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Some Prayers of
Creation
Here are some of our
prayers in the modern Celtic tradition which can be
used in church services or personal devotions,
preferably when out of doors. We hope you find them
useful and include suggestions for Bible readings
which you might read and meditate on beforehand.
While we always retain copyright, you are welcome to
copy and amend them for use in one-off services.
These prayers need to
be read very, very slowly. You should not be afraid
of making long pauses at colons, semi-colons and
full stops so there is time to absorb the inner
simplicity of these prayers and to grasp any deeper
meaning.
A morning prayer
Suggested reading: Psalm 95 v1-6
We praise you:
For the
rising sun that warms us and brings
life and growth to this cold earth;
For the morning dew that freshens
the grass and flowers of the fields;
For the gathering light so we can
see and marvel at your Creation.
We
bless you:
For the
love of Christ that casts out fear
and grants us hope;
For the light of Christ that
gladdens our hearts and brings us
cheer;
For the strength of Christ so we may
overcome whatever may befall us.
And we thank you:
For those we love; for all we will receive of your
bounty; and for your presence with us every hour;
this day and always.
A prayer at a holy well
or by running water
Suggested reading: John 4: v13-14
& 23-24
Creating
Spirit, our lives are but a barren
desert without you;
Redeeming Spirit, we yearn for you as
dry fields yearn for rain;
Holy Spirit, you offer new life to souls
made dry and weary by this world’s woes;
O Holy
Trinity, pour your grace into our hearts
so we may be refreshed and renewed; help
us to enrich and enliven your Church in
this land made holy by our Celtic saints
- our forefathers and mothers in the
faith - a true spring of water welling
up to eternal life with you forever.
A prayer on a hill or
mountain
Suggested reading: Matthew 17: v1-8
Lord
Jesus, you led your disciples up on to a
high place to see you radiant in your
glory;
We praise you for the splendour of
Creation which here surrounds us.
Help us to see your beauty in every tree
and flower,
Your death and glorious resurrection in
the rhythm and seasons of the earth;
Inspire us by your Holy Spirit to work
together to protect all you helped to
create;
This day and always.
A prayer where ashes
have been scattered or at a funeral
Suggested readings: Psalm 8, 65,100 or
148
In the
sun we feel the warmth of your great
love for us;
In the moon we see the gentle
radiance of your glory;
In the stars we catch a glimpse of
your infinite majesty and
greatness.
Yet in
the dew we can see the sparkle of
sweat on your brow;
In the grass of the fields run our
fingers through your hair;
And in the streams we hear your
voice softly speaking words of love
to us.
In
every flower we smell your
fragrance;
In each bird’s song hear your sweet
call;
In every tree we can touch your face
and hold you close;
And in the earth be made one with
you again one day forever.
A prayer before a
crucifix
Suggested
reading: Mark 15: v1-39
With arms
outstretched and in deep humility, let
us pray to the Lord.
My Lord and
Saviour, confronted by the wounds of
your passion, we pray for the world you
died to redeem.
For your wounded hands in yet more new
roads driven through fields and
woodlands;
For your tortured feet in ever-more
sprawling cities;
For your piercéd side in smoking
chimneys and land fill sites.
For company
directors who betray you and condemn
you;
For politicians who shout “Crucify him!”
in the name of progress;
For property developers who play dice to
build on fields that clothe you in their
beauty.
Forgive
them, Lord, for they know not what they
do.
Hold your
cross before them; hold them with your
wounded hands;
Let them touch your tortured feet; let
them kiss your piercéd side.
Then may
they too see you crucified in your
Creation and turn from sin and be saved.
Pebble
prayer
Suggested
reading: Psalm 51 or 139
(to be said
meditatively while holding a pebble from
the beach)
This stone
has ground against others for many years
to be made this smooth thing of beauty;
I ask forgiveness for hurting those who
love me;
I repent of the harm I have done to
others;
I am sorry for marring your image in
me.
Rub away my
hard edges and shape my personality;
Smooth the roughness in my heart;
And dull the sharpness of my tongue;
Fashioned
me into the likeness of Christ so I too
may become a thing of beauty.
Caim prayer
Suggested
reading: Psalms 25, 31, 46, 61, or 91 (parts
thereof)
(such prayers are
said traditionally when drawing a protective
circle around oneself in times of danger)
Mighty One,
you are my faithful companion on the
path I walk; my stout staff to lean on;
a firm rock on which I can rest:
Surround me now with your great power;
Encircle me with your love;
Defend me on every side from all the
assaults of my enemies.
So keep me
safe within your ramparts until I reach
my journey’s end and I am safe with you
forever.
Beach
prayer
Suggested
reading: Ezekiel Ch 37 v1-10
I pray for
those this world has crushed and
defeated; those who now cling to life as
the dry, knotted seaweed clings to these
rocks.
Cover them by the tide of your concern;
Immerse them in the waves of your love;
Drown them with the sea of your
presence.
Then may
they then dance to and fro once more in
the clear, sparking waters of your
Spirit and be made new.
A prayer in
the autumn of life
Suggested
reading: Ecclesiastes Ch 11; Psalms 4, 16, 90,
121, 143
Strong One,
protect me as I grow older:
From the demons of despair when I am
lonely;
From the spirits of those whose hearts
are false;
From the Adversary, the Evil One, who
would make me fall.
And Mighty Michael, Protector of
Cornwall, captain of the angelic host,
defend me too on every side.
Send forth
my guardian angels, the holy ones
appointed to defend and protect me
through the dark nights of my soul.
So may I
rest in peace this day, this night and
always, and rise one day in light
eternal.
A prayer as night falls
Suggested readings: Psalm 4, 46 or 91
As the
setting sun reddens the western sky,
we bless you;
As the moon rises in the east to
greet the coming night, we worship
you;
As another day draws to an end and
the evening stars appear, we praise
you.
This
night the seas will rise and sweep
clean sands whose beauty has been
marred by restless footsteps;
Restore your image in us, Lord, as
we sleep, which we have wounded by
our foolishness and greed;
Bless and protect us, Lord, and
those we love;
Grant us a quiet night and a perfect
end, so may we greet you,
come the dawn, with hearts and minds
made new.
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