An Outline for Worship with Examples and Options for Adaptation and Use
Prepared by the National Council of the Churches of Christ
Acts of Confession
Litany of Confession
Leader: Giver of Life, in the midst of a plundered earth we groan with creation:
People: Have mercy on us.
Leader: Giver of Life, in the midst of poisoned waters we groan with creation:
People: Have mercy on us.
Leader: Giver of Life, in the midst of polluted air we groan with creation:
People: Have mercy on us.
Leader: Giver of Life, in the midst of mountains of waste we groan with creation:
People: Have mercy on us.
Leader: Giver of Life, in the midst of a world at war we groan with creation:
People: Have mercy on us.
Leader: Giver of Life, we who are made in the image of God have gone astray, and creation groans with us:
People: Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon us.
(Source: World Council of Churches' Seventh Assembly, Canberra, Australia, 1991. Used by permission.)
Litany of Confession
Leader: O Triune God, who yourself are justice for us and create justice, we thank you that you establish justice where injustice prevails. You have taken the side of the poor and oppressed who have no rights or whose rights are trampled underfoot. Forgive us our hesitations, our blindness, our deafness. Give us the strength by your spirit to share so that all may be filled. Teach us your purpose for us till your kingdom of justice comes.
People: Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy upon us).
Leader: O Triune God, who yourself are peace for us and create peace, let us be coworkers and peacemakers in the building of your peace and reconciliation. Tear down the walls of separation and division. Show us the promise of nonviolence. Transform hatred into love. Grant that we may see our enemies as neighbors and that we may learn your purpose for us till your kingdom of peace comes.
People: Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy upon us).
Leader: O Triune God, who created the universe so that all was good, teach us to understand that we are part of the creation, that we are your stewards in it. Make us instruments of the renewal of your creation. Teach us not to take more than we need, that the source of life may not run dry and we may preserve a future fit for our children and our children's children. Teach us your purpose for us till your new creation becomes a reality among us.
People: Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy upon us).
Leader: Let us commit ourselves to God and to one another to work for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation.
People: We who live by the love, grace, and forgiveness of God, whose lives are sustained by God's faithfulness, bind ourselves to each other in solidarity. May God who witnesses our commitment to stand together give us the grace to fulfill it.
(Source: World Council of Churches' Seventh Assembly, Canberra, Australia, 1991. Used by permission.)
Act of Confession and Assurance of Pardon
(Spoken in unison)
For the times we have failed to think of the harm done to air, water, land, plants, and animals,
Lord have mercy.
For failing to conserve energy,
Lord have mercy.
For ignoring our civic responsibilities
Lord have mercy.
For allowing ourselves to be saturated by the allurements of a consuming culture,
Lord have mercy.
For not living more simply so others could simply live,
Lord have mercy.
For failing to ask for forgiveness from God and creatures,
Lord have mercy.
For not being thankful for the many gifts God has given,
Lord have mercy.
(Adapted from "Eco-Church: An Action Manual" by Albert Fritsch with Angela ladavaia-Fox, Resource Publications Inc., 1992, p. 35. Used by permission.)
Leader: God says: "Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them,
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation." (Psalm 91:14-16)
Prayer of Confession and Declaration of Pardon
(Spoken in unison)
Creator of the universe, everything that we have comes from you. Abundantly you provide for our needs. Even before we speak, you know the deepest desires of our hearts. Graciousness and goodness are your nature. Yet we turn our backs on what is good. We greedily snatch the gifts you hold out to us and hoard them for ourselves alone. We trample upon the works of your hands. Selfishness and greed mark our footsteps. We leave a trail of waste and destruction behind us. What is meant for good, we use for evil. Forgive us, gracious God, and give us a special concern for your world.
Leader: The good news is this: In Christ we are reconciled and re-created.
People: Praise be to God.
Leader: Let us this day take the time to enjoy our relationship with our Creator made possible in our Savior Jesus Christ and to appreciate the goodness of the creation.
People: We declare this day to be a Sabbath unto God, a day of rest for all creation.
(Source: "Healing and Defending God's Creation: Hands on! Practical Ideas for Congregations, Vol. 1," Presbyterian Church USA. Used by permission.)
A Litany of Thanksgiving, Confession, and Intercession
Leader: Thank you, God, for water, soil, and air, large gifts supporting everything that lives.
People: Forgive our spoiling and abuse of them. Help us renew the face of the earth.
Leader: Thank you, God, for minerals and ore--the basis of all building, wealth, and speed.
People: Forgive our reckless plundering and waste. Help us renew the face of the earth.
Leader: Thank you, God, for priceless energy, stored in each atom, and gathered from the sun.
People: Forgive our greed and carelessness of power. Help us renew the face of the earth.
Leader: Thank you, God, for weaving nature's life into a seamless robe, a fragile whole.
People: Forgive our haste, that tampers unawares. Help us renew the face of the earth.
Leader: Thank you, God, for making planet earth a home for us and ages yet unborn.
People: help us to share, consider, save, and store. Come and renew the face of the earth.
(Source: "Thank you, God, for Water, Soil, and Air," a hymn text by Brian Wren, "Rejoice in the Lord," #22. Used by permission.)