Last year, Pope Francis joined Orthodox communions in an observation of September 1 as a day to pray for God's creation. Within a few days, the World Council of Churches, the National Council of Churches of Christ of the USA, and Creation Justice Ministries also affirmed September 1st as World Day of Prayer for the Care of all Creation.
Read about this day and find resources to celebrate the day of prayer in your own congregation. Read an ecumenical statement about this day. Further resources for worship and prayer are the Canticle of Creation from St. Francis and Pope Francis' prayer from Laudato Si (the papal encyclical on the environment.)
NEW! 2016 hymn for World Day of Prayer on Care of All Creation, from Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. (Other hymns from Carolyn are available at http://www.carolynshymns.com/lect_earthcare.html)
God, You Made Your Good Creation
BEACH SPRING 8.7.8.7 D ("God Whose Giving Knows No Ending")
God, you made your good creation and you hold it in your care--
From each starry constellation to each forest under-layer.
Tiny creatures, mountain splendor, rivers, lakes and ocean floors--
You are loving, kind and tender in your care for what is yours.
Yet, O God, the earth is crying, times are changing, storms are strong.
Now the coral reefs are dying, floods are raging, droughts are long.
Though the circumstances differ, when the earth is in distress,
See! The poor are first to suffer from our greed and selfishness.
God, you love this world we live in, so you sent your only Son.
"Here on earth as in your heaven," God, we pray, "Your will be done."
By your Spirit, may we listen to the earth and to the poor;
May we care for all you've given till creation is restored.
Biblical References: Genesis 1-2; Psalm 8, 24, 104; Romans 8:19-23; 1 John 3:17; John 3:16; Matthew 6:10; Revelation 21:5
This hymn was inspired by “Laudato Si’ (“Praise Be to You”): On Care for Our Common Home,” 2015 Encyclical Letter of Pope Francis.
Tune: C. Hubert H. Parry, 1897
Text: Copyright © 2016 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette. All rights reserved.
Email: bcgillette@comcast.net New Hymns: www.carolynshymns.com
Permission is given for free use of this hymn by churches in their local communities.
You may freely reuse and distribute this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes in any medium. Please include author attribution, photography credits, and a link to the original article. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDeratives 4.0 International License.
