Pastoral Prayer for July 17, 2023

Loving Creator,

Day by day unfolds in beauty.

            Your handiwork is magnificent.

            We praise you for the skies, for the fields, for the waters,

            for every creature that roams the earth.

            We are in awe of all that you have created.

Yet the planet reels under the assault of greed and indifference.

            We have not approached the earth in a spirit of stewardship.

            We have proudly exploited your world as if were ours.

            So we pray for forgiveness; we pray for correction;

            we pray for a shared vision of how to make things right.

Turn our hearts again to you.

            As individuals, rich and poor;

            as communities; as corporations; as governments –

            make us humble in the face of your wonders.

            May we see earth, water, sky, and all living things

            as treasure on loan from you.

            We are your sons and daughters – may we find real abundance

            in the thoughtful stewardship of your gifts.

Show us how to cherish our inheritance –

            for your honor and glory, and for the welfare of generations

            of heirs yet to be born.

Amen.