Lament & Hope: Prayers & Teaching for Justice and Peace

Birds ( w/ Birdsong)

February 13, 2022 Jon Swales
Lament & Hope: Prayers & Teaching for Justice and Peace
Birds ( w/ Birdsong)
Show Notes

Voice and Words by Jon Swales

Father of Creation,

God of Beauty,

You have created a world of wonder,

And you declared it to be good,

And it is good.

To you be all praise and glory.


The earth was formless

And Void,

The Wild Goose of Love hovered over the waters of the deep,

And you spoke and light and life was brought into being, 

And on the fifth day, 

You created every kind of bird that flies in the sky,

To you be all praise and glory. 


And birds join the symphony of praise,

That reaches to your throne.

They open their beaks,

Flap their wings,

& Perform waltz of wonder.


And birds join the symphony of praise,

The reaches to your throne 

Singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy

Is the Lord God almighty 

Who was, and is, and is to come.’


The Swallow and the Seagull,

The Parrot and the Peacock.

Flap their wings in reverent praise.


The Heron and the Hornbill,

The Condor and the Cuckoo,

Open their beaks to praise your name.


The Dove and the Duck,

The Sparrow and the Stork,

Flap their wings in reverent praise.


The Nightingale and the Nighthawk,

The Flamingo and the Falcon,

Open their beaks to praise your name.  


Father of Creation,

God of Beauty, 

We thank you for our feathered friends, 

Our co-worshippers,

For the joy and delight they bring,

For the role they play in balancing ecosystems. 

To you be all praise and glory.


Father of Creation,

God of Mercy,

We have entered the Anthropocene,

In which human activity affects

Global temperatures, 

Seasons, and

Weather systems.

We have betrayed our calling to tend and keep,

And instead in our arrogance and greed,

We have forsaken Eden and instead built Babel,

We confess our failings.

Lord have mercy.


Father of Creation. 

God of Justice,

Our behaviour not only jeopardises our futures

and the lives of the world's most vulnerable,

But it also has devastating effects on,

The Birds,

Our feathered co-worshippers. 

Lord have mercy. 


We lament and grieve that 

One in Eight bird species are threatened with extinction,

We lament and grieve that 40 % have declining populations


For those critically endangered 

Herald Petrel 

 Orange-bellied Parrot,

 Round Island Petrel,,

King Island Scrub Tit

Spotted Quail-thrush 

Yellow Chat  

Lord have mercy


For the many more endangered and vulnerable

Lord have mercy


Father of Creation, 

God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ,

Your Spirit descended as a dove,

To call and equip your Son to his kingdom witness,

So may we to filled with your Spirit,

So that in these difficult and dark days,

Of climate breakdown, ecological collapse and existential threat,

We would be those who support the lives and well-being creation,

The worlds most vulnerable,

And the Birds

For this is their home, this is our home,

An intricate web of beautiful biodiversity.


....


And birds join the symphony of praise,

The reaches to your throne 

Singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’

Os the Lord God almighty 

Who was, and is , and is to come.’


Amen