09/03/2026
The Season of Creation - Sept. 1 to Oct. 4th.
Special Liturgy for Wednesday Evening Prayer Service.
The following was used during last evening's prayer service and I anticipate we will use it until October 4th. So here is the text of the service if you want to follow along on YouTube.
Evening Prayer
Opening Sentences
The Officiant may open the service with one of the following
The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Psalm 19:1
The pastures of the wilderness overflow; the hills gird themselves with joy; the meadows clothe themselves with flocks; the valleys deck themselves with grain; they shout and sing together for joy. Psalm 65:12-13
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar and all that fills it; let the field exult and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Psalm 96:11-12
Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the skies rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation may spring up, and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also. Isaiah 45:8
Confession of Sin
The Deacon or Officiant may say
Let us confess our sins against God and all Creation.
Merciful and sustaining God, we have sinned against you.
We confess our lack of gratitude for the beauty and bounty of your creation: teach us to see that your earth sustains us and all that lives.
We confess that we have misused your earth:
grant us amendment of life.
We confess that we have been intemperate in our appetites: strengthen us in self-control.
We confess that we have taken the abundance of your world for granted: make us urgent now for its protection.
Forgive and renew us now through our Savior Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, with whom you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Absolution
Almighty God have mercy on you/us, forgive you/us all your sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen you/us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you/us in eternal life. Amen.
The Invitatory and Psalter
Officiant This is the day the Creator has made.
People Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Officiant and People
Glory to the Source, Wisdom, and Breath of Creation *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Invitatory Psalms for Creation
148 Laudate Dominum
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD from the heavens; *
praise him in the heights.
2 Praise him, all you angels of his; *
praise him, all his host.
3 Praise him, sun and moon; *
praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, heaven of heavens, *
and you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Name of the LORD; *
for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He made them stand fast for ever and ever; *
he gave them a law which shall not pass away.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, *
you sea-monsters and all deeps;
8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, *
tempestuous wind, doing his will;
9 Mountains and all hills, *
fruit trees and all cedars;
10 Wild beasts and all cattle, *
creeping things and wingèd birds;
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, *
princes and all rulers of the world;
12 Young men and maidens, *
old and young together.
13 Let them praise the Name of the LORD, *
for his Name only is exalted,
his splendor is over earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up strength for his people
and praise for all his loyal servants, *
the children of Israel, a people who are near him.
Hallelujah!
The Psalm of the Day
Officiant and People
Glory to the Source, Wisdom, and Breath of Creation *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Lessons
After each Lesson the Reader may say
Hear what the Spirit is saying to all God’s Creation.
Canticles
Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For in him all things in heaven and on earth were created: things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers;
all things have been created through him and for him.
He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
And he is the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead,
so that he might come to have first place in everything.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him God was pleased
to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
by making peace through the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:15-20)
Holy God, you alone are unutterable,
from the time you created all things that can be spoken of.
You alone are unknowable,
from the time you created all things that can be known.
All things cry out about you:
those that speak, and those that cannot speak.
All things honor you:
those that think, and those that cannot think.
For there is one longing, one groaning,
which all things have for you.
All things that comprehend your plan
pray to you and offer you a silent hymn.
In you, the One, all things abide,
and all things endlessly run to you who are the end of all. Amen.37
Gregory of Nazianzus, Bishop of Constantinople, c. 389
The Creed
Profession of Faith (South Indian)
We believe in God, who creates all things, who embraces all things, who celebrates all things, who is present in every part of the fabric of creation.
We believe in God as the source of all life, who baptizes this planet with living water.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the suffering one, the poor one, the malnourished one, the climate refugee, who loves and cares for this world
and who suffers with it.
And we believe in Jesus Christ, the seed of life, who came to reconcile and renew this world and everything in it.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of God, who moves with God and who moves among and with us today.
We believe in everlasting life in God.
And we believe in the hope that one day
God will put an end to death and all destructive forces.55
The Prayers
The officiant may introduce the prayer with one of the following
Officiant May God be with all Creation.
People And restore us to harmony.
Officiant Let us pray.
Officiant In God all Creation lives, moves, and has being.
People Indeed we all are God’s offspring.
Officiant Therefore let us pray.
The Lord’s Prayer
Leader Our Father [and/or: Mother] in heaven
People You are also at home in the air, soil, forests and oceans
Leader Hallowed be your name
People By the care we take of your Creation
Leader Your kingdom come
People All that you see is good
Leader Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven
People Your will to till and care
Leader Give us this day our daily bread
People That all may have enough to live life in fullness
Leader Forgive us our trespasses
People Our greed, our exploitation, our lack of concern for other species and for future generations
Leader As we forgive those who trespass against us
People By reconciliation with justice and peace.
Leader Lead us not into temptation
People The temptation to equate dominion with exploitation
Leader And deliver us from evil
People The evil of destroying your gift of creation
Leader For yours is the kingdom
People Yours, Lord, not ours
Leader The power and the glory
People In the cross and resurrection
Leader For ever and ever
People You are the beginning and you are the end. Amen. (So be it)31
Suffrages B
V. Heal your Creation, O God, and bless your offspring;
R. Guide and sustain your creatures, now and always.
V. Day by day your Creation blesses you;
R. We join our voices to praise your Name for ever.
V. O God, unite us with all Creation in harmony;
R. Have compassion on our failings, O God.
V. O God, show us your love and sustaining power;
R. For your creatures live and move only in you.
V. In you, O God, is our hope;
R. And your Creation shall never hope in vain.
Collects
Collect of the Day
Collect for the Healing of Creation
Gracious God, the air sings with songs of glory, water flashes silver with creation, and the forests bloom with leaves for healing nations. May your light and love fill our hearts and souls and minds, that we may share your abundant grace with the world. Amen.33
Collect from Honoring God in Creation, Form 1
Gracious God: Grant that your people may have in them the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, and guide us into harmony of relationship through loving-kindness and the wise use of all that you have given; for you are drawing all things into communion with you and with each other by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Blessed are you, God of growth and discovery; yours is the inspiration that has altered and changed our lives; yours is the power that has brought us to new dangers and opportunities. Set us, your new creation, to walk through this new world, watching and learning, loving and trusting, until your kingdom comes. Amen.
Four Collects from Prayers for an Inclusive Church40
Collect for Harvest A (Luke 12:16-30)
Demanding God, you call us to account for the use of your gifts: pull down the storehouses of accumulated greed which impoverish people and despoil the earth; put our hands to work sowing the seeds and reaping the growth of justice, thanksgiving and praise; through Jesus Christ, the Lord of the harvest.
Amen.
Collect for Harvest C (John 6:25-35)
God, whose word is ingrained in all we eat and drink; free us from the consumption that destroys the roots of life; teach us to eat the living bread in whom all hungers are satisfied by the life that gives of itself and is never consumed; through Jesus Christ, the Lord of the harvest.
Amen.
Collects from Honoring God in Creation41
God, the source and destiny of the cosmos
Author of creation: In wisdom you brought forth all that is, to participate in your divine being, and to change, adapt, and grow in freedom. You make holy the matter and energy of the universe that it may delight you and give you praise.
We thank you for gathering all creation into your heart by the energy of your Spirit and bringing it through death to resurrection glory; through the One in whom all things have their being, Jesus Christ, your Wisdom and your Word. Amen.
The kinship and unity of all creation in Christ
God, maker of marvels, you weave the planet and all its creatures together in kinship; your unifying love is revealed in the interdependence of relationships in the complex world that you have made. Save us from the illusion that humankind is separate and alone, and join us in communion with all inhabitants of the universe; through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who topples the dividing walls by the power of your Holy Spirit, and who lives and reigns with you, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Called to be God’s partners in the care of the planet
Bountiful God, you call us to labor with you in tending the earth: Where we lack love, open our hearts to the world; where we waste, give us discipline to conserve; where we neglect, awaken our minds and wills to insight and care. May we with all your creatures honor and serve you in all things, for you live and reign with Christ, Redeemer of all, and with your Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever Amen.
A Collect for Mission
Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love's sake. Amen.
Intercessory Prayers for Creation48
Loving God, even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she places her young near Your altar. You are attentive to all you have made.
God, who listens to every living thing, Help us listen as you do.
Loving God, help us provide refuge to every animal and plant with whom we live. Help us be attentive to all you have made.
God, in whom all creation subsists, Help us listen as you do.
Loving God, when Jesus cried out and gave up his Spirit, the earth shook and the rocks split. You are known by the whole of Creation that listens to you.
God, to whom all creation responds, Help us respond to you.
Loving God, help us hear and know you just as the earth and rocks do. Help us to learn from the way in which we see Creation recognize your glorious beauty.
God, to whom all creation responds, Help us respond to you.
Loving God, you are present in your Creation and seek to heal her wounds. You can be found walking in the garden. Open our eyes to see you, the gardener.
God, who is present with your Creation, Help us be present too.
Loving God, we often abandon your creation and cause its wounds. Help us to follow in your footsteps and learn to walk in the garden like you.
God, who is present with your creation, Help us be present too.
Loving God, who hears every voice, knows each cry of injustice, and is attentive to the suffering of the earth: teach us to listen. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may listen to the world you have created and not close ourselves off from it. Reveal to us the ways in which we have failed to hear your voice in how we treat the earth.
God, who listens to every living thing, Help us listen as you do. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord, Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God, Alleluia, alleluia!
Concluding Sentence
The Officiant may conclude with one of the following
All things came into being through the Word, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. Amen. John 1:3-4
With all wisdom and insight God has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Amen. Ephesians 1:8-10
Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation, for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. Amen. Colossians 1:15-16
In Christ all things hold together. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Amen. Colossians 1:17b, 19
