Sept. 30th Blessing of the Animals service
You can read Rev. Nancy E. Stillman's sermon from this special service here.
Prayers for the World
by Jan Jeffers Lo
In the beginning, God, you created life. The wind of your spirit and the primordial stew of matter danced together and all that we know sprang into being at a thought from you. Heaven and earth, sun and moon, mountains and valleys, plains and lowlands declare your glory. All plants and trees, birds and fishes, and all creatures of the earth have their beginnings in you. Life is bountiful, harmonious, wild and amazing. How manifold are your works oh God, in wisdom you have made them all.
You have provided for your creatures, Lord. They look to you to give them food in each season. The flowers of the field are arrayed in glory. Grasses grow for cattle, gazelle, yak and kangaroo. You make the waters to gush on the land and in the oceans, providing sustenance for trout and salmon, whales and dolphin, eel and giant squid. You know each bird of the air- condors, woodpeckers, storks, snowy owls and house sparrows and give them all their nesting places. They sing among the branches. You have given humans abundant food from the earth, bread and wine to strengthen our bodies and hearts, and oil to make our faces shine. How manifold are your works, oh God; in wisdom you have made them all.
What are humans that you are mindful of us? You have made us a little lower than angels and crowned us with glory and honor. You have set us as stewards over the works of your hands; all the lands, the oceans and the creatures. But we are an unfaithful people. We have broken your laws, and forgetting your wisdom, we have defiled the earth. In the name of progress, or profits or entertainment we poison the air, choke the streams, maim the land, and slaughter creatures to extinction. We oppress other people lower on the affluence chain than ourselves. Air pollution, water pollution, toxic landfills, cement, asphalt and monoculture covers the fertile lands while millions of people are homeless and hungry, and animal habitats are destroyed. Because of this your land mourns, oh God, and your creatures are dying: mountain gorillas, African elephants, Right whales, monarch butterflies and loggerhead turtles have had their populations decimated 60, 80 or even 90%. We neglect the animal companions we bring into our homes with too little physical and mental exercise, and too much food. We allow animals to reproduce so there are millions more pets available than homes that can care for them. We let them suffer when we should be responsible. God, your wisdom tells us that our fate is like that of the animals: as one dies, so will the other.
We pray that we will turn back and press on to you, oh Lord, from whom our help comes. We pray that we will have compassion and mercy on the earth and all its inhabitants. Help us to be peaceful and just with our neighbors in ways that helps them prosper and also respect and love your creation. Help us to speak out against cruel treatment of animals if it occurs in our neighborhoods, towns, laboratories or farms. We pray for the protection of your creatures who are hurt or killed for sport only, or profit for the small bits of ivory, horn or feather that make them unique. We pray for the work of scientists who help with the preservation of threatened species. We pray for the protection of open space, wetlands, rivers, oceans, mountains and coral reefs. We pray for the work of environmentalists who represent the earth and creatures that cannot protect themselves. Give us courage to stand with them against greed and carelessness. Help us to stop putting money, power, pride and consumption first and start living lives that are sustainable. Let us not be too lazy to pick up our trash, recycle what we can and go without when we are able. Open our hearts to share what we can with others.
God we pray for the leaders of nations, that they may follow wisdom and have mercy and compassion for their animals, lands and people. We pray for the people of Darfur, Ahfganistan, Iraq, and Burma for their health and safety. We pray for people near to us that are sad, lonely, sick or dying. Help us to bring your healing where we are able and your hope where we cannot.
God we lift these prayers, and those of our hearts to you. Come to us, and pour out your Spirit on all of us so that together, with all creatures in heaven and on earth we will proclaim together and with Jesus: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever, Amen.