In September at St Peter's we celebrate the season of creation and while there is some good liturgical resources around I find that they often reflect the place they are written and don't always connect with us here in New Zealand and Auckland city. Auckland is a place of unique beauty an isthmus between the Tasman sea and the pacific Ocean with a harbour on both coast, the coasts or totally different than each other as are the harbours, the land in between is dominated by volcanic cones. with both native flora and fauna and introduced plants and animals. We have an indigenous population, that we are wrestling with what it means to be in partnership with, and we have become more and more a world city with a multicultural population.
This is a Prayer for what has been called humanity sunday which tries and tie all that together in giving thanks to God our creator. feel free to use some or all or none of it...
For my overseas readers Tangata whenua is Maori for people of the land and refers to the Maori as the indigenous people of New Zealand. Gannet topped cliffs refers to a sea bird that is part of the Bobbie family , and can only be seen nesting on the mainland in two places in the world, both in New Zealand and one just a short drive from Auckland city at Muriwai beach, thus the image that goes with this post. Kauri, pohutukawa and Rimu and Rata are New Zealand native trees as are manuka (which is more of a shrub) and flax, used by the Maori in their wweaving (so Bob and Weave is a play on words)…
Creator God,
Who spoke and it came into being
We gather to
thank you for who you are
And praise you
for the wonder of what you have made
We gather
from our busy lives, united in your son our saviour
We come together
in this place with its stunning uniqueness
You have
made it all
And It is good
Thank you
for the awe-inspiring grandeur of our island homes coast
The West coast’s
surf pounded Iron sand and steep gannet topped cliffs
The inviting
white sand and calmer seas of our eastern shore
Our cities harbours,
one sun sparkled and gulf island sprinkled
The other mangrove
and mud flat lined, vast and moody…
You have
made it all
And it is good
Thank you
for the land itself, this isthmus on which we have built,
Western rangers,
bush lined and forest giant tipped
Terraced Volcanic
cones through which our city swerves
Rich productive
soil, cluggy clay even swampy land
Gentle seaward
slope, urban tall, suburban sprawl, rolling rural farmland
You have made
it all
And it is good
Thank you for
The christmas red of pohutukawa, for kauri, rimu and rata
The bob and
weave of flax and cabbage trees in stormy wind
introduced specimens
that line our suburban street
the fleeting
beauty of delicate flower on roadside weed
fruit trees,
vegetable patch and taste of herb from which we eat
You have
made it all
And it is Good
We praise you
for the wonder of animal life,
Soaring bird,
dawn chorus chirp and morkpork call at night,
For coastal
wader and ocean epic voyagers here to roost and rest
For fish and
sea mammal, dolphin leap, seals asleep and whales to watch
For
companionship of pet, and provision through farm animal graze.
You have
made it all
And it is Good
This
humanity Sunday, we thank you for the people around us,
Made in your
image, diverse and different, called in your son to be one
Tangata whenua,
their language and culture deeply rooted in this place,
People from
all over, from way back or not that long who call here home,
With the
different insights, delights, flare and fare we bring to the table
You have
made them all
And it is very Good
Father God,
thank you for your love in Jesus Christ
Because of
Christ’s death, we can be forgiven and made clean and new
Because of
Christ’s resurrection, we have new and abundant life
Thank you
that you have sent your promised Holy Spirit
to dwell in us.
We pray we
would know the truth today, we are forgiven and loved
Full of your
spirit help us to care for each other and all of creation
You are
remaking us all in Christ
You are so Good O God
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