Season of creation...A prayer of thanks giving and confession for river sunday

In the Church calendar September is the Season of Creation, an opportunity to give thanks to God for the wonders of the earth and natural world. I have been trying to write a prayer for the services that reflect the unique landscape and place that New Zealand is. This week is River Sunday and I've used some of the Seasons of Creation liturgy that is used by the Uniting Church of Australia and other Churches around the world (the parts I have used from their prayers are in italics) .

For my overseas friends in New Zealand one of the ways the Maori talk of their identity is by their whakapapa, their genealogy, and also by identifying with which mountain and river they belong to.

Many of our provinces nd regions take their names from the rivers that flow through them.

Once again I offer this prayer for people if they want to use it, or parts of it and also if people have suggestions that would make it better then that would be great as well.

In our land people identify themselves by mountain and river

Our land is shaped and defined by river and stream

The constant flow of water from mountain to sea

We gather in this place in this land to give God praise

We gather as the people of the river that makes glad the city of god,

We gather as the people of Mt Zion

We are your people and we come together to praise you, O God

 

We come to give you praise for the wonders of your creation

In particular this morning the rivers and fresh water

We remember the rivers God created

In Eden and across our planet

Rivers that are the lifeblood of Earth

Rivers that are vital for all that lives

Every good gift flows from your hand O Lord

 

We give you praise for the many rivers of our land

The mighty Waikato and Clutha

The rivers that give name and shape to province and region

The braided rivers that weave across our of southern lands

The roar and rush of fast flowing mountain stream

The gurgle refreshing coolness of bush creek

For all these water ways we give you praise O Lord

 

We remember the streams and creeks of our past

How our lives have been touched by river current

The pools and ponds where we played

Water falls that have drawn us to stand in awe

Adventurous trips amidst rapid and rock

Still moments as we watch the water and time go by

We have been blessed by your gifts to us

 

We stop and see that all is not well

We ask for forgiveness for the way we have mistreated your gift of water

We have polluted our rivers with chemical and un thinking  land use

We have turned our streams into waste dumps

We have wasted precious water in luxury living

We do not value what we were given

Forgive us O Lord and help us to treasure your rivers

 

We thank you for your presence in the rivers of our life

That in Christ we have found life giving water that quenches our thirst

That in him is a flow your grace that forgives and makes clean

Those in our journey through this land your Spirit leads and guides

In rapid and torrent and still waters by

Even by the rivers of Babylon where we wept you are still there  

Fill us afresh that we may love and serve the whole of creation

 

To the glory of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit Amen