Creation Appreciation Sunday
First Reading: Psalm 104:1-24 (select verses)
1 Praise the Lord, my soul.
Lord my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.
10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,
and plants for people to cultivate—
bringing forth food from the earth:
15 wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,
and bread that sustains their hearts.
24 How many are your works, Lord!
In wisdom you made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.
L: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Creation Appreciation Prayer (read responsively)
“O Lord, How Majestic is Your Name!”
L: O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!
You have set Your glory above the heavens.
C: We praise You for the sky that stretches wide,
For the stars that sing silently,
For the moon that marks our seasons,
And the sun that warms the earth.
L: We thank You for rivers and rain, for mountains and meadows,
For forests that whisper Your secrets,
And deserts that reflect Your power.
C: We praise You for every creature—
From the smallest ant to the soaring eagle,
From the fish that dart through the sea
To the deer that leap through the woods.
L: Teach us to see Your fingerprints in every leaf,
To hear Your voice in the wind,
To feel Your mercy in the morning dew.
C: Forgive us when we forget to notice.
Forgive us when we consume without thanks,
And pollute without thought.
Renew in us a heart of gratitude.
L: Make us faithful stewards, not just for our sake,
But for generations to come.
Fill us with wonder and reverence,
That we may walk gently upon Your earth.
C: The earth is Yours, O Lord—
And we are Yours too.
Help us to rejoice, to restore, and to remember:
You are the Creator, the Sustainer, the Redeemer.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen
Second Reading: Genesis 2:4-7
4These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up — for the Lord GOD had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; 6but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground — 7then the Lord GOD formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.
L: The word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Matthew 6:25-34
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
A: The gospel of the Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.