Creation Season

Third Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 8, 2011

The Land: Prayers

Reference information for the congregations of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota

Readings (Revised Common Lectionary) for Easter 3 Acts 2:14a,36-41 Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17 1 Peter 1:17-23 Luke 24:13-35 You may use other readings for the Sunday you are using our materials (some suggestions on Page 2).

Prayers about The Land:

Covenant Prayer with the Land
Today, we make a covenant with this land. As a branch is grafted onto a mature stock, So we want to be grafted onto the ancient heritage of this land, So that its life may flow through us. We commit ourselves to the land we live in and to all who belong to it, Most particularly our Indigenous people And also the newcomers to this country, Who have bound themselves to this land. We will care for it with gentleness, patience, simplicity and compassion, Rather then merely something to be bought and sold. We will see the land as a gift for which we are truly thankful, And undertake the privileged duty of respecting and looking after it. We thank God, the Great Creator Spirit, for all the earth provides: Water, food, and all the riches above and below the ground. We undertake to use them sparingly and thoughtfully. As we enter more deeply into the Spirit of the land, We see the land as a Sacrament and Icon of our mothering Creator Spirit. Be still. Listen to the breath of the Spirit which has blown through it for ages past, Today, and always; For this is: The Spirit of the Dreaming.
~ Betty Pike Source: Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
(http://www.socialjustice.catholic.org.au/content/spirituality/spirituality_covenant_land.html)

Copyright 2011, The Minnesota Episcopal Environmental Stewardship Commission (MEESC), all rights reserved. The information on these pages may be retransmitted for information purposes or use in services, but may not be used in any non-MEESC publication (other than that of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota) without the written permission of the Chair of the Commission. All retransmissions, postings, and publications must include this notice. If you find the information in this reflection to be of interest or concern, please visit the MEESC website (www.env-steward.com). Members of MEESC are available to assist you and your congregation in your environmental stewardship walk.

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Creation Season
Third Sunday of Easter, Year A, May 8, 2011

The Land: Prayers

Reference information for the congregations of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota

Gathering prayer:
God we gather in the midst of your creation, To build each other up in the faith you have given us. God we come, not alone but as part of your community. We come from isolated lives and self centred living seeking community, So that together we might be kept safe in Gods love, God we come, not alone but as part of your community. As we build together may we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, And await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ open our eyes to see you, God we come, not alone but as part of your community. No one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have Jesus Christ, Who takes our anxious thoughts and the worries that blind our sight, God we come, not alone but as part of your community. Rescue us dear God from the tumult of our busy lives, Bind us together as we breathe your quiet presence, God we come, not alone but as part of your community. Heavenly God, you who are community shelter us; Christ before us and behind us, Holy Spirit deep within us; God we come, not alone but as part of your community.
~From Faith Forward Copyright 2008-2011 Patheos, Inc
(http://www.patheos.com/community/mainlineportal/2010/08/05/prayers-for-connecting-to-the-land/)

Alternate Scripture Readings:

One or more of the following readings could be used in place of those specified in the lectionary: - Genesis 1:1-15 - Psalm 8 - Psalm 98: 4-9 - Proverbs 8: 1, 22-31 - Proverbs 29:2, 4, 7-8 - Jeremiah 29: 1, 4-9 2