and loving God,

comfort us when we are overwhelmed,

reassure us when we feel helpless,

inspire us when we lack hope

and empower us when we can make a difference.

Amen.

The Grace

Prayers with Psalm 104

15th April 2025

The Lord God took and placed the human in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded Adam, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’ Genesis 2: 15-17

A reading: Psalm 104:1-24 from The Message
O my soul, bless God!

God, my God, how great you are!

beautifully, gloriously robed,

Dressed up in sunshine,

and all heaven stretched out for your tent.

You built your palace on the ocean deeps,

made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.

You commandeered winds as messengers,

appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.

You set earth on a firm foundation

so that nothing can shake it, ever.

You blanketed earth with ocean,

covered the mountains with deep waters;

Then you roared and the water ran away—

your thunder crash put it to flight.

Mountains pushed up, valleys spread out

in the places you assigned them.

You set boundaries between earth and sea;

never again will earth be flooded.

You started the springs and rivers,

sent them flowing among the hills.

All the wild animals now drink their fill,

wild donkeys quench their thirst.

Along the riverbanks the birds build nests,

ravens make their voices heard.

You water the mountains from your heavenly cisterns;

earth is supplied with plenty of water.

You make grass grow for the livestock,

hay for the animals that plow the ground.

Oh yes, God brings grain from the land,

wine to make people happy,

Their faces glowing with health,

a people well-fed and hearty.

God’s trees are well-watered—

the Lebanon cedars he planted.

Birds build their nests in those trees;

look—the stork at home in the treetop.

Mountain goats climb about the cliffs;

badgers burrow among the rocks.

The moon keeps track of the seasons,

the sun is in charge of each day.

When it’s dark and night takes over,

all the forest creatures come out.

The young lions roar for their prey,

clamouring to God for their supper.

When the sun comes up, they vanish,

lazily stretched out in their dens.

Meanwhile, men and women go out to work,

busy at their jobs until evening.

What a wildly wonderful world, God!

You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,

made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.

Response:
Lord God, where did we go astray?

How have we managed to destroy so many habitats,

kill off so many species,

poison the air we breathe and the waters we drink?

How is it that we even endanger the lives of our fellow human beings?

Why have we ignored the warning signs that our greed was costing the earth?

Lord God, have mercy on us.

Grant us time to repent and repair.

Open our eyes and ears to receive your wisdom.

Speed our hearts and minds to do your will,

to restore justice and harmony.

Empower our hands and feet to revitalise our care for the earth.

Renew our commitment to care for all you give us.

Amen.

Be with us God, show us the way

29th March 2025

When I am tempted to meanness,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

When I fail to care for your creation,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

When I am too busy to stand and stare,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

From Rhythms of Remembering, Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild, with permission

Pause for reflection

To know you in all things –

Weave a web of your presence around us today.

Be with our hands as they work.

Be with our eyes as they see.

Be with our ears as they hear.

Be with our tongue as it speaks.

Be with our feelings and our thoughts.

Be with the people we meet.

Be with the trees we walk by and the grass we walk upon.

Be with the birds we hear and the creatures we see.

Be with the things we make and the things we take.

Be with the decisions we address.

Be in and through, over and under all,

so that doing and hearing and seeing, speaking and making and being,

we may glimpse your glory, hear your voice

and joyfully work with you

to create a new heaven and a new earth.

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

be with us all.

Amen.