Youth & Children's Earth Day Prayer

In honor of Earth Day 2016 (April 22nd), the youth and children of Saint James’ Warrenton collaborated to write the following Prayers for our Stewardship of the Earth, which was read as the Prayers of the People during Sunday Eucharists on Sunday, April 24.

Loving God, we thank you for the gift of creation. The book of Genesis describes a formless void which you turned into an interconnected world of wondrous beauty. We pray for your guidance as we accept the role of caring for all that you have given us.

Loving God, we pray that you will help us to understand fully the impact our decisions have on our environment, no matter how big or small they may be. May we always be mindful of the incredible gift we have before us.

We thank you Father for the trees of the earth and all that they provide – wood for the houses we build, food that we eat, and air that we breathe. We pray that you will help us care for trees and use their resources wisely.

We pray for the soil of the earth and the organisms that live in it. May we continue to find ways to keep it healthy and productive. We ask with your blessing that soil will continue to nourish all that grows in it, including the crops of our fields.

We pray to you for the water that we drink and the water that nurtures all living things, especially marine life.

We ask you to guide us in our mission to keep water sources clean for people all around the world.

We pray for all species that struggle to survive in a developing world, especially those that may be on the verge of becoming extinct. We thank you, Father, for all the animals of the earth. We ask that you will guide us as we watch over them, protect them, and help them to thrive.

All these things we ask of you loving God, giver of all things. Amen.

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