God of creation,

we thank you for today’s beautiful images

of the heavenly city.

We pray that, in the world you have made,

there will be, once again,

streams and rivers as bright as crystal.

We pray that our forests and jungles with thrive,

that magnificent trees will be left to grow.

We pray for a world of gates left open,

so that all may come and go in peace.

We pray for plentiful, ethically produced food,

And for the healing of the nations. 

We pray for you church,

that it will be a place worthy of being called your home;

a place where your commandment to love

is held at the centre of everything.

Forgive us when we are exclusive,

judgemental and self-righteous.

Help us to walk in your ways,

to live as individuals and together,

as you have shown us –

to be with people, alongside people,

and to love as you love us.

We pray for all for whom peace seems far away:

for people living in places of violence:

for all for whom life is uncertain – 

the foundations crumbling away.

We pray for those who are ill,

for those who are frail,

for people struggling to make ends meet,

for those who are homeless.

We pray for those who have died recently,

and those who will die today:

meet them with love

and guide them to paradise, we pray.

And we thank you for the echoes of paradise

in the world around us;

for the glimpses of Eden 

which this month of May seems to bring;

for the froth of blossom and cow parsley,

for luscious greenness, 

for the light mornings and evenings,

for nature’s abundance.

Give us hearts to wonder

and fill our lips with praise. Amen

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