Holy one, we come to you from many lands.
Today I raise my voice in prayer from the country of the Dja Dja Wurrung people, who have cared for this land, along with you, for time immemorial.
God the creator of all, Christ the redeemer of all, and Holy Spirit who sustains us all. In you we live and move and have our being. You hold all of creation together, and without your breath, all would perish.
Creator God you made a very good world, full of abundance and flourishing. We have rejected and abused this gift. Instead of living within the finite limits of this world, so that all might flourish, we in rich countries are using so many resources that many planets would be required for everyone to live like us. This is only made possible by the suffering of both people and planet. Yet rather than curb our lifestyles, we fantasize about leaving Earth and settling Mars. And after Mars, probably some other planet, as we seek to plough a trail of destruction throughout your universe. These feelings of greed, the fear of not having enough and the desire to acquire ever more are not of you. The impulse to take land and resources from others, that has driven colonisation and the suffering of first peoples around the world is not of you. Our filling of the God shaped hole within us with things, is not of you. You are the God of Sabbath, Jubilee and Shalom. You are the God of enough.
Justice bringer, forgive us for all we have done to harm your world, and for all we have not done to care for it. Forgive us for putting our own comfort above the survival of our neighbours, both human and non. Help us to walk in deeper discipleship with you, caring for all you have made, working for reconciliation and renewal and speaking up for life in the corridors of power.
Holy one, bring us to repentance. Let us turn from what is evil to what is good. Let us discover you again in nature and in your creation and creatures. Let us find our peace in you.
Creator God - hear our prayer.
Written by Jessica Morthorpe for the Common Grace Prayer Vigil for Earth Overshoot Day, 22 March 2021.
Jess is a Christian environmentalist with a passion for endangered species, eco-theology and helping the Australian church to care for creation. Jess is the founder and director of the Five Leaf Eco-Awards, an ecumenical environmental awards program for churches and religious organisations. She is also a member of Common Grace's Creation and Climate Justice Team.