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Praying for the Earth: Remembering the Environment in our Prayers of Intercession

Publisher:
, 2021
ISBN: 9781789591378
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Prayers for the environment are often missing from the intercessions in church on a Sunday morning, perhaps because we struggle to find the right words. Praying for the Earth is a resource for congregations and for individual Christians who believe that environmental concerns should be an integral part of the public and private prayers of all Christian people.

The book is intended to be used as a supplement to the prayers of intercession in church on Sunday, and by individuals in their private prayers, so that praying for the earth becomes an “ordinary” part of our spiritual and daily life, rather than something that happens on a special occasion.

The book may be used by those who lead intercessions in public worship, by groups of Christians whenever they pray together, and by individual Christians in their personal prayers.  The prayers may be used unchanged, or adapted, or as an inspiration for praying in one’s own words.

This collection of economically written prayers, each beautifully crafted for spoken delivery and strongly focused on one of a comprehensive set of issues (alphabetically from ‘access to the countryside’ to ‘wind energy’), provides an excellent resource for ‘remembering the environment in our prayers of intercession’, as Kelsey’s subtitle puts it. For any readers still seeking justification for this enterprise, Bishop Nicholas Holtam’s foreword asserts that the other Anglican marks of mission make no sense without an integrated commitment to the integrity of creation; and Kelsey includes a sermon underpinned by a bold theology of redemption as recycling. Sensitive to the needs and appetites of different users of its materials, the book flexibly offers weekly and monthly cycles of prayer, as well as prayers for ‘times and seasons’ and for special occasions. Some readers might look for a stronger emphasis on protest and social action, or a more explicit focus on the implications of environmental damage for the globally poorest communities, but the book insists on Christians giving sustained prayerful attention to caring for the earth as ‘a missionary imperative’.

“We naturally pray for what we care about, and care more for what we pray about” is the premise on which Praying for the Earth is based.

Rob Kelsey was the Environment Officer for the Church of England diocese of Newcastle when the precursor of this book came into being. It has grown from a small booklet of prayers compiled by members of the Newcastle Diocesan Environment Group to a fully-fledged book. Following an introduction by the Bishop of Salisbury, there is an inspiring essay on why Christians should pray for the Earth, and a section on how to use the prayers in the context of worship as well as for personal prayer time, which I found particularly helpful.

The Five Marks of Mission of the Anglican Communion include as the fifth mark: “safeguarding the integrity of creation and sustaining and renewing the life of the earth”. This aspect of mission is frequently ignored or forgotten in Church life and particularly, in my observation, in the intercessions. Here those who offer prayers pray for the Church, the global and local community; the sick, and the dead are remembered; but prayers are usually very centred on human beings. There is little or no attention given to the rest of Creation, still less to our part in abusing and exploiting what God has created and which we are called to sustain and renew. If we care about Creation, this should be heard in the prayers of the church.

This collection of short prayers provides a rich resource to ensure that praying for the environment, environmental care and sustainability is included in our intercessory prayers. Some of the prayers are based on passages of scripture, others relate to specific seasons and times, some are intended for use during the week and others, on a two monthly cycle of prayers, cover various topics with a link to the environment. I like the fact that the language used is simple and straightforward and goes to the heart of what we should, as a praying community, be attending to.

I will certainly be encouraging those responsible for preparing intercessions at my church to make use of this book.

 

THIS IS a welcome resource for those who believe that ecological concerns should be an integral part of Christian prayer. It has emerged from the Revd Rob Kelsey’s work over ten years as leader of the Environment Group in the Diocese of Newcastle. Starting with the suggestion that intercessory prayer involves ‘remembering others in the presence of God,’ he outlines four principal reasons why we Christians should pray for the earth: (1) to share in God’s delight in the creation and God’s concern for all of it, not just for humanity; (2) to align our wills with God’s, thereby opening ourselves to being challenged and motivated to act; (3) to give voice, as the only creatures gifted with language, to the ceaseless, wordless praise that the whole creation o ers to its Creator; (4) to learn a less anthropocentric way of praying that will raise our awareness of ecological issues. 
 
Writing this review in the week that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its red alert to our world, this beautifully written collection of earth-conscious prayers seems providentially timely. The prayers are presented in several cycles: a weekly one where the themes correspond to the seven-day creation account in Genesis, two monthly cycles, and another based on the liturgical year. A helpful index enables users to find prayers that touch on concrete issues such as air pollution, decarbonisation, reduction of rainforests, re-use and recycling. 
 
 I would highly recommend this book, especially to those who prepare the General Intercessions, but to anyone who wishes to make earth-care part of their daily Christian commitment. Praying for the Earth is a gift to the Church of scripturally grounded prayers in natural, contemporary language that frequently attains a genuinely poetic lyricism. The prayers are expertly crafted for being read aloud. Their succinctness — a crucial quality of liturgical speech — makes such a refreshing change from the rambling outpourings so often in icted on congregations. A copy of this book should be found on every parish prayer desk.
 

This 100-page booklet provides the spiritual scaffolding for our prayers to help us change ourselves and our society so that we may take climate change seriously. … Anyone leading a creation-oriented service will find suitable prayers for any occasion. … I have not seen any other book of creation prayers so coherent and comprehensive as this. It would be a valuable purchase.

These simple, brief and heartfelt biddings cover a wide range of environmental themes. They are to the point without being “preachy”, and will help intercessors find the words which will lead congregations week by week to pray intentionally for the whole of God’s earth.

The contemplation of the universe should lead us not only to the adoration of our creator, but also to take better responsibility for our actions, including repenting of our damage to the environment and misuse of natural resources. I hope this selection of prayers helps shape the praying heart of the Church and enliven our discipleship.

This wonderful book fills a much-needed gap in the liturgical imagination of the contemporary Church.  Prayer for the earth has never been more needed, and yet churches, prayer groups and intercession leaders lack the resources to meet this need.  Rob Kelsey has produced a comprehensive, clear and well-planned prayer resource, rooted both in theology and in a knowledge of the practical exigencies of environmental care and global stewardship.  His introduction elegantly makes the entirely compelling case that prayer for the earth is not just desirable but necessary as an authentic expression of Christian faith.  This is a resource that ought to be widely used and deeply appreciated in the churches.

Prayerful thanksgiving for creation, as well as lamenting how humans are harming God’s gift to us, are imperatives for leading us to hope-filled action. Rob Kelsey’s beautifully crafted prayers, together with his clear outline for including environmental joys and concerns in our private devotions and public worship, are a must have resource for the Church at a time of climate and biodiversity emergency.

Robert Kelsey is Vicar of Norham, and Priest in Charge of Carham, Cornhill and Branxton, in the Diocese of Newcastle.

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    $4.49

    Digital list price: $5.99
    Save $1.50 (25%)