The liturgy below is for the Midday Prayer gathering (via Zoom) on July 24 at 12 pm (PDT). If you are unable to join us at that time, you can use the Soundcloud playlist linked on this page to sing the songs, which you will encounter as you pray through the liturgy. Past Midday Prayer liturgies will also be linked from this page.

If you would like to receive email reminders for further Midday Prayer gatherings this summer, along with Zoom login details, please click the 'Receive Chapel Updates' button on this page.

Prayers for Creation Care

Adapted from Seeds of the Kingdom: Common Prayers for Ordinary Time

Gloria

Glory be to the Father,
    and to the Son,
    and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
    and will be forever.
Amen.

Prayer of Affirmation

Praise be to you, O God,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and blessed all that comes from it,
    who gives breath to the people upon it,
    and spirit to those who walk in it.

All Creatures of Our God and King

Lyrics: St. Francis of Assisi (translation: William H. Draper)
Tune (Lasst Uns Erfreunen): unknown

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
Oh, praise him! Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
Oh, praise him! Oh, praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in heaven along
Oh, praise him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn in praise rejoice
Ye lights of evening find a voice
Oh, praise him! Oh, praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear
Make music for thy Lord to hear
Oh, praise him! Alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright
That givest us both warmth and light
Oh, praise him! Oh, praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

And all ye ones of tender heart
Forgiving others, take your part
Oh, praise him! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear
Praise God and on him cast your care
Oh, praise him! Oh, praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless
And worship him in humbleness
Oh, praise him! Alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son
And praise the Spirit, Three-in-One
Oh, praise him! Oh, praise him!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Prayer of Orientation

Bless the Lord, Creator and Giver of all life.
Bless the Lord, rising sun, noonday sun, setting sun.
Bless the Lord, mighty winds that lift and bend,
    and whisper in our ears.
Bless our God, now and forever.
Fill the earth with God’s glory!

Bless the Lord, all cedars and pines—solid and green;
    arbutus trees stripped bare—naked and smooth.
Bless the Lord, red-hooded woodpeckers, elegant herons,
    and all birds who feed and sing.
Bless the Lord, chirping crickets, stinging bees,
    and every creeping thing.
Bless our God, now and forever.
Fill the earth with God’s glory!

Bless the Lord, barnacles, mussels, saltwater air,
    silky waves covering our skin.
Bless the Lord, O magnificent creation,
    which beckons us into the love story of God.
Bless our God, now and forever.
Fill the earth with God’s glory!

Scripture | Psalm 104:1-18, 27-35 (NRSV)

Bless the LORD, O my soul.
    O LORD my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with honor and majesty,
    wrapped in light as with a garment.
You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
    you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
    you ride on the wings of the wind,
you make the winds your messengers,
    fire and flame your ministers.

You set the earth on its foundations,
    so that it shall never be shaken.
You cover it with the deep as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.
At your rebuke they flee;
    at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys
    to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
    so that they might not again cover the earth.

You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
    they flow between the hills,
giving drink to every wild animal;
    the wild asses quench their thirst.
By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation;
    they sing among the branches.
From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
    the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

You cause the grass to grow for the cattle,
    and plants for people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
    and wine to gladden the human heart,
oil to make the face shine,
    and bread to strengthen the human heart.
The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
    the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

In them the birds build their nests;
    the stork has its home in the fir trees.
The high mountains are for the wild goats;
    the rocks are a refuge for the coneys. . .

These all look to you
    to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
    when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.

When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
    when you take away their breath, they die
    and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
    and you renew the face of the ground.

May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
    may the LORD rejoice in his works—
who looks on the earth and it trembles,
    who touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live;
    I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    for I rejoice in the LORD.
Let sinners be consumed from the earth,
    and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, O my soul.
Praise the LORD!

Reflection

Taken from Charles Ringma's Hear the Ancient Wisdom (Wipf & Stock, 2013)

Listening Silence

In silence, we make space to listen to God’s voice, breathe in God’s Spirit, and centre ourselves with God.

Prayer of Gratitude and Confession

Maker God: Artisan of all that is,
You have spread out your creation
    like a great quilt,
    like a great feast,
That we might delight in all your works—
    flight, photosynthesis, rain, salmon, comets,
    green beetles, gravity, glaciers, geese.
How much more mysterious and wonderful are you
    than all your handiworks.
Nothing we can make matches the craft of
    just one leaf, a drop of dew,
    a downy feather, a single-cell amoeba.

Forgive us—
For we have made our own light,
    and cannot see the stars.
We have covered your earth with concrete
    and separated ourselves from the beauty of your creation.
We eat quickly from plastic cartons
    and forget where our food comes from.
We fail to give thanks
    for the lives that provide us with life.

Still, Lord, you wrap us in beauty;
    You feed us with abundance.
Let us be astonished.
Amen.

Kyrie

We come to God
    aware of our own sinfulness
    and our failure to regard and care for your creation
    as we should;
and so we pray for God’s mercy and forgiveness:

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on my community.
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on the world.

Absolution

May the God of love and power
    forgive us and free us from our sins,
    heal and strengthen us by the Holy Spirit,
    and raise us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayers of Intercession

We pray for your groaning creation to thrive . . .

We pray for those who steward your creation . . .

We pray for those who create beauty . . .

The Lord's Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
    hallowed be your name,
    your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
        on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom
    and the power
    and the glory,
    forever and ever.
Amen.

Prayer of Affirmation

Praise be to you, O God,
    who created the heavens and stretched them out,
    who spread out the earth and blessed all that comes from it,
    who gives breath to the people upon it,
    and spirit to those who walk in it.

He Shall Reign

© 2008 Tom Wuest, Brass Trumpet Publishing

Come broken, come captive
Come all you who mourn
O groaning creation, rejoice
A child, a savior
Our healing he brings
What freedom! What consolation!

    He shall reign (He shall reign)
    He shall reign
    He shall reign (He shall reign)
    He shall reign

    He shall reign (He shall reign)
    He shall reign
    He shall reign (He shall reign)
    He shall reign

He’ll order his kingdom
With justice and peace
O merciful one, O Lamb of God
All nations, all people
All heaven and earth
Will bow down and to him proclaim

    Él reinará (Él reinará)
    Él reinará
    Él reinará (Él reinará)
    Él reinará

    Él reinará (Él reinará)
    Él reinará
    Él reinará (Él reinará)
    Él reinará

    He shall reign (He shall reign)
    He shall reign
    He shall reign (He shall reign)
    He shall reign

Blessing

God bless the earth that is beneath us,
    the sky that is above us,
    the day that lies before us,
    your image deep within us. Amen.

Go in peace
    to love and serve the Lord.