Lord, God of heaven and earth,
the gift of life that you have shared with us
is sustained and nurtured by the world
in which we live.
If we, as your human family,
cherish our world and learn to share its goods,
there will be enough for us all,
not just to survive but to thrive.
Purify us, O Lord,
of the greed and selfishness
that anxiously drive us to acquire
that which we really don’t need,
and misuse or deplete,
that which others may require to survive.
Teach us, O Lord,
that we are valued for who we are in your sight,
and not for what we have in the eyes of others.
Bless us with a generous spirit and
a servant’s heart,
that you may rejoice in having entrusted
this world, our home, to our safekeeping.
May you be praised by how we treat the earth
and one another.
Hear us, through Jesus, your Son,
who walked our land,
lived in our world,
and gave his life that all may be transformed
and given as gift to you, now and forever.
Amen.
Adapted from The People's Prayer Book, © RENEW International.