Blessing the Creation

We plough the fields, and scatter
The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered
By God’s almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain.

All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord,
O thank the Lord For all His love.
He only is the Maker
Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him,
By Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread.

All good gifts around us
Are sent from heaven above;
Then thank the Lord,
O thank the Lord
For all His love.

— Lutheran, United Methodist, Presbyterian
19th Century Harvest Hymn

Almighty and everlasting God, Creator of all things and giver of all life, let your blessing be upon the forest and grant that it may serve to your glory and the welfare of your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

For favorable weather temperate rains, and fruitful seasons, that there may be food and drink for all your creatures, we pray to you O Lord.

For your blessing upon the lands and waters, and all who work upon them to bring forth food and all things needful for your people, we pray to you O Lord.

For all who for care the earth, the water and the air, that the riches of your creation may abound form age to age, we pray to you, O Lord.

— Episcopal, The Book of Occasional Services

The food which we are about to eat
Is Earth, Water, and Sun
Compounded through the alchemy of many plants
Therefore Earth, Water, and Sun will become part of us.
This food is also the fruit of the labor of many beings and creatures.
We are grateful for it.
May it give us strength, health, joy
And may it increase our love.

— Unitarian Univeralist, Baha’i

O most High, almighty, good Lord God,
to you belong praise, glory, honor, and all blessing!
Praised be my Lord God with all creatures;
and especially our brother the sun,
which brings us the day, and the light;
fair is he, and shining with a very great splendor:
O Lord, he signifies you to us!

Praised be my Lord for our sister the moon,
and for the stars,
which God has set clear and lovely in heaven.
Praised be my Lord for our brother the wind,
and for air and cloud, calms and all weather,
by which you uphold in life all creatures.

Praised be my Lord for our sister water,
which is very serviceable to us,
and humble, and precious, and clean.
Praised be my Lord for brother fire,
through which you give us light in the darkness:
and he is bright, and pleasant, and very mighty,
and strong.

Praised be my Lord for our mother the Earth,
which sustains us and keeps us,
and yields divers fruits, and flowers of
many colors, and grass.

— Roman Catholic, St. Francis of Assisi
Excerpt from Canticle of the Sun, 13th Century

Ah, World! It’s in your lap we do our lives and deaths
It’s on you we play out our pleasures and pains.
You are such a very old home of ours;
We treasure and hold you dear forever.
We wish to transform you into the pure realm of our dreams,
Into an unprejudiced land where all creatures are equal.
We wish to transform you into a loving, warm, gentle goddess.
We wish so firmly to embrace you.
To that end, be the ground which sustains us all.
Do not show us the storms of your nature’s dark side.
And we, too, will transform you, all your corners,
Into fertile fields of peace and happiness.
A Buddhist Response to the Climate Emergency

— Gyalwang Marmapa XVII

Behind the bread is the flour,
behind the flour is the mill,
behind the mill is the rain and the sun and the Maker’s will
And the Maker’s will, and the Maker’s will
Behind the bread and the rain and the sun is the Maker’s will.

— Quaker (American Friends), Hymn of Thanks

I will lift mine eyes into the mountains
From whence shall my help come?
My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber.
Behold, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep.
the Lord is thy keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall keep thee from all evil; He shall keep thy soul.
The Lord shall guard thy going out and thy coming in,
from this time forth and for ever.

— Jewish Tradition, Psalm 121

Grandfather, Look at our brokenness.
We know that in all creation
Only the human family
Has strayed from the Sacred way.
We know that we are the ones
Who are divided
And we are the ones
Who must come back together to walk the Sacred Way.
Grandfather, Sacred One, Teach us love, compassion, and honor
That we may heal the earth and heal each other.

— Ojibway (Anishinaabe Native American)

The Interfaith Earthkeeping Initiative

In 2004, religious leaders representing 10 faith traditions across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula joined together in an Earthkeeping Covenant. They pledged to bring new levels of spiritual consciousness for efforts preserving natural resources, working with Native American communities, and encouraging efficient energy conservation.

During 2014, Earthkeepers II volunteers plan to establish 30 community gardens across Northern Michigan and Wisconsin. Thanks to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Cedar Tree Institute for providing encouragement and support. May these prayers be used as a gift to help build a common vision of healing and hope.

The EK/NMU Student Team (2013)
Tom Merkel, Katelin Bingner, Adam Magnuson

Buddhist, Roman Catholic, Lutheran (ELCA), United Methodist, Presbyterian, Baha’i, Unitarian Universalist, Quaker, Jewish, and Episcopal communities of Northern Michigan and Wisconsin.

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (USA)
Photos by The Cedar Tree Institute