Seeking God’s Grace for the Gulf:
A Day of Worship Reflection and Healing
October 3, 2010
While scenes such as these are no longer present, the oil is still doing hidden damage to the Gulf. AP Photo
http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-national/noaa-report-on-gulf-oil-spill-draws-criticism-for-many-assumptions
Prayers
Opening Prayer: Prayer For The Gulf
(adapted from the Evangelical Environmental Network)
God, Creator of all things, You make all things new, renew us.
We turn to You seeking your direction for a crisis in our nation. Our brothers and sisters around the Gulf of Mexico struggle in fear, grief, and despair. Livelihoods and dreams have been destroyed for generations to come. Your marshes and lands, necessary for life, have been affected for decades. Wildlife, both birds of the air and creatures of the sea, continue to suffer, because of this human-induced disaster.
Almighty God,
Forgive us our sin,
and renew our lives to be the good stewards You created us to be.
Humbling ourselves, we place our lives into Your care.We pray for those in despair, that you would provide peace and hope. And we seek restoration for the sea, the land, and all who live and inhabit them.
We turn to you O God for You are our hope, our peace, our joy, and our Creator.
Prayer of St Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Teacher,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Almighty God,
Part of what grieves us this day is the awareness that we bear some responsibility for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. We have come to rely on cheap oil; we do not want to change our lifestyles; we press for ever more.Forgive us our sin, restore us to right relationship with you, with one another, and with all creation. Renew our spirits so we may be the good stewards You created.
Humbling ourselves, we place our lives into Your care. Amen.
Other Prayers:
In the Aftermath
(Adapted from the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program)
God of Creation and redemption, we pray for your healing powers upon your earth.
As we have failed to be good stewards of Creation, save your seas from the pollution of the oil spill.
Protect the animals and marshlands from the dangers we have brought upon the Gulf.
Gracious God, care and protect the thousands of families who have lost their jobs and seen their beloved lands and seas spoiled.
Strengthen and prepare us, God, for the work that lies ahead.
Through your Holy Spirit, work through our hands and our hearts to restore the Gulf.
Thank you, God, for never forsaking us.
Help us, O God, to not forsake your Creation.
We pray in Christ’s name. Amen.
Seeking Hearts for Justice
By Lizzie McGurk, National Council of Churches
Gracious Creator,
We come before you today with sighs too deep for words as we struggle to come to terms with the tragedy that has befallen Creation and your people in the Gulf region.
We ask for your comfort and strength for our neighbors working to put their lives back together and for your wisdom and guidance for those seeking to restore your Creation in the Gulf.
We confess that in our selfishness we have failed to answer your call to stewardship. In our thirst for the “good life,” we have fouled your waters leaving our neighbors downstream to suffer the consequences.
Forgive us. Give us hearts for justice and the will to support the leadership of our sisters and brothers in the Gulf as we work together for the long term restoration of your Creation and communities.
Amen
Picture: http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-national/noaa-report-on-gulf-oil-spill-draws-criticism-for-many-assumptions
http://www.nccecojustice.org/oilspill/seekinggodsgrace.php
National Council of Churches of Christ – Eco-Justice Programs