I recently came across a prayer written by Sue Ellen Herne, a member of the Mohawk tribe. It is found in The United Methodist Book of Worship (#558). In this summer of record-breaking heat and wildfires across North America and Europe I found this a helpful prayer to offer each morning.
Thank you, Creator of the universe,
for people gathered around us today.
We give thanks for the things of the earth that give us the means of life.
Thank you for the plants, animals, and birds that we use as food and medicine.
Thank you for the natural world, in which we find the means to be clothed and housed.
Thank you, Lord, for the ability to use these gifts of the natural world.
Help us to see our place among these gifts,
not to squander them or think of them as means for selfish gain.
May we respect the life of all you have made.
May our spirits be strengthened by using only what we need,
and may we use our strength to help those who need us. Amen.
Grace and peace.
Rev. Steve Larsen