Prayer

Litany of Jesus and the Earth

by A Rocha

 

Jesus, Lord of the Earth

By you all things were created

All creeping things, all flying things,

All living things, all dying things,

The highest hills, the deepest seas,

The strongest gale, the slightest breeze,

The blossom on a cherry tree,

A spinning spider’s artistry,

The smell of dry earth after rain,

Each cell within a human brain,

Each fallen leaf, each towering pine,

Reveals your intricate design.

Creator Lord, we stand amazed,

And for your earth, we give you praise:

Jesus, Lord of the Earth

By you all things were created

Jesus, Lord of the Earth

For you all things were created

The smoothest pebble on the shore,

Detritus on the forest floor,

The undiscovered depths of space,

The wrinkles on a baby’s face;

Each sparrow and each human hair

Is numbered and is in your care,

All iron and oil and diamonds too,

Whilst used by us, belong to you,

Forgive us Lord, for we forget,

All things are yours, and yet,

Provider Lord, we stand amazed,

And with your earth, we give you praise:

Jesus, Lord of the Earth

For you all things were created

Jesus, Lord of the Earth

In you all things hold together

All of earth’s greatest mysteries,

And all our personal histories,

Each planet and each grain of sand,

You hold them in your nail-scarred hands,

You feed the birds and clothe the flowers,

You warm the soil and send the showers,

You sound the rhythms of the earth,

Of tides and seasons, death and birth,

It is for you creation sings,

The head, the centre of all things,

Sustainer Lord, we stand amazed,

And with your earth, we give you praise:

Jesus, Lord of the Earth

In you all things hold together

Jesus, Lord of the earth

In you all things are made new

Lord God before all time began,

Yet you became a Son of Man,

You stepped into the world you made,

A world once good, now spoilt, decayed,

As Son of Man your death reversed

The chaos of creation’s curse,

The earth itself quaked on that day,

Released from bondage to decay,

All things are reconciled to you,

Creation’s hope is born anew.

Redeemer Lord, we stand amazed

And with your earth, we give you praise.

Jesus, Lord of the earth

In you all things are made new

A Rocha

Environment Sunday 2004, ‘Jesus and the Earth’