• ‘All creatures of our God and King’ (SASB 2) 'All Creatures of our God and King’ – Hymn Video – engageworship
• ‘All things bright and beautiful’ (SASB 3)
• ‘For the beauty of the earth’ (SASB 14)
• ‘God of all ages and Lord for all time’ (SASB 18)
• ‘God of the open spaces’ (SASB 20)
• ‘Great is thy faithfulness’ (SASB 26)
• ‘I sing the mighty power of God’ (SASB 36)
• ‘Joyful, joyful’ (SASB 39)
• ‘Morning has broken’ (SASB 44)
• ‘How great thou art’ (SASB 49)
• ‘Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation’ (SASB 56) https://vimeo.com/user108940834/download/545931997/f0e7bfe8f8
• ‘The splendour of the King (How great is our God)’ (SASB 64)
• ‘This is my Father’s world’ (SASB 66)
• ‘Lord, your praises fill both earth and sky’ (SASB 381)
• ‘Far and near (Say it loud)’ (SASB 920)
• ‘Beauty for brokenness’ (SASB 998)

There are many new hymns that have been written to familiar tunes which can help speak into caring for creation, the climate crisis and our response. Here are some of these, along with other contemporary worship songs.

• The Lost Words Blessing, Spell Songs.

  A song reminding us all of our individual responsibility to care for the world we live in. The blessing highlights the light and hope that creation brings to our lives. 

• ‘So will I (100 Billion X)’, Hillsong Worship.

  A song about the greatness of God’s creative power and our response. 

• ‘Beautiful Things’, Gungor.

  A song of renewal that shows that despite all the pain and challenges of ourselves and the planet, God is still making beautiful things.

• Doxecology

  This is an album’s worth of new songs of praise and lament related to creation and ecology – with free lead and chord sheets (registration required). Any of these could be useful in worship, but here are some selections:

• ‘Heaven’s voice brings the dawn’ 

  A song of praise to Creator God.

• ‘God of immeasurable might’ 

  Another song of praise reminding us of the beauty of creation.

• ‘God the maker of the heavens’ 

  New words to the tune Converse (most known for being used with ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’) – focused on the hope that God is making all things new.

• ‘We are the tenants of the King’ 

  An upbeat song of praise as we work and serve our King.

• ‘Let all creation sing’ 

  A fun song for all ages based on Psalm 96 considering the wide range of creation singing praise to God.

• ‘Hear the song of our lament’

  A song that can help us lament for our failure to always care for creation and asking God to have mercy on us.

• ‘Psalm 148 (Highly Exalted)’ – Sixteen Cities.

  This lyric video could be watched within worship or sung together as a congregation.

• ‘One planet'  - Right Tracks

  Part of the Right Tracks resource, this values-based song has lots of practical ways we can protect our Earth.

• ‘All creatures lament’, The Porter's Gate.

  An updated version of the classic hymn ‘All creatures of our God and King’, focused on lament.

New Creation

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul celebrates that we are new creations in Christ. Along with the rest of creation, we live in eager expectation of a ‘new heaven and a new earth’, but at the moment it’s groaning. 

In the same way that God reconciles us to him, he also reconciles the whole world to himself – both the human and non-human world. As God’s ambassadors of this reconciliation, we need not only to consider how we make this good news known to others, but also be good news to the wider creation. 

Spend some time in prayerful celebration of the way that we have been renewed and restored by God, and ask for his guidance in how we should respond:

• Thank him that he has made us new creations. He has not given up on us and he continues to shape and mould us.
• Invite him in to continue this restoration work in us and that we will feel inspired to restore creation.

Redemption of Creation through the Bible – A Prayer Journey

Originally featured in Prayer Matters.

The story of the Bible is ultimately the story of the reconciliation, redemption and restoration of all of creation. As we journey through this story, let us discover more about our Creator and his heart for all that he has created. And, as people made in his image, may we understand more of how we can join in with his redemptive plan.

The garden (Genesis 1-2)

Genesis tells us that we are made in God’s image, reflecting his nature (1:26 The Messsage) so that we can be responsible for the very good world he has created. Pray for guidance on how you can best serve and preserve creation.

Sabbath (Leviticus 25:1-7)

Amongst the many laws of the Old Testament is the importance of sabbath – for the land as well as for God’s people. The principle highlighted the importance of not overworking the land, but also to let it lie fallow. Pray for wisdom to ensure that you are not causing the land to be over-exploited through your actions and lifestyle.

In praise of the Creator (Psalm 148)

The Psalms are full of praise for the Creator and his creation. Praise God for his creation through what you can see around you today. Ask God to reveal more of himself to you through his world.

Incarnation (John 1)

In John 1 we read of Christ – who has been present since the beginning of creation – becoming flesh and blood and putting down roots in the world he created. Consider how you can follow this example of incarnation and show commitment to the place you find yourself in at this season of your life.

Salvation for all creation (John 3:16)

John 3:16 is arguably the most famous verse of the Bible. But we often miss that this verse shows God’s love for the world, not just mankind. Thank God for his sacrifice on the cross and that he came to reconcile all things to himself (Colossians 1:20).

Creation groaning (Romans 8:18-25)

Paul tells us in Romans 8 that creation is groaning. Pray that you will become more attuned to the ways that creation is groaning. Pray for God to give you guidance about how you can respond to this groaning so that his glory will be revealed in and through you.

A renewed Earth (Revelation 21)

The story we have been exploring is not yet over. We are still living it. In Revelation we see that God’s redemption story ends with a new Heaven and a new (or renewed) Earth. Thank God for his plan to make everything new (v5). Pray that as Christians we will help bring about this renewal through our words and actions.

Breath of God

Use the following prayer together – read it out slowly and encourage people to breathe along with the prayer:

Lord, we thank you for the beauty and wonder that can be seen in all of creation. As you breathed life into this world and into our beings, we ask you to breathe life into us once again.

We pray for you to give us the strength to respond to creation in a way which reflects your loving care and concern for all things.

As we breathe in your love, help us to breathe out your love. 

As we breathe in your grace, help us to breathe out your grace.

As we breathe in your beauty, help us to breathe out your beauty.

May we reflect your nature in all that we do. Amen.

Breathe With Us

In a world of fault lines and fractures,
we stand in a place where opposites come together,
awaiting the birth of what is to come.

If you are doubting, welcome.
If you are healing, welcome.
If you are angry at injustice, welcome.

We await a new genesis,
one more beginning in a series of starts,
trailing backwards in time to the very first day.

If you are afraid, welcome.
If you are joyful, welcome.
If you are longing to belong, welcome.

God’s generous rhythm of life, death, resurrection,
moving in and through all things,
the very breath and source of the cosmos itself.

Our pathways converge and continue,
each one of us a catalyst for loving action.
We, a community of saints.
Conspire.
Breathe with us.

Taken from the CONSPIRE 2021 conference (Summary: A Time of Unveiling: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation (cac.org))

Video available: Breathe with Us – Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations

A prayer for our earth

A prayer by Pope Francis that focuses on our world. The prayer asks that we learn from our mistakes and better protect God's creation. A prayer for our earth (cafod.org.uk)

The New Zealand Anglican Lord’s Prayer

This alternative version of the Lord’s Prayer from New Zealand ‘demonstrates the unique character of the New Zealand Anglican Church and the impact of Polynesian culture’. You may find it helpful to pray this prayer in a fresh way: The New Zealand Anglican Lord’s Prayer | Women (salvationarmy.org.nz)

Lament and Hope – Prayers for the Climate and Ecological Emergency by Rev Jon Swales

These prayers may help you lament for the impact that the climate and biodiversity crises are having on creation:

• Lament and Hope: 40 prayers for the Climate and Ecological Emergency – Green Christian
• Lamentation Prayers – Green Christian

Confession

As with taking time to lament, confession is an important part of our response to God for our own part in the environmental destruction we are causing. Here are two examples:

• Environment Confession – engageworship
• Creation Groans – engageworship

A Christian prayer in union with creation

This prayer, taken from Pope Francis’s encyclical letter Laudato Si, is for Christians to ask God for inspiration to take up the commitment to creation set before us by the gospel of Jesus: Christian prayer in union with creation (cafod.org.uk)

The reverse prayer of St Francis.

Dear Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.

Where there is apathy, let me provoke,

Where there is compliance, let me bring questioning.

Where there is silence, may I be a voice.

Where there is too much comfort and too little action, grant disruption.

Where there are doors closed and hearts locked, grant me the willingness to listen.

When laws dictate and pain is overlooked … 

When tradition speaks louder than need …

Grant that I may seek rather to do justice than to talk about it.

Disturb us, O Lord,

To be with, as well as for, the alienated;

To love the unlovable, as well as the lovely.

Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.

Author unknown. 

I Dare

A prayer by Holly-Anna Petersen urging people into Christian climate activism –  christianclimateaction.files.wordpress.com/2023/05/i-dare-1.pdf (copy and paste the link in the search bar to access the pdf)