A prayer for World Environment Day 2021

World Environment Day is the United Nations day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. In 2021 the theme is Ecosystem Restoration, calling for urgent action to review our damaged ecosystems. You can find out more and get involved here.

On World Environment Day we share the following prayer for action on climate change. 
 
Creator God,

breath and source of life,
in love you called the world into being
and in grace you made us and call us your children.
We stand in awe of the wonder of your creation:
its beauty and wildness;
complexity and power;
resilience and fragility.

God of life,
you call us to be participants in the web and wellspring of life:
to be nurtured by the planet;
to be nurturing of the planet;
to cherish the world and all that lives.
But we have failed and creation groans under our weight.

God of grace,
forgive us in our brokenness:
when we have taken too much from the earth;
when we have not spoken out against greed and destruction;
when we have allowed our most vulnerable neighbours to be harmed.
We seek courage and forgiveness to be made whole.

God of love,
we pray for those people, communities and nations already suffering the devastating effects of climate change;
and we pray for the diversity of life on earth, so much of it already threatened by our actions.

God of hope,
we pray for members of parliament.
Bless them with wisdom and creativity, and a shared vision of hope for all creation.
May they find the determination to take strong action to halt the destructive effects of climate change,
and the political will to act together for the common good

Creator God,
we pray for us all,
that we might restore our relationships with each other and work together to heal the earth.
Renew us in your grace
for the sake of your creation. Amen.