A Prayer for Forest Sunday from New Zealand

I am not one who follows the church calendar that much but September has been designated by some the season of creation and people in our church have said they appreciate celebrating that as part of their Christian worship. It is a time when the church can acknowledge God's good earth, and our need to exercise our Christian faith in caring for it. THE PCANZ (Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand) sees 'Creation care' as part of its five faces of mission.

In reading some prayers written in other countries I became aware that it didn't express the unique character of New Zealand, with our unique flora and fauna. AS this Sunday is forest Sunday I started to reflect on the wonderful variety of different trees and habitats we have, and wrote a prayer of thanksgiving and confession to express that. I humbly offer it to anyone who might find it useful and also offer it for critique and response... if anyone has a good source of such prayers and liturgy with a Kiwi flavour that would be great... of course if you don't have a cabbage tree in the car park of your church the last verse maybe have to be amended.  I wanted to bring the prayer from images of our land to a concrete (well asphalt) reality for us here at St Peter's). Hopefully a reminder of the prayer as they leave...

From bush clad hill

Mist filled hanging valley

Farmland, Hedge row and even back yard

These bird filled Islands greets you each fresh day

We join our voices with that dawn chorus

We give you praise O God,

 

We stand with our forest land

 Kauri, Rimu, Kahikatea and southern Beech

like them we stand in awe of your greatness

Like them we acknowledge your provision,

Like them We thrive because of good soil and sure water source

We give you praise O God

 

Like our rugged coast at high summer time

Putting on the crimson Pohutukawa cloak

We celebrate your coming in Christ

We rejoice in the good news of your life death and resurrection

Your salvation has come to our shore and into our lives

We give you praise O Lord

 

Like fern koru unfurling

Because of Christ we are filled with new life,

We reach up to give you praise

We reach out to share that life

We open ourselves up to know you more

We give you praise O Lord

 

 

We confess that we have not treated your earth with the care it deserves

We have exploited it for our own gain,

Used it with no thought for tomorrow

We have left it broken and littered it with our refuse

We confess we treat each other with the same lack of care

Forgive us O Lord

 

We see hope in the marginal land

Clear felled, burnt or abandoned as no longer of use

We see Manuka, Kanuka start to re-establishing the forest green

We know in Christ that as we confess and repent You forgive

We know you are able to restore lush life in us again

Heal us O Lord   

 

Make us like the cabbage tree in our car park

At the slightest breath of wind it moves and dances

It becomes alive and animated

May we be as sensitive to your Spirit’s breath

Moving in praise and love and care for the whole of creation

Move a fresh in us O Lord

 

 From bush clad hill

Mist filled hanging valley

Farmland, Hedge row and even back yard

These bird filled Islands greets you each fresh day

We join our voices with that dawn chorus

All glory to you: father, son and Holy Spirit… amen