The Season of Creation takes place from September 1 – October 4. This is an ecumenical season for Christian communities to celebrate God as Creator and all of God’s creation. It is also a time to remember our call as human beings and people of faith to care for, respect, and live in right relationship with our non-human fellow creatures.
In this crisis moment in the life of our planet, both we and the rest of creation need this season more than ever. We need time and space to notice and listen to all of creation, to wonder at and delight in all that God has made, to mourn and protest the destruction and suffering that creation has endured, and to draw strength and hope from God, the giver of life, to address the ecological harms and challenges before us.
Below are 11 prayers and 5 psalms to help your communities enter into the Season of Creation. They can be useful for occasions like Rogation Days and Earth Day, for gatherings and ministries focused on creation care or climate justice, and throughout the year as well. When using or sharing the prayers, please give credit to the original sources.
Prayers
All Creatures Great and Small
“Almighty and Everliving God, you bring forth and sustain every living thing; help us grow in compassion and care for the multitude of your creatures, that we may see them not as objects for our use, but as brothers and sisters that sing your never-ending praise. Through Jesus Christ, our Shepherd and guide, who with you and the Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and forever.”
From Christ Church Cathedral, Indianapolis, IN, “Season of Creation Prayers,” Episcopal Relief & Development website
For Care of Creation
“As we pray for the new heaven and new earth, O God,
we give thanks for this earth, our partner in your service.
Move us to hear your voice in the song of the sparrow,
to see your face reflected in the river.
Awaken us to your greatness through the winds of the storm,
and the scent of your grace on the morning dew.
Empower us to hear your prophets in the croaks of evening frogs,
to read your gospel in the webs of writing spiders.
In your great mercy you call us to care for your creation,
to uphold one another, and to pray for your world.
Hear our prayers for the healing of the earth.
Hear our prayers for clean water so that all may drink.
Hear our prayer for the right use of resources so there may be a future for all.
Hear our prayer for careful tending of the land and the seas so all may be in balance.
Hear our prayer for people and places damaged by war so that all may know peace.
With confidence that you hear our prayers,
we offer ourselves for your good purposes,
watching and waiting for the healing of your creation
as we work toward your coming reign.
Amen.”
Adapted from The Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church (USA), “Prayer for Care of Creation,” The Presbytery of the Highlands of New Jersey website
For Joy in God’s Creation
“O heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty: Open our eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that, rejoicing in your whole creation, we may learn to serve you with gladness; for the sake of him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.“
From The Book of Common Prayer, p. 814
For the Land
“God of creature and sky,
We have not protected the divine in all of creation. We have forgotten our origins, placing ourselves as superior to the very earth that formed us. Humble us, God; shake us from the belief that we are capable of ruling over the earth when we cannot even care for humanity. Remind us just how young we are in comparison to the cosmos. We are no saviors; make us learners. Make us listen for and heed the quiet things whispered by the soil and sea. Free us from our narcissism as we look on the suffering of other creatures and find our souls at last stirred. And as we become honest about our flagrant degradation of land, may we protect those countries and peoples who have disproportionately suffered the greed of the powerful. May we listen to the Indigenous wisdom in our midst, those who have long warned us that this land does not belong to us — that our ownership of it is our collective delusion. As we look up from the lie, may we find tree and star and dirt, and become the earth’s meekest disciples and fiercest protectors. Amen.”
By Cole Arthur Riley, from Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human, pp. 29 – 30
For Reverence, Insight, Wisdom, and Determination
“O God, you have given humans great power over the earth;
Teach us reverence before life’s mysteries,
Give us new insight into your purpose for our species,
And new wisdom and determination to find a future
That is aligned with your will for all Creation,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”
From “Easter People: Faith Practice and Climate Justice, Lesson Plans for Youth: Lesson Four,” p. 1, Lesson Plans That Work website
The Justice of God and the Dignity of All Creatures
“Holy God, your mercy is over all your works,
and in the web of life each creature has its role and place.
We praise you for ocelot and owl, cactus and kelp, lichen and whale;
we honor you for whirlwind and lava, tide and topsoil, cliff and marsh.
Give us hearts and minds eager to care for your planet,
humility to recognize all creatures as your beloved ones,
justice to share the resources of the earth with all its inhabitants,
and love not limited by our ignorance.
This we pray in the name of Jesus,
who unifies what is far off and what is near,
and in whom, by grace and the working of your Holy Spirit,
all things hold together. Amen.”
From “Liturgical Materials for Honoring God in Creation,” p. 237 (also available in the Book of Occasional Services; additional prayers can also be found at the links)
The Kinship and Unity of All Creation in Christ
“God, maker of marvels,
you weave the planet and all its creatures together in kinship;
your unifying love is revealed in the interdependence of
relationships in the complex world that you have made.
Save us from the illusion that humankind is separate and alone,
and join us in communion with all inhabitants of the universe;
through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer,
who topples the dividing walls by the power of your Holy Spirit,
and who lives and reigns with you, for ever and ever. Amen.”
From “Liturgical Materials for Honoring God in Creation,” p. 237 (also available in the Book of Occasional Services; additional prayers can also be found at the links)
The Lord’s Prayer (An Environmental Responsive Lord’s Prayer)
“Leader: Our father who art in heaven
People: You are also at home in the air, soil, forests, and oceans
Leader: Hallowed be your name
People: By the care we take of your creation
Leader: Your kingdom come
People: All that you see is good
Leader: Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven
People: Your will to till and care
Leader: Give us this day our daily bread
People: That all may have sufficient to live life in fullness
Leader: Forgive us our trespasses
People: Our greed, our exploitation, our lack of concern for other species, and for future generations
Leader: As we forgive those who trespass against us
People: By reconciliation with justice and peace
Leader: Lead us not into temptation
People: The temptation to equate dominion with exploitation
Leader: And deliver us from evil
People: The evil of destroying your gift of creation
Leader: For yours is the kingdom
People: Yours, Lord, not ours
Leader: The power and the glory
People: In the cross and resurrection
Leader: For ever and ever
People: You are the beginning and you are the end
Amen. (So be it)“
From “Creation Care Prayers,” The Church of England Environment Programme, p. 27 (more prayers are available at the link)
Our Care of Creation
“O God, Creator of heaven and earth,
you allowed life to evolve, and you love the natural world:
each plant and animal, each mountain and river,
each ray of sunshine, wave of water, and breath of fresh air.
In our beginning, you commanded us to care for your creation;
open our eyes to see the goodness of the earth;
train our hearts to respect all creation as a gift from you;
and shape our lives to behave in ways that are loving
toward all creatures great and small,
for you, God, made them all. Amen.”
By Jenifer Gamber and Timothy J. S. Seamans, from Common Prayer for Children and Families, p. 113
Season of Creation 2024 Prayer
“Triune God, Creator of all,
We praise you for your goodness, visible in all the diversity that you have created, making us a cosmic family living in a common home. Through the Earth you created, we experience love and nourishment, home and protection.
We confess that we do not relate to the Earth as a Mothering gift from you, our Creator. Our selfishness, greed, neglect, and abuse have caused the climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, human suffering as well as the suffering of all our fellow creatures. We confess that we have failed to listen to the groans of the Earth, the groans of all creatures, and the groans of the Spirit of hope and justice that lives within us.
May your Creator Spirit help us in our weakness, so that we may know the redeeming power of Christ and the hope found in him. May the groans of the Spirit birth in us a willingness to serve you faithfully, so that we may hear and heal Creation, to hope and act together with her, so that the firstfruits of hope may blossom.
Loving and Creator God, we pray that you will make us sensitive to these groans and enable us to have the same compassion as that of Jesus, the redeeming Lord. Grant us a fresh vision of our relationship with Earth, and with one another, as creatures that are made in your image.
In the name of the one who came to proclaim the good news to all Creation, Jesus Christ.
Amen.”
From Season of Creation Resources (downloadable PDF version)
To Love All Creation
“Lord, may we love all your creation, all the earth and every grain of sand in it. May we love every leaf, every ray of your light. May we love the animals: you have given them the rudiments of thought and joy untroubled. Let us not trouble it; let us not harass them, let us not deprive them of their happiness, let us not work against your intent. For we acknowledge unto you that all is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending, and that to withhold any measure of love from anything in your universe is to withhold that same measure from you. Amen.”
By Fyodor Dostoevsky, from “Toolkit for Launching Your Creation Care Ministry,” Discipleship Ministries of the United Methodist Church (more prayers can be found at the link as well)
Psalms
Psalm 8 (NRSVUE)
“Lord, our Lord, how majestic
is your name throughout the earth!
You made your glory higher than heaven!
From the mouths of nursing babies
you have laid a strong foundation
because of your foes,
in order to stop vengeful enemies.
When I look up at your skies,
at what your fingers made —
the moon and the stars
that you set firmly in place —
What are human beings
that you think about them;
what are human beings
that you pay attention to them?
You’ve made them only slightly less than divine,
crowning them with glory and grandeur.
You’ve let them rule over your handiwork,
putting everything under their feet —
all sheep and all cattle,
the wild animals too,
the birds in the sky,
the fish of the ocean,
everything that travels the pathways of the sea.
Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the earth!”
Psalm 65 (NRSVUE)
“Praise is due to you,
O God, in Zion,
and to you shall vows be performed,
O you who answer prayer!
To you all flesh shall come.
When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us,
you forgive our transgressions.
Happy are those whom you choose and bring near
to live in your courts.
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
your holy temple.
By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance,
O God of our salvation;
you are the hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the farthest seas.
By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
You silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs;
you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide the people with grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow;
the hills gird themselves with joy;
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks;
the valleys deck themselves with grain;
they shout and sing together for joy.”
Psalm 96 (NRSVUE)
“O sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord; bless [the Lord’s] name;
tell of [the Lord’s] salvation from day to day.
Declare [the Lord’s] glory among the nations,
[the Lord’s] marvelous works among all the peoples.
For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
[the Lord] is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
Honor and majesty are before [the Lord];
strength and beauty are in [the Lord’s] sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due [the Lord’s] name;
bring an offering, and come into [the Lord’s] courts.
Worship the Lord in holy splendor,
tremble before [the Lord], all the earth.
Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
[The Lord] will judge the peoples with equity.’
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar and all that fills it;
let the field exult and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for [the Lord] is coming,
for [the Lord] is coming to judge the earth.
[The Lord] will judge the world with righteousness
and the peoples with [the Lord’s] truth.”
Psalm 104 (NRSVUE)
“Bless the Lord, O my soul.
O Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent;
you set the beams of your chambers on the waters;
you make the clouds your chariot;
you ride on the wings of the wind;
you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.
You set the earth on its foundations,
so that it shall never be shaken.
You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys,
to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.
You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills,
giving drink to every wild animal;
the wild asses quench their thirst.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
You cause the grass to grow for the cattle
and plants for people to cultivate,
to bring forth food from the earth
and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine
and bread to strengthen the human heart.
The trees of the field are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has its home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
You have made the moon to mark the seasons;
the sun knows its time for setting.
You make darkness, and it is night,
when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
The young lions roar for their prey,
seeking their food from God.
When the sun rises, they withdraw
and lie down in their dens.
People go out to their work
and to their labor until the evening.
O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, great and wide;
creeping things innumerable are there,
living things both small and great.
There go the ships
and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
These all look to you
to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
when you take away their breath, they die
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
May the glory of the Lord endure forever;
may the Lord rejoice in [the Lord’s] works–
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
who touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!”
Psalm 148 (NRSVUE)
“Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise [the Lord] in the heights!
Praise [the Lord], all [the Lord’s] angels;
praise [the Lord], all [the Lord’s] host!
Praise [the Lord], sun and moon;
praise [the Lord], all you shining stars!
Praise [the Lord], you highest heavens
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them prasie the name of the Lord,
for [the Lord] commanded and they were created.
[The Lord] established them forever and ever;
[the Lord] fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling [the Lord’s] command!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for [the Lord’s] name alone is exalted;
[the Lord’s] glory is above earth and heaven.
[The Lord] has raised up a horn for [the Lord’s] people, praise for all [the Lord’s] faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to [the Lord].
Praise the Lord!”
Featured image is by Oleksandr Sushko on Unsplash