Today is the World Day of Prayer for Creation. It coincides with the Orthodox commemoration of how God created the world and marks the beginning of the “Season of Creation” which continues through to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4. Please join us as together, with our brothers and sisters around the world, we offer our prayers for the well-being of creation:
Creator God,
We thank you for the wonderful gift of creation. For the plants and animals, oceans and mountains, and all the diverse peoples of the world.
We lament the devastation that our actions, our lifestyles, have brought upon your glorious Earth and commit to living more intentionally and sustainably.
Today we pray for the millions of people around the world whose lives have already been irreversibly altered by the impacts of climate change, including fellow Canadians. We pray for those committed to making personal changes to reduce their use of fossil fuels, and for those not yet aware of the severity of the situation before us.
We pray for world leaders, those who have already ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change and those who have yet to do so.
We pray especially for the prime minister of Canada, the premiers of Canada’s provinces and territories, the federal and provincial environment ministers, and all of the people engaged in the development of Canada’s climate action plan. Grant them wisdom, courage, and strength of purpose.
We also pray for the many, many Canadians who have participated in the climate change consultations over the last several months. May you grant all of us patience, compassion, and perseverance as we work together to be part of the solution.
Creator God, we know that we have been richly blessed both by the abundance of the Earth that you have entrusted in our care, and also by our capacity to make choices.
We ask that you guide us as work for the healing of the Earth.
Amen.
In recent years, CPJ has prepared several resources for individuals and communities of faith to explore and live into the Christian calling to care for creation. These prayers, sermons starters, and study guides are available, free of charge, at cpj.ca/church-resources.
