Prayers – Page 9 – The Green Tau

Earth Day – in praise of God

27th April 2024

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 sisters a d brothers with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A Reading Psalm 8 (The Message )

God, brilliant Lord,
yours is a household name.

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
    your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
    Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
    Why take a second look our way?

Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
    bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
    repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us stewards of sheep and cattle,
    even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
    whales singing in the ocean deeps.

God, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world.

Earlier this week – 22nd April – it was Earth Day. This globally recognised event calls on everyone to focus on the needs of the earth. And as Christians we might recall some words of St Paul, ‘As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says,“In the time of my favour I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.’ 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Glory to God,

Let the earth be glad, and the sea resound:

Let all that is in it rejoice.

We praise you!

Glory to God,

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
Let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

We praise you!

The law of the Lord is perfect,
making wise the simple.

Yet we have done our own thing and despoiled the environment.

Lord have mercy.

The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

Yet we have hidden your ways under the cloak of greed,

making life dark for our fellow beings.

Lord have mercy.

Pause for reflection

Now is the time!

Teach us once more to seek your wisdom for the earth.

Now is the time!

Teach us once more how to live in harmony with creation.

Now is the time!

Teach us to be mindful in what we use and generous in what we give.

Merciful God,

forgive us and heals us,

restore our world to its former glory.

Amen.

Good Friday

29th March 2024

“He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly” Luke 1:52

A reading from Mark 8: 3, 34 -36 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

Lord Jesus, you resisted prejudice and discrimination;

you stood up for the poor and the marginalised.

Strengthen our hands and hearts to do likewise.

Lord Jesus, you opposed the abuse and misuse of power,

disrupting trade practices and worship.

Strengthen our hands and hearts to do likewise.

Lord Jesus, you gave us the example of nonviolent opposition,

confronting your opponents with truth and steadfast calm.

Strengthen our hands and hearts to do likewise.

Lord Jesus, you transfigured the character of authority,

giving us the example of service and self sacrifice.

Strengthen our hands and hearts to do likewise.

Lord Jesus, you remodelled kingship,

giving is the example of humility and vulnerability.

Strengthen our hands and hearts to do likewise.

Lord Jesus, you gave us a new covenant,

a new relationship with God and with each other –

based on love and companionship.

Strengthen our hands and hearts to do likewise.

Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12: 31-32

As we look on a world full of woe,

we see the evils that cause famine

and plea for help.

Lord Jesus,

rooted in earth, lift us up to heaven.

As we look on a world full of woe,

we see the evils that cause war and terror

and plea for help.

Lord Jesus,

rooted in earth, lift us up to heaven.

As we look on a world full of woe,

we see the evils that cause injustice and persecution

and plea for help.

Lord Jesus,

rooted in earth, lift us up to heaven.

As we look on a world full of woe,

we see the evils that cause environmental destruction

and plea for help.

Lord Jesus,

rooted in earth, lift us up to heaven.

As we look on a world full of woe,

we see the evils that cause enmity between neighbours

and plea for help.

Lord Jesus,

rooted in earth, lift us up to heaven.

As we look on a world full of woe,

we see the evils that cause apathy and despair

and plea for help.

Lord Jesus,

rooted in earth, lift us up to heaven.

Lord Jesus have mercy on us,

revive in us your Spirit

that we may look towards the day of resurrection

with eager anticipation.

Amen.

Lent – walking dangerous paths

23rd March 2024

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105

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 10:12-13

So now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being.

People who walk as refugees

struggling under burdens too heavy to unpack,

want only a safe future.

Merciful God, show us your pathways of love.

People who walk the lonely streets

wrapped in a dirt-worn sleeping bag,

want only a bed to call home.

Merciful God, show us your pathways of love.

People who walk across parched fields

at a pace which hunger dictates,

want only a square meal each day.

Merciful God, show us your pathways of love.

People who walk gingerly around unexplored ordinances

ducking out of the sniper’s range,

want only a foundation for peace.

Merciful God, show us your pathways of love.

People who walk the chicane

of benefits offices and job centres, of interviews and rejections,

want only life-fulfilling employment.

Merciful God, show us your pathways of love.

People who walk as massed processions

bearing placards that express their hopes and fears,

want only justice and democracy.

Merciful God, show us your pathways of love.

People who walk the corridors of power

enveloped in self importance and blinkered by nepotism,

need – surely? – only to walk the streets of lived experience.

Merciful God, show us your pathways of love.

A further reading from Matthew 21:7-11

They brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

Merciful God, lead us in the right paths.

Amen.

Lent – seeking God’s wisdom

Friday 18th March

“Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money—everything’s free! Isaiah 55:1

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: Isaiah 55: 6-13 (The Message translation)

Seek God while he’s here to be found,
    pray to him while he’s close at hand.
Let the wicked abandon their way of life
    and the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful,
    come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.

“I don’t think the way you think.
    The way you work isn’t the way I work.”
        God’s Decree.
“For as the sky soars high above earth,
    so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
    and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
    and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
    producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
    not come back empty-handed.
They’ll do the work I sent them to do,
    they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

“So you’ll go out in joy,
    you’ll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
    bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
    exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
    no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
    living and lasting evidence of God.”

A response:

God’s vision of the world is one of beauty and harmony –

Yet we do not listen,

We will not hear,

Our eyes are blinkered.

Lord, in your mercy awaken us to your wisdom.

God’s vision of the world is one of generosity and abundance –

Yet we hoard what decays,

We squabble over wealth,

Our hearts are greedy.

Lord, in your mercy awaken us to your wisdom.

God’s vision of the world is one of promise and covenant –

Yet we don’t trust God,

We don’t trust our brethren,

Our ways are deceitful.

Lord, in your mercy awaken us to your wisdom.

God’s vision of the world is one of peace and restoration –

Yet we fight rather than listen,

We provoke revenge not love,

Our judgements are corrupt.

Lord, in your mercy awaken us to your wisdom.

Feed us with love

Cleanse us of hate

Gift us with compassion

Restore our trust in humanity

Renew our understanding of nature

Fill us with joy

Make us again the people of God.

Amen.

Lent – Prayers for creation

9th March 2024

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus Isaiah 35:1

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: Isaiah 42: 5, 10-12

Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise from the end of the earth!
Let the sea roar and all that fills it,
the coastlands and their inhabitants.

Let the desert and its towns lift up their voice,
the villages that Kedar inhabits;
let the inhabitants of Sela sing for joy,
let them shout from the tops of the mountains.

Let them give glory to the Lord,
and declare his praise in the coastlands.

Intercessions

We give thanks for the beauty and diversity of the world you have given us, for its colour and abundance, its richness and vitality.

Generous God, hear our prayer.

With sorrow, we acknowledge our part in damaging what you have created. We acknowledge that our lifestyles have been selfish and careless. We acknowledge that we could and can do more to tend this earth and care for its inhabitants.

Merciful God, hear our prayer.

We pray for these who conserve plant and animal wildlife, birds and insects. We pray for the work of agriculturalist and scientists in developing better, kinder ways of living on this earth. We pray for the resilience of small communities that they may continue to live in harmony with their environment.

Gracious God, hear our prayer.

We pray for government leaders and advisers, farmers and business leaders, that they will hold dear the needs of the environment and seek to avert the risks imposed by the climate crisis.

Enabling God, hear our prayer.

With grief we despair at our human capacity to make war not peace, to seek violence not reconciliation. Renew within us hearts that overflow with compassion and forgiveness that with your grace we may always seek peace.

Ever-patient God, hear our prayer.

The Grace

Lent – justice and righteousness

2nd March 2024

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all 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 from Deuteronomy 24: 14-15

You shall not withhold the wages of poor and needy labourers, whether other Israelites or aliens who reside in your land in one of your towns. You shall pay them their wages daily before sunset, because they are poor and their livelihood depends on them; otherwise they might cry to the Lord against you, and you would incur guilt.

Response:

Wages that do not meet the rent,

Pay that does not feed the family?

Let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Debts that cripple,

Interest rates that grow exponentially?

Let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Money for factories but not for schools

For plantations but not for hospitals?

Let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream!

An absence of workers’ rights,

Child labour and slavery?

Let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream!

Destruction of forests and habitats,

Loss of native wildlife ?

Let justice roll on like a river,

righteousness like a never-failing stream! (Response from Amos 5:24)

You have been told, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

Intercessions:

We pray for those who own sugar and palm oil, coffee and cocoa plantations:

That they may seek justice for workers and wildlife, for soils and habitats.

We pray for agriculturalists and scientists:

That their work developing ecological and practical farming methods may flourish.

We pray for investors and entrepreneurs:

That their work developing new and sustainable markets may grow.

We pray for those who raise funds and awareness for justice, and those who campaign and lobby:

That they may succeed in changing both hearts and minds and government policies.

We pray for those who monitor progress and certify just business operations:

That their work will ensure and expand fair trade.

We pray for ourselves and all consumers:

That our hearts and purses will be open to the goals of fair trade.

Amen.

With gratitude we celebrate all that the Fair Trade movement has achieved,

For lives transformed, for land restored and communities strengthened.

Gracious and ever generous God,

We thank you for the gift and wonder of creation,

For the plants, animals and peoples

that reveal the munificence of your love.

Amen.

NB the Fair Trade Fortnight runs from 4th – 17th March 2024

Lent – choice & tipping points

24th February 2024

The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom like the crocus Isaiah 35:1

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 Deuteronomy 30:16a, 19 I command you this day to love the Lord your God and to keep his commands, decrees, and regulations by walking in his ways…. Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!

A litany of tipping points

Adam, Eve and the fruit that was good to eat:

Eat and be self-determined?

Not eat and be God-determined?

– A tipping point.

Moses, Pharaoh and a river of blood:

Let the people, these troublemakers go?

Follow the call of this troublemaking God?

– a tipping point.

A people, a rule of life, and a golden calf:

Accept the short-termism of humanity and give up;
Plead God for mercy and start over afresh?

– a tipping point.

Exile, return and rebuild a new future:

Same old temple, same old rule-bound exclusivity;

New heart, new faith, an openness to others?

– a tipping point?

Repent, good news, healings and miracles:

A charade, a charlatan, a feel good non entity;

Revelation, reformation, real life born afresh?

– a tipping point?

Rebellion, deception, execution:

Confrontation, subjugation, might is right;

Confraternity, transformation, God is right?

– a tipping point?

Empty tomb, close encounters and reunions:

Disbelief, cynicism and a hasty coverup;

Joy, mystery and real life resurrection?

– a tipping point?

Tipping points are many and varied.

Some good, some bad.

Help us life, affirming God,

to see the tipping points we face,

to see the hazards to avoid,

the new routes to ride.

Help us, life affirming God,

to heed the words of your present day prophets,

the pleas of your children across the globe,

and the anguished cries of the earth.

Inspire our hearts and empower our actions,

that we may be a tipping point for good.

Help us, life affirming God,

to see again in the life and resurrection of Jesus,

the example we should follow,

to know once more that Christ’s gospel

will continue to transform the world.

Amen.

Lent – against consumerism

17th February 2024

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all 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: Matthew 6: 19-26 The Message

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

“Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!

“You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.

“If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.”

A reflection on Proverbs 1:10, 13-15:-

If shop windows say,

“Buy all kinds of costly things;

fill your houses with luxury”:

Do not be seduced,

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.

If magazines say,

“Here are the solutions to all life’s problems;

check out this month’s lifestyle”:

Do not be seduced,

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.

If neighbours say,

“Come, be like us,

keep up with our standards”:

Do not be seduced,

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.

If adverts say,

“Enjoy today and

throw away tomorrow”:

Do not be seduced,

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.

If money-makers say,

“Here, make a quick buck;

don’t worry about the risk”:

Do not be seduced,

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.

If businesses say,

“Enjoy what we promise,

forget the environmental cost”:

Do not be seduced,

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.

Merciful God,

protect us from ourselves – our ignorance and our gullibility –

Give us wisdom to discern your truth

and insight to see your ways,

that we may live with simplicity,

enjoying your gifts and sharing your bounty.

Amen.

Praise be to God! For simple things:-

Clean air and the scent of the flowers,

wind that lifts and freshens.

For water, crystal clear or dark as bronze,

now skittering, now languidly flowing.

For trees that grow, ring upon ring,

and bats and beetles and tiny tree creepers.

For the musical interruption of robin and blackbird,

and the chit chat of sparrows.

For fresh picked leaves and fruits in season:

our daily bread.

For the times to pause, to focus our eyes

and attune ours ears: for peaceful observation.

For all these we give you thanks,

Generous, ever-caring God.

Amen.

Lent – refusing to comply

10th February 2024

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all 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 from Amos 5:14, 6:1-7

Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.

Alas for those who are at ease in Zion,
   and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria,
the notables of the first of the nations,
   to whom the house of Israel resorts!
Cross over to Calneh, and see;
   from there go to Hamath the great;
   then go down to Gath of the Philistines.
Are you better than these kingdoms?
   Or is your territory greater than their territory,
O you that put far away the evil day,
   and bring near a reign of violence?

Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory,
   and lounge on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock,
   and calves from the stall;
who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp,
   and like David improvise on instruments of music;
who drink wine from bowls,
   and anoint themselves with the finest oils,
   but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!
Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile,
   and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

Repentance:

Like carbon to the atmosphere:

We have added to the world’s woes.

Like nutrients from the soil;

We have taken without restoring.

Like heat to the ocean:

We have sown destruction.

All: Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us.

In our forgiving and being forgiven:

Bring in your reign, O God: Let Godly hopes prevail.

Tuesdays in climate emergency

A Lament for our age:

When advertisers exhort us to drive ever larger faster cars –

and so called sports utility vehicles –

We shall not comply.

When fashion houses entreat us to buy new clothes

for the beach and yet more for the barbecue,

clothes for lounging and more for reclining –

We shall not comply.

When top chefs urge us to buy tropical fruits and exotic grains,

to eat strawberries in January and avocados in September –

We shall not comply.

When tour companies lure us with trips to the Tropics,

all flights included, or city breaks by air –

We shall not comply.

When weekend magazines promote this season’s new colour schemes,

must-have wall papers and furnishings:

out with the old and in with the new –

We shall not comply.

When tech industries unveil this year’s new phone,

the upgraded tablet and colourful but irrepairable head sets –

We shall not comply.

When governments tell us that coal mines are good

and oil economical,

whilst asking for our vote –

We shall not comply.

When trend setters define the next unmissable accessory

and deride what was last season’s in-thing –

We shall not comply.

When politicians tell us national needs are all important

and foreigners must wait –

We shall not comply.

Holy God,

keep awake in us a true love for the earth,

its flora and fauna, our brothers and sisters.

Strengthen our resolve to live within our means,

to act with compassion, and following your will –

We shall COMPLY!

Feast of the Epiphany

For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Hebrews 3:4

Three gifts,

carried by Magi

riding long roads from the East.

By a star

they had set their course

to seek out a new born king.

Yet from Jerusalem

the worldly snare

of incumbent power pulled them off course.

In Bethlehem

a home for folk and beast alike,

made welcome this wandering coterie of strangers.

A child,

cradled by loving parents,

is worshipped with gold and myrrh and frankincense.

Christ

bless this house

and all that cross its threshold.

Christus

mansionem benedicat.

Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, returned another way.

A family –

threatened – uproots, takes flight.

How quickly they join the exodus of refugees..

A welcome?

On these shores?… beyond this border?

Do you really deserve a home?

Is not earth our common home?

Who designs the borders?

Who decides who’s and who’s out? These strangers our kin!

This is our common home

to share with kith and kin,

with bird and beast and all that swims and squirms and creeps.

This is our home

to share with tree and grass, weed and flower,

with seaweed forests and coral reefs.

Christ

bless this our home –

our common home – and all that dwell therein.

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

May we, like the Magi,

seek what is true.

May we, like the Magi,

seek the other way.

May we, like the Magi,

worship the maker of our common home.

Amen.

For a house blessing – https://greentau.org/2022/01/06/marking-epiphany/ NB do adjust the numbers to reflect that this year is 2024!