2011 prayers forests
1 September to 4 October is Time for Creation. As 2011 was the International Year of Forests the WCC especially encouraged organizing prayers around this theme.
Prayers and ideas for celebrating Time for Creation were also shared on Facebook and Twitter.
A prayer for God’s blessing
We pray for the trees, the plants and the crops planted this year, that Christ, our Lord, will bless them, that they will grow and yield a good harvest; that he will have compassion on his creation, and forgive us our sins.
Bless, O Lord, the land and water it, and do what you will with our lives.
Shower this year with your blessings, out of your love for the poorest of your people, the aliens, the orphans and the widows, and out of your love for us.
Our eyes look to you in hope and seek your holy name.
You give us our food in due season.
Deal with us, Lord, according to your goodness, for you satisfy all living things.
Fill our hearts with joy and grace, so that, having always sufficient for our needs, we may grow in all good works.
Amen.
From the Environmental Education Handbook, CLAI/PNUMA, 2005 [in Spanish]
Other texts and compilations:
- Outline of a prayer service "Peace and Justice for Creation" held at the Ecumenical Centre on 1 September 2011
- Resources provided by Let all Creation Praise include a complete liturgy for celebrating a "Forest Sunday".
- A short prayer service prepared for the International Year of Forests by the the Poor Clares of Cortona, Italy, is available in 17 languages including English.
- Forest-themed ideas for music, readings of scripture and non-scriptural writings etc. are available from the Environmental Stewardship Commission of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota.
- Order of service on the theme "Forest: Our Good Neighbour" by the Rev. Viji Varghese Eapen, Church of South India.
- Reflections on trees and forests by Franciscan friar Brother Cathal Duddy
- Booklet by the Student Christian Movement of India, including a Forest Sunday worship order
- "Il respiro delle foreste", a Time for Creation brochure in Italian, as well as other liturgical and study material on creation care are available on the website of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy (Federazione delle Chiese Evangeliche in Italia)