Commontide

Preparation for Personal Prayer

Holy Spirit, breath of God and fire of love, I cannot pray without your aid: Kindle in me the fire of your love, and illumine me with your light; that with a steadfast will and holy thoughts I may approach the Father in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ my Lord, who reigns with you and the Father in eternal union. Amen.

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Commontide
Thanksgiving
Prayers

For the Beauty of the Earth

We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the wonder of your creatures, large and small; and for all the loveliness that surrounds us. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever.  Amen.

BCP 2019, p. 682

Provenance

ACNA 2019

Draft — AI-assisted research under editorial review.

A modern thanksgiving for the beauty of creation, composed for the 1979 American Book of Common Prayer and carried into Commontide's text through the Anglican Church in North America's 2019 revision, which widened its imagery from birds and flowers to "creatures, large and small."