Heavenly Father, Creator Spirit.
We meet today here on the lands of the Ngunnawal, Ngambri, and Wiradjuri peoples, and acknowledge that their sovereignty has never been ceded. They have cared for country since time immemorial. May we all learn from their example.
The place where we stand is also the capital city of the lands that are now called Australia, and we gather to pray for the democratically elected leaders of this nation. We are grateful to live in a democracy, with free and fair elections, where the vote of the people and not the barrel of the gun decide the outcome of elections. We give thanks for stability, for order, and for the rule of law. We know that all authority comes from you and is therefore under you, so we pray now for our parliamentarians and senators.
We thank you for each and every one of them, for their sense of public duty and the common good, for their experience and their wisdom. We ask you to increase all of these in abundance, together with wisdom, to face the disruption that climate change brings, and to make just decisions for our future.
As your people we stand for truth; the truth of the gospel, and the truth that science reveals about your creation. We want all our elected officials to acknowledge the truth of climate change woven into each and every one of the beautifully hand knitted scarves we are gifting to them. May they acknowledge this truth in word and in policy.
We pray for wisdom, for boldness, for a spirit of innovation, and for courage. We pray for clear policy, rapid action, and bipartisan support to take us to a net zero economy.
Change is hard. In the church we call change repentance. We pray for a spirit of repentance so that we can move forward as a nation into a safer future for ourselves and our children.
These things we ask in the name of Jesus, the word of creation, and the reconciler of all things to yourself. Amen.
If using, please credit Dr Mick Pope as the author.
Dr Mick Pope is a lecturer in meteorology, Professor of Environmental Mission at Missional University, and a member of the Centre for Research in Religion and Social Policy at the University of Divinity.