The following Earth Prayers may assist us as we seek to deepen our relationship with Earth and with all who share our common home.

Earth, Teach Me…..Native American Quote

Earth teach me quiet ~ as the grasses are still with new light.
Earth teach me suffering ~ as old stones suffer with memory.
Earth teach me humility ~ as blossoms are humble with beginning.
Earth teach me caring ~ as mothers nurture their young.
Earth teach me courage ~ as the tree that stands alone.
Earth teach me limitation ~ as the ant that crawls on the ground.
Earth teach me freedom ~ as the eagle that soars in the sky.
Earth teach me acceptance ~ as the leaves that die each fall.
Earth teach me renewal ~ as the seed that rises in the spring.
Earth teach me to forget myself ~ as melted snow forgets its life.
Earth teach me to remember kindness ~ as dry fields weep with rain.
An Ute Prayer

 

Earth,Teach Us – Author unknown

Earth teach us patience,  as the plants grow slowly.
Earth teach us hope as the first shoots break through
Earth teach us courage as the wild animals protect their young.
Earth teach us blessing as the sun rises each day.
Earth teach us freedom as the eagle which soars the sky
Earth teach us resignation as the leaves which die in the fall.
Earth teach us regeneration as the seed which rises in the spring
Earth teach us kindness as dry fields weep with rain.
Earth teach us celebration as the apples come to full fruit.
Earth teach us yearning as the rain nourishes the drought.
Earth teach us.

Litany of Sorrow
from Interfaith Declarations and Worship Observance Resources

Leader: 
We have forgotten who we are.  We have alienated ourselves from the unfolding of the cosmos.  We have become estranged from the movements of the earth.  We have turned our backs on the cycles of life.

Response:
We have forgotten who we are.

Leader:   
We have sought only our own security.  We have exploited simply for our own ends.  We have distorted our knowledge.  We have abused our power.

Response:  
We have forgotten who we are.

Leader:   
Now the land is barren and the water is poisoned.  And the air is polluted.

Response:
We have forgotten who we are.

Leader: 
Now the forests are dying and the creatures are disappearing.  And humans are despairing.

Response:   
We have forgotten who we are.

Leader: 
We ask forgiveness.  We ask for the gift of remembering.  We ask for the strength to change.

Response:   
We have forgotten who we are.    (allow for a period of silence).

 

Litany of Gratitude

Leader:  
We live in all things.  All things live in us.

Response:
We rejoice in all life.

Leader:
We live by the sun.  We move with the stars.

Response:
We rejoice in all life.

Leader:     
We eat from the earth.  We drink from the rain.  We breathe from the air.

Response:
We rejoice in all life.

Leader:
We share with the creatures.  We have strength through their gifts.

Response: 
We rejoice in all life.

Leader: 
We have the privilege of seeing and understanding.  We have the responsibility of caring.  We have the joy of celebrating

Response:
We rejoice in all life

Leader: 
We are full of the grace of creation.  We are all life.   http://letallcreationpraise.org/liturgy/litanies.

 

Litany of Commitment
Written by Joy C Rochelle

Leader:    
As we seek to relax our grip so that the earth, our fragile sister, might rest from our labours, help us too see our world more vividly than we have done in the past.

All:
Grant us vision for the challenges of this age and give us hearts full of courage for the future.

Leader: 
As we seek to be wise stewards of the gifts of the earth in timber and oil, coal and gas, help us to know your world more humanely that we have in the past.

All:
May we learn that wisdom which we see among those wise and humble people of the earth, that we might walk with care and reverence so as to caress our fair sister.

Leader:  
Sharing God, draw us to contemplation and silence so that we might see, in wonder, our lives intertwined with the squirrels and the cardinal, the creatures great and small, the beauty of each season.  Help us to see the birth, growth, death and rebirth so as to give us courage in the ongoing creation of our Creator.

All:
Deepen our faith and enliven our thinking, nourish our bodies and strengthen our souls, that we may be your message in the world, your servants for the common wellness of the earth.   Make us weavers of a new order, crafters of a new earth.

Leader:
Grant us grace through Christ of the Cosmos.  Call us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, in love with earth, and with our brothers and sisters.

All:
Give us a measure of the Spirit that these commitments we make before you might make our work holy.

Leader:    
Let us go forth from this sacred ark with steady hand, up lifted heart and with clear eye and alert mind, with firm step and willing hands.  May we arrive at fresh springs of renewal through God’s holy Word,  in our communities of faith,  and in deep solidarity with all creation.

All:    
Amen.  Let all the creation hear and bear witness.  Amen.