Lament & Hope: Prayers for Peace and Justice: Recent Episodes
Jon Swales
A podcast journey of prayer with a focus on the climate and ecological emergency based around Rev Jon Swales' book '26 Prayers for the Climate and Ecological Emergency' .https://atyourservice.arocha.org/en/26-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/ Endorsements for PCEE“ - 'Jon Swales has written a series of unflinchingly honest, yet hopeful prayers, addressed to the loving Creator and Redeemer of our broken world. These robustly Trinitarian prayers follow the biblical pattern of praise, confession, and petition, and may be used in personal devotion or communal liturgy. When read meditatively, as a means of Christian formation, these articulations of trust and pain, hope and grief, have the potential to align us with the heart of God.'- J. Richard Middleton, Ph.D.Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis- “We need Jon Swales at this time – pastor, servant, prophet, provocateur. Jon has the kind of gifts that can stir us out of complacency and paralysis on this defining issue of early 21st century discipleship – climate change. Class after class of our students have found Jon’s Old Testament teaching nothing short of inspirational, and his insistence on reclaiming the language of lament to be an epiphany. In these contemporary Psalms, Jon enables us to connect our deep fears and anxieties about the environment with the loving and listening presence of God. They are born out of a deep conviction that the Living God can hear and will act, but they also call us to a lifestyle of ongoing repentance which we are only just beginning to scope out. It’s important that these prayers are now getting an increasingly wider hearing.”-Rev Canon Dr Mark Powley, Principal, St Hild College- “These prayers are not to be read on paper. They are not for a dusty shelves nor to sit in a library. These prayers are to be lived. These words are to be embodied. These prayers are to be chanted on the streets. Sung while locked-on, glued-on, or sitting-in. Whispered while on trial. These prayers are to put our bodies where Christ is found so we might be Christ’s body in ways that move the mountains of injustice and usher in the beauty of God’s healing reign on earth. These prayers should come with a warning, they won’t leave our world the same.”-Jarrod McKenna, ( jarrodmckenna.com )
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words Rev'd Jon Swales
Music: Music Pixabay 'Mircea Lancu'
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https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/makros-v-jesus-of-nazareth
Words Jon Swales
Music: Pixabay , Rainy Sky Inspirational Motivational Background
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https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/gerasene
Words- Jon Swales
Music: Pixabay, A Call to the Soul, folk_acoustic_music
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Words Jon Swales
Music: Pixabay
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/billy
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Words : Jon Swales
Music: Pixabay, Onochenko Music
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-sermon-she-didn-t-know-she-needed
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Words- Jon Swales
Music: Pixabay , Samuel F Johanns, The Lament
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/grace-may-yet-win
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Words & Voice- Jon Swales
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-quiet-and-messy-revival
Music: Pixabay
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Words/Voice Rev'd Jon Swales
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-search
music: Pixabay Music Yevhenii Kovalenko 'Mellow Ambient/Piano
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Words: Jon Swales
Music: Pixabay , folk acoustic
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/i-hate-god-but-i-met-jesus
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Words- Jon Swales
Beats: Chris Sayburn
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/wild-goose-turkey-cold
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Words- Rev'd Jon Swales
Music: Pixabay 'Tomorrow Morning'
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/_held
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Words: Jon Swales
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/she-came-in-swearing
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words-Rev'd Jon Swales
Music. Music by Pablo Silver from Pixabay 'Piano y cello"
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/dancing-in-the-sea-a-lighthouse-poem
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Words- Rev'd Jon Swales
Beats: Sayburn
See https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-wrote-the-date-for-the-lad-who-once-lived-in-the-car-park-opposite-leeds-uni-a-true-story-framed
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Words- Jon Swales
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/swing-wide-the-doors
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words Rev'd Jon Swales
beats Sayburn 'Father'
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/he-set-himself-on-fire
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Words Jon Swales
Beats: Sayburn
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/ninety-nine-and-the-one-that-got-away
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Words- Rev'd Jon Swales
Beats: Sayburn
See https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/cupidatas
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Words- Rev'd Jon Swales
Beats- Chris Sayburn "Father'
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/no-one-can-snatch-me
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words- Rev'd Jon Swales
Beats, Chris Sayburn 'Passing By'
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/spikenard-ash
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words- Rev'd Jon Swales
beats- CHris Sayburn 'Waiting'
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-rejected-stone
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Words- Rev'd Jon Swales
Beats- Sayburn- 'Great Commision'
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/magnificat-in-the-gutter
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Words- Rev'd Jon Swales
Beats: Sayburn 'Passing by'
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/a-christian-without-tears
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Words: Rev'd Jon Swales
Blog Post. https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/cruciform-adaptation-a-call-to-the-church-in-a-time-of-unraveling
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Words: Rev'd Jon Swales
Beats: Chris Sayburn
blog post. https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/oscar-romero-a-saint-for-a-world-on-fire
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https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/a-canticle-for-a-burning-world
words Rev'd Jon Swales, 2025
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Words: Jon Swales
Music: Sad Emotional Piano- Copyright Free Music via YouTube
“Bats or great crested newts?”
“Neither, because I want growth,” Rachel Reeves. The Times Interview- Quick Fire Questions
——-
‘Bats or Great Crested Newts?’
‘Neither,
because I want growth.’
And the earth exhales,
a long, low breath,
threaded with dust and diesel.
Once, we were called to tend and keep,
to walk with care
among the creatures of feather and scale,
but now we measure worth
in units of concrete and steel.
The hum of engines drowns out
the song of the land.
Economic growth has become god,
its temples rising in glass and stone,
its gospel preached in numbers
that do not bleed or bloom.
The rivers hold their tongues,
the forests lean away,
and the bats,
those ancient scribes of dusk,
write their farewell
against a sky that forgets.
‘Neither,
because I want growth.’
Beneath the tarmac skin of the world,
the great crested newts wait,
pressed into the damp earth,
their stories unravelled
by a people who no longer listen.
They were here before us,
in the time when the land
was a gift, not a resource.
‘Neither,
because I want growth.’
But the wild ones know.
They whisper of a garden,
a covenant,
a calling shaped from soil and breath.
We were dust once,
and to dust we shall return—
but not before we have paved it all over.
‘Neither,
because I want growth.’
And the earth waits,
as it always has,
watches the rising towers
and falling wings,
feels the weight
of our forgetting.
Still, it murmurs beneath our feet,
a quiet, unbroken plea—
remember,
remember,
before all that remains
is hunger.
- Rev’d Jon Swales, 2025
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words Rev'd Jon Swales
Drill, baby, drill—
strange words,
a chant from a strange man
in a strange world.
Forests burn,
their ancient voices
smothered in smoke.
Seas swell,
lapping at the bones of
drowned cities.
The air thickens,
heavy with the weight of loss.
And yet the President speaks,
as if the earth were not already broken,
as if the fire were not already here.
A voice of denial,
slick with crude promises,
slick with something darker.
He smiles,
as though the earth were endless,
as though the air were not heavy
with the weight of a thousand unheard warnings.
Drill , baby, drill—
fuel for the engines,
fuel for the empire,
fuel for the end.
A strange hopium,
sweet and sickening,
whispered into ears too weary to resist.
But the wind remembers.
The oceans remember.
The earth groans beneath
each hollow pledge,
each drilling rig,
each hand raised in defiance of the storm.
He builds babels of oil,
shadows stretching
across scorched plains.
He laughs,
and somewhere,
ice falls,
rivers vanish,
and the sky weeps
for what was lost.
Drill, baby, drill!
Again and again,
as if the earth will not break,
as if the children will not choke,
as if tomorrow is promised.
- Swales, 2025
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words Jon Swales
Music: Beautiful by Lite Saturation
Find your own Calcutta—
a descent,
an incarnation that moves
towards the dirt,
to touch the wounded heart.
Take the hand of the image-bearer;
here, in the shadows,
you may yet glimpse the King.
Do you see Him?
The Crucified lingers,
not on Zion’s heights,
but in the cramped alleys,
His arms traced with lines
of a thousand sorrows, all His own.
Do you see Him?
He walks beneath the weight of the sky,
bearing the ache of the abandoned.
In the hollow eyes of the hungry,
in the trembling hands of the lost,
his presence whispers.
Angels wait here too,
holding their breath
on sacred ground,
scorched by sleeping bags.
Not in Sinai’s thunder,
but in the hush of the forgotten,
in the silence of the lonely.
The compassionate Kingdom creeps unseen,
roots threading through concrete,
a mustard seed planted deep
a light shining in the darkness.
Find your own Calcutta—
a descent,
an incarnation that moves
towards the dirt,
to touch the wounded heart.
Take the hand of the image-bearer;
here, in the shadows,
you may yet glimpse the King..
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Rev’d Jon Swales 2025, after reading the words of Father Zosima in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov (Book Two, Chapter Three: )
Do not be afraid.
Bid farewell to fear.
There is no shadow so deep
that love cannot reach it,
no sin so vast
it could exhaust the boundless
mercy of God.
Repentance is
but a turning,
a quiet yielding to the truth
that grace flows unending,
even to the farthest places of the heart.
Imagine this:
more rejoicing in heaven
over one who returns,
broken and bare,
than over those who never strayed.
Do not carry the
weight of bitterness;
forgiveness is yours—
a balm to wounds unseen,
a release into freedom.
If you repent,
you will find love waiting,
calling your name,
not as a distant promise,
but as the ground beneath your feet.
And in love,
you are one with God,
who does not count wrongs
but gathers all things into wholeness.
There is not a hurt he will not heal.
Even now,
with your sin,
in your brokenness,
you are loved.
Even the weight you carry
becomes but a thread in the tapestry of redemption.
Love is treasure enough,
a beauty to redeem the world,
to cover every failure.
You see—
you will one day behold its face,
and Love Himself will win.
So go,
with no fear,
and let love be your guide.
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Words- Jon Swales
Music: Chris Sayburn
www.cruciformjustice.com
Hope is not a calculation,
not a tally of gains or losses,
but the ache of a heart
stretched toward the horizon,
a whisper of light
breaking through the veil of the now.
It does not linger in stillness,
passive as shadows gather,
nor wither into wishing,
an empty hand grasping at air.
Hope breathes—
and in its breath,
a spark becomes a flame,
warming the coldest night.
Hope refuses to yield,
to let evil speak the final word.
It stands defiant against despair,
a protest against what-is,
a midwife to the not-yet-born.
There is a restlessness in this hope,
a holy disquiet,
a stirring revolution
that will not let us sleep.
It has seen the dawn,
and in its light,
the future world shimmers,
not with the dull hues of habit,
nor the dark chimes of business as usual,
but with the effervescence of the possible.
Hope is not a calculation,
not a tally of gains or losses,
but the ache of the heart,
peering through a veil,
longing for the day—face to face,
when every tear will be wiped away.
- Swales , 2025
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Words- Jon Swales
Beats- Sayburn 'Father'
Hope leans forward,
tender,
listening to the whispers of creation
groaning for renewal.
It does not turn its face from shadows
but gazes through them,
finding in the darkness
the first faint glimmer of dawn.
There is a holy audacity in hope—
a quiet trust and boldness,
knowing the story is held
in hands not our own,
nail scarred hands that invite us
to weave and work with them
a future of beauty and grace.
Hope speaks where
fear falters,
narrating a kingdom ,
telling a story
where the scattered are gathered,
where the weary find rest &
the exile a home.
It does not retreat,
nor stumble
beneath the solemn,
world-weary weight.
It moves with sacred purpose,
a searching grace,
a steady faith.
Hope is a spring,
a foretaste,
an existential refreshing
a momentary liberation
that lifts us from despair.
Hope knows the wounds of this world,
but counters fear
with holy persistence, &
holy resistance,
declaring that there is not a hurt
he will not heal.
Hope,
a gift,
a call to action,
a quiet confidence that moves towards the pain—
not alone,
but with hands outstretched,
pulling the darkness of this world
towards the light of Christ.
Hope leans forward,
Tender,
‘Be ready,
Greet it with a kiss.’
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Words Jon Swales
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/a-lighthouse-reflection-beauty-weakness
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Words: Jon Swales
https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/3-a-lighthouse-story
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Words: Jon Swales
Soundtrack: Chris Sayburn
Blog Post: https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/ten-years-of-lighthouse-a-reflection
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See https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/words-carry-weight-spiritual-abuse-and-healing
Beats by Chris Sayburn, Words by Jon Swales
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See https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/journeying-with-scripture-eunuchs-violence
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Audio by Jon Swales
Taken from the book 'Sacred Landscapes' by Rev'd Jon Swales.
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From the book In Sacred Landscapes by Rev'd Jon Swales
Audio by Jon Swales
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In a world increasingly strained by the impacts of climate breakdown, it’s tempting to avoid thinking too far ahead. But imagining where our current path might lead is essential if we want to steer away from disaster. Today, I want to share a fictional letter from a possible future—a letter written in 2050 by a church leader in Leeds. I chose Leeds simply because it’s where I’m from, but the message holds relevance for us all. This isn’t a prediction but a heartfelt, imaginative exploration of what could happen if we don’t act with the urgency this moment demands.
This letter, though fictional, comes from a place of deep concern. It’s not meant to be a gloomy forecast but a prophetic call to action—a challenge for us to engage our hearts and minds with the reality we face. As Pope Francis said, "The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all... We need an ecological conversion, a radical change of hearts and minds." His words remind us that we cannot afford to be complacent.
The future described in this letter is one where we failed to act when it mattered most, letting comfort and denial prevent us from making the hard decisions. It’s a sobering reflection on what might happen if we continue down this path—where we end up apologising for missed opportunities and the pain that could have been avoided.
Yet, this letter also serves as a reminder of the growing movement for change. Today, there are many individuals and organisations—churches, Christian Climate Action, Operation Noah, Christian Aid, and Green Christian—working tirelessly for a more sustainable future. They are raising the alarm, advocating for urgent action, and providing a beacon of hope. To explore further how churches can respond to climate breakdown see Laudato Si and the course 'Climate Justice: Following Jesus in a World of Climate Breakdown.
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Words Jon Swales, also see '
'Prophet of the Poor: Jesus’ Radical Challenge to Wealth and Power'
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See blog post https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/strange-jesus
Words and Voice Rev'd Jon Swales
Music, used with permission . Rev'd Chris Sayburn
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Larger blog post can be found here.
The artwork is from Steve Prince 'Urban Stations'
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Larger blog post can be found here.
The artwork is from Steve Prince 'Urban Stations'
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Larger blog post can be found here.
The artwork is from Steve Prince 'Urban Stations'
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Larger blog post can be found here.
The artwork is from Steve Prince 'Urban Stations'
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Larger blog post can be found here.
The artwork is from Steve Prince 'Urban Stations'
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Larger blog post can be found here.
The artwork is from Steve Prince 'Urban Stations'
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Larger blog post can be found here.
The artwork is from Steve Prince 'Urban Stations'
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See blog post.
Words and voice: Jon Swales
Music: Chris Sayburn 'Memory'- used with permission.
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For blog post see here,
Music, Chris Sayburn 'Great Commission' - Used with Permission
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Jesus and Herem. Full text here.
Music, 'Distance' by Chris Sayburn (Used with permission)
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10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
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10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
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10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
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10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
Send us a Text Message.
10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
Send us a Text Message.
10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
Send us a Text Message.
A 10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
Send us a Text Message.
A 10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
Send us a Text Message.
A 10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
Send us a Text Message.
A 10 session course by Rev'd Jon Swales. on the Apostle Paul and the Holy Spirit. Video files with slides can be found here. This teaching series is based on Gordon Fee's book 'Paul, The Spirit and the People of God' and 'Gods Empowering Presence'
Words: Jon Swales
Beats: Used with Permission 'Sayburn'
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17)
And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. (Luke 24:50-51)
And said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
The essence of the Christian faith finds its climax and heart in the story of Jesus, the God-Man. He's the one who willingly laid down his life for our sins and triumphed over death through resurrection. But there's more to this gospel story as the Apostle's Creed affirms: 'He ascended into heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come to judge the living and the dead.' The one who once proclaimed the Kingdom now reigns as its King.
In Revelation 4-5, we witness a glimpse of heaven with two thrones: one for the Father, the Lord of Glory, and the other for the slaughtered Lamb, who rules with self-giving sacrificial love. This presents a holy mystery, meant to encourage the saints.
The eternal Son of God took on human form in the incarnation, and through the ascension, the risen crucified one returns from the far country and enters the heavenly realm. He is the good and faithful servant who endured the cross and promoted to flory. The divine became flesh so that flesh, bearing the wounds of the cross, could enter the divine sphere. Thus, we, with our frail flesh, have an advocate, friend, savior, and king in the realm of the angels, in the presence of the Father—a great high priest.
Jesus' ascent doesn't signify an abandonment of creation; rather, it serves as the operational center where Jesus is worshipped and glorified. It's the place where the King upholds the saints as they proclaim and enact the kingdom, drawing believers into a participatory role in the ongoing redemption of the world. As Gregory of Nyssa reflected, "Our Lord's Ascension into heaven is not His abandonment of the world, but the beginning of a new way of being present to the world."
This narrative of the gospel, with its culmination in Jesus' exaltation and ongoing reign, shapes the identity and mission of the Christian community. As Cyril of Jerusalem stated, "The Ascension of the Lord is our elevation." The ascension empowers them to live out the reality of the kingdom amidst the brokenness of the world.
https://www.horsforthchurchestogether.co.uk/thought-provoking-talk-on-environment-and-faith-by-jon-swales/
The quality of the audio improves after the first few minutes....
text found here https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/deconstruction
music by Chris Sayburn, Distance. Used with Permission
Words found here https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/jesus-the-heretic
Music, used by permission, from Chris Sayburn 'Passing By'
Words found at https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/the-wild-ride-love-in-a-world-of-climate-breakdown
Music By Chris Sayburn, Great Commission, Used with Permission.
Video available with slides here https://www.cruciformjustice.com/post/cruciform-imagination-for-a-world-in-crisis-teaching-video
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation was an online course run by Katie Boyes and Rev'd Jon Swales in conjunction with Leeds School of Theology.
Sessions include.
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation was an online course run by Katie Boyes and Rev'd Jon Swales in conjunction with Leeds School of Theology.
Sessions include.
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation was an online course run by Katie Boyes and Rev'd Jon Swales in conjunction with Leeds School of Theology.
Sessions include.
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation was an online course run by Katie Boyes and Rev'd Jon Swales in conjunction with Leeds School of Theology.
Sessions include.
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation was an online course run by Katie Boyes and Rev'd Jon Swales in conjunction with Leeds School of Theology.
Sessions include.
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation was an online course run by Katie Boyes and Rev'd Jon Swales in conjunction with Leeds School of Theology.
Sessions include.
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation was an online course run by Katie Boyes and Rev'd Jon Swales in conjunction with Leeds School of Theology.
Sessions include.
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
Justice, Peace and Reconciliation was an online course run by Katie Boyes and Rev'd Jon Swales in conjunction with Leeds School of Theology.
Sessions include.
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
A version of this talk with slides can be found here. https://youtu.be/DBWMLx_-TW0
Originally taught to St George's Leeds in 2018 by Rev'd Jon Swales
Words and voice: Jon Swales
music used with permission Chris Sayburn ‘It pours’
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Our hearts are heavy,
Our souls are sad,
For we are overwhelmed,
By waves of climate grief.
Despite knowing what we know,
Humanity moves towards the point of no return.
Creation Groans,
Heaven Weeps,
Our hearts lament and grieve.
Restore unto us the joy of your salvation,
And grant us your peace.
Lord Jesus Christ,
The one who walked a trail of tears,
We are are weary and heavy laden,
Weary with tears.
Heavy laden with disappointment.
We come to you, for you invite us,
To find rest and restoration for our souls.
Temperatures rise,
Sea levels rise.
Creation Groans,
Heaven Weeps,
Our hearts lament and grieve.
Restore unto us the joy of your salvation,
And grant us your peace.
Spirit of the Living God,
The One who speaks to our very depths,
You invite us to be open and unafraid,
Vulnerable without shame,
Honest and intimate.
Healer of all hurts,
Heal us and make us whole.
The beast of unrestrained capitalism,
Puts profit before people,
Creation Groans,
Heaven Weeps,
Our hearts lament and grieve.
Restore unto us the joy of your salvation.
And grant us your peace.
Holy Trinity of Love,
You have invited us into your divine embrace.
And have filled our hearts with love.
In the storm of climate grief,
You are our rock and harbour,
To you be praise, honour and glory.
Amen
-Swales 2023
A 6-part course with Alice Brencher and Jon Swales: With special guests Katie Dowds and Stuart Roberts
. Videos of these sessions including slides can be found here.
Words and voice: Jon Swales
Beats- Chris Sayburn
Hope whispers my name,
And speaks to my soul.
‘Rest a while,
I have a healing balm and will tend your wounds.’
I counter,
‘But have you seen the pain,
The poison runs deep,
The beasts run wild.’
And hope speaks,
And addresses my wounded heart,
‘Indeed,
I know.
The night is darkest just before the dawn.
On cursed tree,
Through whip and nail,
The evil of empire,
& the sickness of sin
sinned against me.
Alone in pain.
I breathed my last ‘
Downcast I spoke
‘The beast has won .
As hope lies silent in the grave.
In the book of life evil will have the last word’
And hope rejoiced
And laughed and sang,
A song of healing love,
‘My beloved one,
This is not true,
The grave did not win.
I was raised to life.
Evil does not have the last word.
Love wins’
And I wept,
And he wiped the tears from my face.
Hope embraced me in his love,
I beheld his face.
We danced
He is making all things new.
- Swales 2023
A course taught by Alice Brencher and Rev'd Jon Swales
Full videos with slides are available here
Climate Justice: 'Following Jesus in a World of Climate Breakdown'
A course taught by Alice Brencher & Jon Swales
Videos which include slides can be found here. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmqiQVXn_oPy82zjl--SEk0H5TzAM51Mp
Climate Justice: 'Following Jesus in a World of Climate Breakdown'
A course taught by Alice Brencher & Jon Swales
Videos which include slides can be found here. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmqiQVXn_oPy82zjl--SEk0H5TzAM51Mp
Music: Through the Wood (Erik Fernhome)
Words- Jon Swales based on Psalm 55
Shelter from the Storm (Psalm 55)- A Prayer for the Climate and Ecological Emergency
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Hide not yourself from our pleas for mercy!
Attend to us,
Attend to your world and our home.
Answer us,
As we knock on the door of heaven.
The noise of unrestrained capitalism overwhelms,
The beat of the drum of consumerism
plunges us further into the abyss of climate breakdown.
Our addiction to fossil fuels is killing us,
We turned to them for blessing,
But now we are cursed.
Deliver us, O Lord.
Our hearts are heavy with anguish
Our souls are sad with sorrow.
The terrors of death overwhelm us.
If I had the wings of a dove,
I would fly away,
But there are no wings to carry,
And there is no place in which the beasts are not unleashing hell.
Attend to us,
Attend to your world and our home.
Answer us,
As we knock on the door of heaven.
In our fear,
Grant us courage.
In our distress,
Grant us Peace
Destroy O Lord,
Divide their tongues and undermine the financial structures and greed which plunges us further into the abyss of climate breakdown.
We call to God,
And the Lord will save us.
Evening, Morning & Noon,
We complain and moan,
He hears our voice.
He redeems our soul,
He is our shelter from the storm.
He bears out burdens
We will trust in you.
Your Son,
Endured the cross and was raised to life,
In you the darkest day is not the final day.
There is not a hurt you will not heal.
Until then,
We wait.
Amen
At the Just Jesus conference, Katie Dowds and Jon Swales talked about Colossians One and the supremacy of Jesus. Although that session wasn't recorded, this recording is very similar.
A recording from the Lighthouse ‘Just Jesus’ conference arranged by Lighthouse West Yorkshire.
Sermon by Rev’d Jon Swales
Words and Voice Rev'd Jon Swales
Backing Music - used with permission 'It pours' by Rev'd Chris Sayburn
Father of Creation,
The Beginning and the End.
As our evening prayer rises before you,
So may your Spirit descend,
And hold us in your love,
To you be all praise and glory.
As we face the night,
Our hearts are heavy,
Knowing that this world of yours is groaning.
For redemption, healing and wholeness.
As we face the night,
Our souls are sad,
Knowing that another day has passed,
Where we are plunged further into a world of climate breakdown.
Temperatures rise,
Lord have mercy.
Sea Levels rise,
Christ have mercy.
We pray,
For the world’s most vulnerable,
Let your kingdom come,
For those who are hungry.
Let your kingdom come.
For climate refugees,
Let your kingdom come.
For the structures and systems that support death and domination
Let your kingdom come,
Do not be silent O God,
Pull the mighty from their thrones.
Stand up for the Oppressed,
Let your will be done.
Father of Creation,
The Alpha and the Omega,
As our evening prayer rises before you,
So may your Spirit descend,
And hold us in your sweet embrace.
For you are our hope and comfort.
As we lie down,
We thank you that you hold us.
As we close our eyes,
We thank you for your peace.
As we reflect upon our day,
We thank you that you forgive us.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
We thank you for your Son,
Our Saviour,
The Good Shepherd,
Jesus.
May he this night lead us by quiet waters,
As this world walks through the valley of the shadow of death.
May he anoint our head with oil,
And bid our anxious thoughts to flee.
Father of Creation,
The Beginning and the End.
As our evening prayer rises before you,
So may your Spirit descend,
And hold us in your love
To you be all praise and glory.
Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my soul and my body.
Bless me, have mercy upon me, and grant me life eternal.
Amen
Music: Free Sad Piano Type Beat- Emotional Piano Instrumental 'Broken- See
A Liturgy for the Morning: Prayers for the Climate and Ecological Emergency.
Father of Creation,
The beginning and the end.
This day has never existed before in the history of the cosmos,
And yet here we are with the fragile,
And beautiful
gift of life.
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
From the rising of the sun to the setting of the same,
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
And so we join with creation,
With a whole host of non-human worshippers
To lift your name high.
We join with angels, archangels and the whole company of heaven,
With elephants and eagles and the whole company of earth.
Saying,
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is and is to come.
Father of Creation.
The beginning and the end.
This day,
Although beautiful
Is also broken.
This world,
Although beautiful.
Is also broken.
We live in a world of climate breakdown,
Temperatures are rising.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We live in a world of beastly forces,
Profits are put before people,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
And so we confess that we have sinned,
And done evil in your sight.
We now find ourselves East of Eden,
We have failed to keep our calling.
To tend and keep.
We have sown into the wind of unrestrained capitalism.
And now we reap the climate whirlwind.
We live in the panelled houses of consumerism
Whilst the temple of your creation lies in ruins.
We have made our bed from greed and individualism.
Must we now lie in it?
We are sorry.
We repent,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Let us hear afresh the words,
My friend,
‘Your sins are forgiven’.
Let us hear afresh the words,
‘Take up your bed and walk.’
The night has passed and the day lies open before us,
And so we pray with one heart and mind.
That we would walk the Jesus way.
The way that leads to life,
The way that leads to love,
The way that walks the way of justice.
In our grief for a broken world,
Let us be those who rejoice in the gift of this new day.
In our grief for a broken world.
Set our hearts on fire with love for you
Father of Creation,
The beginning and the end.
This day has never existed before in the history of the cosmos,
And yet here we are with the fragile,
And beautiful
gift of life.
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
From the rising of the sun to the setting of the same,
The Lord’s name is to be praised.
And so we join with creation,
With a whole host of non-human worshippers
To lift your name high.
We join with angels, archangels and the whole company of heaven,
With elephants and eagles and the whole company of earth.
Saying,
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is and is to come.
Amen
-Jon Swales, Nov 2022
Words and Voice- Jon Swales
Music:
Song: Blue Nights
Artist: Juan Sánchez
Artist’s Website: https://juansanchezmusic.info/
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We thank you for the fragile gift of life,
And the beautiful world that you made.
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
You called us to love our neighbours,
And tend and keep your cosmic temple.
Yet we have failed.
And done evil in your sight.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
In our quest for industrial and technological development,
We have plundered and pillaged this world of yours,
Unrestrained capitalism and unfettered consumerism,
Building on a history of oppression of the global south,
Have brought us to the brink.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We stand at 2 mins to midnight,
And the clock hand of our existential threat moves steadily onwards.
Yet we stand distracted and in denial at this late hour.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Global temperatures rise,
We suffer at 1.1 degrees above pre-industrial temperatures,
Sea Levels Rise,
Extreme Weather increases,
Increased Migration,
Climate breakdown acts as a threat multiplier.
Knowing the unless things change we face a 2 degree climate hell,
Of Mass migration,
Mass starvation
And societal collapse.
What have we done?
Lord have mercy?
What have we done?
Christ have mercy?
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
With tears in our eyes,
And sadness in our souls,
We pray for COP27,
For compassionate change,
And the overturning of the tables of injustice,
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
We pray that world leaders would slam on the brakes of climate breakdown,
That we would avert the worst of what may be,
And adapt to what will be with compassion and justice.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We thank you for the fragile gift of life,
And the beautiful world that you made.
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
Amen
Words- Rev'd Jon Swales
Music: Alice Brencher
Father of Creation,
God of Mercy,
The rain came down
And the floods came up
Leaving a trail of desperation,
destitution,
& destruction.
Storm Ian gained ferocity and power
Through rising temperatures and rising seas,
Having sowed into the wind of unrestrained capitalism
Humanity now reaps the whirlwind.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We pray for those who mourn ,
We lament the loss of life.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy
We pray for those who are homeless,
We grieve for those traumatised
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
For those in despair,
Bring the comfort of your presence.
For those whose hearts are broken,
Let your compassion and comfort be known.
Father of Creation,
God of Mercy,
Unrestrained capitalism has unleashed hell,
And we ask that you would wake us up,
And that we would hear you say the words.
‘Peace be still.’
God our refuge and strength,
Bring near the day when extreme storms will cease,
And poverty and pain will end.
That earth may know the peace of heaven,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
A multi-podcast episode talk by Rev'd Jon Swales on Jesus.
Music: Alice Brencher and Chris Sayburn
WORDS, SWALES
MUSIC SAYBURN 'HORIZON'
There is a certain kind of religion,
An opium for the masses.
It,
Numbs,
Distracts
And anaesthetises us from the pain of the world,
Into a heavenly world of spiritualising irrelevance.
There is a certain kind of religion,
An opium for the masses,
It
Supports,
Benefits.
And acts as chaplain to the status quo,
Supporting the structures and systems that reap destruction.
There is another kind of religion,
A hope for the nations,
It,
Awakens,
Summons,
And calls us into the pain of the world.
Into a world of Christlike justice.
There is another kind of religion,
A hope for the nations,
It
Challenges,
Confronts,
And rebels against the status quo.
And offers a conspiracy of compassion that leads towards human flourishing.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father
is this:
to visit orphans, and
widows in their affliction,
and to keep oneself unstained from the
structures and systems of domination. (James 1:12).
A talk given by Rev'd Jon Swales as part of the Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Course.
Words and Voice by Rev'd Jon Swales
Music by Santoor and Tabla at Assi Ghat, Varanasi by Samuel Corwin | https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Samuel_Corwin
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/
Creative Commons CC BY 4.0
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/A Prayer for Pakistan (Draft)
Father of Creation,
God of the Nations,
Words fail to describe the horrors of climate breakdown
Unleashed upon Pakistan.
A photo,
A video,
A screaming child,
A vacant look of disbelief on a parent's face.
But even these are but a window,
A glimpse,
A snapshot,
Of the carnage and catastrophe,
That falls upon millions.
We live in our panelled houses,
Whilst 33 million lives are changed,
184,000 camped out in relief camps.
By extreme floods.
By extreme suffering.
Hundreds dead.
Do you care?
Is heaven silent?
We ask that you calm the raging sea,
But it seems you are absent without leave.
Asleep at the wheel.
In trembling faith,
We ask,
For mercy.
In the fragility of our brokenness,
We plead,
For mercy.
We cling tentatively to the hope and truth that you,
Really are as beautiful and loving as that which is seen in Jesus.
Let your love be shown,
Let Pakistan hear your voice, saying,
Peace, Be still.
Wake up and set the world to rights.
And yet, we know,
We reap what we sow.
But this is not strictly true.
For we sow injustice and consumerism,
Yet the brown skin nations reap.
We have made our bed in unrestrained capitalism
But it is the most vulnerable who lie in it.
Those nations who have done the least per person to contribute to climate breakdown,
Are those who suffer the most.
We are hypocrites,
Like sheep who have gone astray,
We call out the shepherd, 'Is he really good?'
Whilst embracing and maintaining economic systems,
That are driven by domination and bring destruction.
Lord, have mercy on Pakistan,
And have mercy on us.
Amen.
Words and Vocie- Jon Swales
Music: Blue Nights (Royalty Free Music)
A Prayer for the Energy Crisis and Rising Costs (Draft)
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We lift up to you the energy crisis.
With rising financial costs,
Emotional and social costs increase,
Anxiety and Fear abound.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Jesus Christ,
You are the defender of the weak, &
Have compassion for the vulnerable.
Draw close in your comfort and compassion,
To those who choose between food and warmth,
To those who choose between school uniforms or having the lights on.
Draw close in your comfort and compassion,
To those who are fearful as to what winter may bring.
To those in mental anguish as the pressure builds.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
We ask that you would empower and equip your church, to
Enact hope and embrace compassion,
That with open doors and open hearts,
We may look and love like Jesus within this crisis.
Help us,
To help others,
Empower us,
To embrace others,
Support us,
To speak out.
Comfort us,
To bring comfort.
Bless us,
To be a blessing.
We know, O Lord,
That this crisis is intimately connected,
With the beast of war and in the context of climate and ecological breakdown.
We pray for the cessation of war and the flourishing of peace.
Lord,
Grant wisdom, compassion and courage to those in leadership.
That they may enact justice,
And make decisions that are in line with mercy for the oppressed and love towards the vulnerable.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We lift up to you the energy crisis.
With rising financial costs,
Emotional and social costs increase,
Anxiety and Fear abound.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Amen.
Teaching by Katie Dowds.
Katie Dowds is Senior Pastor at Lighthouse, a Christian community for those who have been battered and bruised by the storms of life. A contemplative activist and passionate communicator, she sits on the Advisory Board at JustLove and has led seminars and performed spoken word poetry at national conferences such as Soul Survivor, Proximity and ISAAC. She really loves Jesus and is hungry to see his Kingdom come.
A sample lecture taken from Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Course.
This dynamic learning environment aims to equip the church to engage the contemporary world in justice, peacemaking and reconciliation. Through a mixture of live lectures, discussion groups and assigned homework, this introductory course will particularly focus on a Christlike and prophetic response to the interrelated issues of climate breakdown, violence and conflict and racial injustice. This course is a partnership between Leeds School of Theology and Lighthouse West Yorkshire following the success of the Mission, Theology & Ministry for the Margins course.
Topics
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
. The course will be delivered fully online via Zoom, all you need is a device and an internet connection. Each month the online content will consist of a mixture of live-lecturers, pre-recorded video resources, reading material and conversations between tutors and other practitioners working with those on the margins.
Words by Rev'd Jon Swales
Music from Gavin Luke 'Beyond Imagination' https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2gLylp09Qi/
A Lament for the Summer of 2022: Heatwaves, Water Shortages and Forest Fires (Draft)
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
In the beginning,
The earth was formless and void,
And your Spirit
Hovered over the waters of the deep.
In love you spoke,
And light and life came into being.
To you be praise, honour and glory. [Gen 1:1-3]
Father of Creation,
God of Faithfulness,
You have shown your love to us,
In providing and sustaining,
The seasons,
The weather, and
The rain.
As a tender shepherd,
You have led us by
Still waters, &
Green Pastures.
To you be praise, honour and glory.
Yet,
We have moved East of Eden,
And have opened the door to unrestrained capitalism,
It has overwhelmed us.
Yet,
In our arrogance and greed we have built Babel,
And take up a place that only belongs to you.
We now reap what we have sown.
We have plundered,
Now temperatures rise.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy
We have pillaged,
Now sea levels rise,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
And so in the summer of 2022,
We have been weighed on the scales and found wanting,
The writing is on the wall.
The earth mourns,
The rivers grieve,
The land laments.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
The fields wither,
The forests weep,
The land laments
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
We ask that within this unfolding nightmare
We may dream a kingdom dream, &
Hope a hope-filled future
That would cause us to repent,
Change Course,
And avert the worst of what may be.
Empower us O Lord so that we would be those who,
Seek good, and not evil,
That we would be those who
Hate evil, and love good,
and establish justice in the gate. [Amos 5:14-15]
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion.
The time will come when you will sit as judge
And set the world to rights.
Glory to you who made the heavens,
Glory to you who made the earth,
Glory to you who made the sea and all springs of water.
Amen.
A lecture on mission from Rev'd Jon Swales
This is a sample from the 'Mission, Theology and Ministry for the Margins Course.
More details here. https://leeds-school-of-theology.org/mission-theology-ministry-for-the-margins/
Leeds School of Theology are pleased and excited to partner with Lighthouse West Yorkshire in facilitating a dynamic learning community which will serve Christians already working alongside the marginalised or who have a heart to pioneer in this area.
Lighthouse is a fresh expression of church that serves adults with multiple and complex needs including poverty, mental health, homelessness, trauma and addiction.
Course Overview
The course, will include passionate teaching which fuses together Biblical studies, theological reflection, interviews with people with lived experience, cultural analysis, historical case studies and cutting edge research on addiction and trauma to inspire and equip the church to engage with those on the margins in a way that looks and loves like Jesus.
Topics Include
Visions and Values of Healthy Theology
Missional Theology for the Margins
Justice and the Heart of God
The Image of God
Suffering, Lament and Spiritual Warfare
Building Community & Leading Accessible worship for Vulnerable Adults
Why the Hell do Bad Things Happen?
Addiction and Recovery
Helping without Hurting
Trauma: Hope for Healing
Words- Jon Swales
except 'Justice is what love looks like' comes from Martin Luther King
Music: Chris Sayburn
Justice is what love looks like in public,
It is,
To raise ones head above the parapet of indifference,
Singing a song with actions,
With melodies so sweet,
Captivating and compelling,
To a lost and dying world.
Justice is what love looks like in public,
It is,
To set a fire of hope in the hurting hearts of the unheard,
Stoking the fires of change in the fortress of status quo.
Captivating and compelling,
To a lost and dying world.
Justice is what love looks like in public,
It is,
A never failing stream flowing with truth, and reconciliation,
A living cascade of freedom and forgiveness,
Captivating and compelling,
To a lost and dying world.
Justice is what love looks like in public,
It is,
Word made flesh wrapped in extravagant mercy
To know God is to do justice,
Captivating and compelling,
To a lost and dying world.
An audio sample taken from the 'Justice, Peace and Reconciliation' Course.
JUSTICE, PEACE & RECONCILIATION COURSEREGISTER TODAYThis dynamic learning environment aims to equip the church to engage the contemporary world in justice, peacemaking and reconciliation. Through a mixture of live lectures, discussion groups and assigned homework, this introductory course will particularly focus on a Christlike and prophetic response to the interrelated issues of climate breakdown, violence and conflict and racial injustice. This course is a partnership between Leeds School of Theology and Lighthouse West Yorkshire following the success of the Mission, Theology & Ministry for the Margins course.
Topics
Discipleship and Justice
Jesus & the Peaceable Kingdom
Christian Hope and Forgiveness : Keys to Healing in a Hurting World
Tending the Garden: A Biblical Theology of Creation
Enacting the Kingdom in a World of Climate Breakdown
Every Tribe and Every Tongue: Racial Reconciliation
Speaking Truth to Power: An Exploration of the OT Prophets
The Eagle and the Lamb: Revelation’s Call to Allegiance
Faith in the Public Square: Christian Activism and Prophetic Witness
Tutors
Rev’d Jon Swales MBE lives in Leeds and is married with 4 children. He heads up Lighthouse and serves as a Team Vicar at St George’s Leeds. Jon also teaches Old Testament at St Hild Theological College and, as an activist, has participated in and led a number of peaceful protests, actions, and vigils for the climate and ecological emergency. Jon is passionate for the church, within the context of climate breakdown, to wake up to its calling to be the justice-shaped people of God.
Katie Dowds is Senior Pastor at Lighthouse, a Christian community for those who have been battered and bruised by the storms of life. A contemplative activist and passionate communicator, she sits on the Advisory Board at JustLove and has led seminars and performed spoken word poetry at national conferences such as Soul Survivor, Proximity and ISAAC. She really loves Jesus and is hungry to see his Kingdom come.
Heatwaves and Forest Fires : A Prayer for the Climate and Ecological Emergency (Draft)
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion.
Our world warms,
Your world burns,
Our hearts ache,
As heatwaves and wildfires rampage and ransack,
Leaving a trail of
sweat and sorrow
death and destruction.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Heatwaves and new record temperatures ,
A Conflagration of Chaos
We reap what we sow.
Fire and Flames
Through unrestrained capitalism
We reap what we sow
Father of Compassion,
God of Creation,
We know not how to pray,
Yet we pray,
And look to you,
Help us!
Father of Compassion,
God of Creation,
We lift up to you
the heatwaves in the UK,
forest fires in Europe,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
In the heatwave,
We lift up to you those who are vulnerable as temperatures rise,
We lift up to you those who dwell in housing which cannot keep cool.
We lift up to you emergency services who will face extra pressure.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
For those experiencing forest fires,
We lift up to you those whose homes have been destroyed,
We lift up to you those feeling scared.
Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy.
We lift up to you those who are fighting the fires,
We lift up to you local and national leaders,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We grieve the rise in temperatures,
The risk it poses and the deaths it will bring.
We grieve the loss of forests,
Destroyed by the flames.
We lament the death of wildlife
Destroyed by the wildfire and rising temperatures.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of creation,
We reap what we sow,
May these heatwaves and fires wake us up to our direction of travel,
May these heatwaves and fires expose the dark forces that put their foot on the pedal of climate breakdown,
May these heatwaves and fires lead to sustained action from those in power to adapt to what will be and avoid the worst of what may be.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Calm the raging fires,
Cool our soaring heat,
Calm our anxious hearts,
Renew in us a commitment to justice and peace,
Until that day when death will be no more.
Amen
-Swales , July 2022
Prayers by Jon Swales
Voice: Alice Brencher, Sarah Swales, Jon Swales
Piano: Alice Brencher
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Music: Chris Sayburn 'Father' and ' Waves'
Long ago,
Many years before the beast of unrestrained capitalism roamed the land,
The Great King,
Remembered his sacred oath,
And sent his Son,
To proclaim and enact the Kingdom.
To embark on a great mission of reconciliation and restoration.
The long night was over,
And the tender compassion of the King was made manifest,
The image of the eternal
Enfleshed,
Jesus
To him be all praise and glory.
In him,
The broken became beautiful
the rebellious glorious
the cursed blessed
As homesick exiles, East of Eden, found their rest in him.
For in him
The blind see,
The lame walk,
The demons tremble.
As the rule and reign of the great King is embodied and enacted
Yet,
Empires of Evil,
Powers and the Principalities,
Deceived by lies and the lust for power,
Crucified the Eternal Son,
And he lay silent in the grave.
Will injustice triumph?
Will death have the last word?
Hours went by.
All seemed silent
Will the Great King remember his sacred promise?
Days went by,
All seemed silent,
Will the Great King King move with compassion?
And love spoke into the darkness
And there was light.
And life came into being.
And the Great King
Raised his Son to Life.
And so many years later,
Here we live and move and have our being.
As covenant partners of the great King,
We have pledegd our allegiance to his Son
And we, living in the Anthropocene,
Must improvise on the basis of our ancient story.
These are indeed strange and difficult days,
But love wins
Hope wins
To him be all praise and glory.
Words and voice- Jon Swales
Music, Various 'Chris Sayburn' used with permission.
A poetical exploration of the biblical story. See
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-lzptELp2r5yxsiv0Qm_J6pZRuTegky9jSvDmzSEC2k/edit?usp=sharing
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Music: Chris Sayburn 'Mountain Tops' - Used with Permission
Ancient Story: Act III Covenant and Empire (Draft)Long ago,
Many years before the oceans acidified and in an age when the great waters teemed with life,
The King made a sacred promise
and
Bound himself by solemn oath.
Challenging the curse,
The Great King,
Entered into covenant,
With Abraham and his descendants
And blessed them to be a blessing.
Challenging the curse
The Great King,
Promised presence and proximity
To Abraham and his descendants
And blessing to the scattered nations.
But alas,
The sacred tribe,
Is trapped and tested,
In the Empire of Egypt,
Slaves to systems and structures of domination.
Years went by.
All seemed silent
Will the great King remember his sacred promise?
Years went by,
All seemed silent,
How long will the Empire of Egypt & desires of domination enact injustice?
Then,
The great king heard their cries,
remembered his promise,
and moved and acted .
Love spoke,
Hope sang,
And the Great King
Embarked on a rescue mission
to liberate his covenant people.
To him be all praise and glory.
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Music: Chris Sayburn 'Waiting' Used with Permission
Long ago,
Many years before the great migration and in an age when the rainforests flourished,
The Great King rescued his people from the Empire of Egypt.
With a strong and mighty hand,
He demonstrated,
Decisively,
& definitively,
That he was committed,
And Is committed,
To his compassionate covenant.
The Greta King remembered, rescued and redeemed his people,
And gave them proximity and presence
As they embarked on their servant calling,
To tend & keep and be a light to the nations,
Image bearing priest Kings
And hope for the Cosmos.
The Cosmic Temple.
The covenant people,
Gifted with law and land,
And in that land,
In the city of the Great King,
A temple was built,
And the glory of the Lord,
The Spirit of Great King,
Dwelt with his people.
The covenant community,
Called to compassion
raised their voice,
He is good,
For his covenant love endures forever.
And we raise our voices,
For he is good, for his covenant love endures forever.
And yet all was not well,
The image-bearers did not reflect the image of the Great King,
Deceived by lies and the lust for power.
Covenant broken,
East of Eden
The path of curse was chosen,
As the people of purpose,
Faced Exclusion.
Exile
For they bowed the knee to the economy and evils of the Empire.
And the Spirit of the Great King departed.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy
Yet the prophets spoke,
And longed and yearned,
For the Return of the Great King,
For the time of great Blessing,
For the great reversal.
Years went by.
All seemed silent
Will the Great King remember his sacred promise?
Years went by,
All seemed silent,
Will the Great King King move with compassion?
Then,
The great king heard their cries,
remembered his promise,
and moved and acted.
Love spoke,
Hope sang,
And the Great King
Embarked on a rescue mission
to liberate his covenant people.
To him be all praise and glory.
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Music: Used with permission Chris Sayburn
The Ancient Story- Act I (Draft)
Long ago,
Many years before the Anthropocene,
Long before the wars of empire and spiral of ecological ruin
the Spirit of the Great King hovered over the waters of the deep.
All was silent for the earth was formless and void.
And love spoke into the darkness
And there was light.
And life came into being.
Over six days the great King
created other than himself.
Forming and filling,
Blessing the beautiful,
Physicality bathed in holiness.
A cosmic canvas,
A glorious tapestry,
A rich symphony,
And he declared it to be good.
On the sixth day the Great King
dignified the dust,
soil became sanctified.
A human being,
A living soul.
A living ,
breathing, animate
image of the invisible.
Imago Dei
Image of God.
Receive a holy calling,
To tend and keep,
Guard and Protect.
Imago Dei,
Image of God.
Receive a Holy calling
To enact and embrace the reign and rule of the great King,
To serve as Priests of the High King of Heaven.
On the Seventh day the great King Rested,
For his work was done,
He had a place to dwell.
A place of presence and proximity,
A Cosmic Temple.
And the Great King declared it to be very good,
And it is very good.
For it is his home,
It is our home.
To him be all praise and glory.
The Ancient Story: Act II (Draft)
Long ago,
Many years before we were seduced by the beast of unrestrained capitalism
Our ancestors,
Full of possibility and potential,
Betrayed their calling to tend and keep.
Deceived by Lies and the lust for Power
the beautiful became broken,
the glorious rebellious
the blessed cursed
And humanity began its long walk as homesick exiles East of Eden.
We built Babel,
But this did not satisfy
And we opened the door to sin.
It has overwhelmed us.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Yet the Great King
Full of great love,
Did not forsake his Cosmic Temple
Nor did he forget his plan for humanity to
take up its calling to
tend and keep,
to be faithful and fruitful.
As image-bearing Priest Kings.
Love spoke,
Hope sang,
And the Great King
Embarked on a rescue mission
to liberate his cosmic temple.
To him be all praise and glory.
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Music: Used with permission from Chris Sayburn 'Mountain Tops'
Long ago,
Many years before the Anthropocene,
Long before the wars of empire and spiral of ecological ruin
the Spirit of the Great King hovered over the waters of the deep.
All was silent for the earth was formless and void.
And love spoke into the darkness
And there was light.
And life came into being.
Over six days the great King
created other than himself.
Forming and filling,
Blessing the beautiful,
Physicality bathed in holiness.
A cosmic canvas,
A glorious tapestry,
A rich symphony,
And he declared it to be good.
On the sixth day the Great King
dignified the dust,
soil became sanctified.
A human being,
A living soul.
A living ,
breathing, animate
image of the invisible.
Imago Dei
Image of God.
Receive a holy calling,
To tend and keep,
Guard and Protect.
Imago Dei,
Image of God.
Receive a Holy calling
To enact and embrace the reign and rule of the great King,
To serve as Priests of the High King of Heaven.
On the Seventh day the great King Rested,
For his work was done,
He had a place to dwell.
A place of presence and proximity,
A Cosmic Temple.
And the Great King declared it to be very good,
And it is very good.
For it is his home,
It is our home.
To him be all praise and glory.
- Swales, 2022
Feat: 'I will Rebel' by Alice Brencher,
'I can't stop climate breakdown' by Jon Swales
15 minute talk on civil disobedience by Jon Swales as part of a series of Climate Justice seminars.
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Piano: Alice Brencher
Just Stop Oil: A Prayer for the Climate and Ecological Emergency (Draft)
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
You created a world of wonder,
Of possibility and potential.
You declared it to be good.
For this we give thanks.
To you be praise, honour and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
This world is no longer as you intended it to be.
Humanity has betrayed its calling
To tend and keep.
Creation groans.
On our watch,
We reap what we have sown,
On our watch,
Sea Levels rise.
On our watch,
Forests destroyed,
On our watch,
Extreme weather events increase
And so now with tears in our eyes we look to you,
With regret,
With repentance,
Knowing the difficult decades that we face.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Do the angels long for justice?
Do the cherubim and seraphim groan for peace?
Do the saints who have gone before us cry for justice?
If so, what do they cry?
Perhaps they cry,
For the end of fossil fuels,
Perhaps they cry for economic structures and systems,
To put people before profit,
Perhaps they cry,
‘Just Stop Oil’
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Does your church work for justice?
Do church investments work for peace?
Does church leadership speak truth to power?
If so, why the silence?
Perhaps the angels will be answered,
Perhaps the church will wake up
And perform,
participate,
and protest in a way that aligns with justice,
Perhaps justice will cry out loud,
‘Just Stop Oil’
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
You created a world of wonder,
Of possibility and potential.
You declared it to be good.
For this we give thanks.
To you be praise, honour and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
This world is no longer as you intended it to be.
Humanity has betrayed its calling
To tend and keep.
Creation groans.
Amen
Swales- 2022
Sermon by Rev'd Jon Swales at St George's Church Leeds, 27th March 2022
This morning as we come to church,
To sing our songs, and pray our prayers we do so in the context of a war in Europe.
For many of us are hearts are heavy,
and our souls are sad
as butchery and barbarity have been
unleashed at the command of
Putin and the warmongers.
Ukrainians suffer and die, 10 million are displaced from their homes.
The forces of Injustice and oppression appear overwhelming and we
as a continent,
as communities
as individuals
can find ourselves in place of disorientation and powerlessness.
For some us here this morning,
and here I want to recognise our Iranian brothers and sisters,
this feeling of disorientation in the face of injustice is nothing new .
Within our own community many carry wounds as both the
victims of the unjust actions of others and as victims of systems of domination.
In a world of injustice what can we as followers of Jesus do?
I want to suggest that looking to scriptures and looking to Jesus can provide a much needed reframing of the issues of our day,
My hope is that we can be reoriented ,
so that we can face injustice with hope.
That here this morning we would would be called afresh to be the justice shaped people of God who look to Jesus,
and are empowered by the Spirit of Jesus,
so that we can look and love like Jesus.
So here goes,
In the bible, justice has to do with setting the world to right.
It is the opposite of injustice.
Justice stands against oppression, domination.
and economic exploitation
Justice stands with the poor and powerless and
speaks out for those without a voice
Justice is the dream of the prophets,
as the prophet Amos imagines the day ‘when justice will roll on like a mighty river’.
Justice is also at the heart of God as Isaiah says
‘For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.’
and to know God is to do justice.
Justice finds its place within love.
Voice and Words: Jon Swales
Music: Sad Piano by Free Use Music by Scott Buckley
Lord Jesus Christ,
In your Kingdom,
Swords will be turned to ploughshares,
And tears will be wiped away.
Have mercy upon us,
According to your unfailing love.
Lord Jesus Christ,
In our world,
Cities are destroyed,
Image bearers are butchered.
Have mercy upon us.
According to your unfailing love.
The tears of Ukraine flow,
Like a river,
Gaining Strength.
Have mercy upon us.
According to your unfailing love.
The injustice of Ukraine increases,
As the waves of us war wash over Europe.
Have mercy upon us,
According to your unfailing love.
Lord Jesus Christ,
In your bloody execution,
You identify with the victims of oppression,
You weep beside the grave,
Have mercy on us,
According to your unfailing love.
Lord Jesus Christ,
In your glorious resurrection,
We see that death and violence do not have the last word,
That love itself wins.
Let your Kingdom come.
And so we plead,
For the cessation of war,
And the flourishing of peace,
Let your Kingdom come.
And do we beg,
That the plans of Putin,
And the machinations of evil,
Would be stopped in their tracks.
Let your Kingdom come.
Lord Jesus Christ,
In your kingdom,
Swords will be turned to ploughshares,
And tears will be wiped away.
Have mercy upon us,
According to your unfailing love.
Amen
Words and Vocie: Jon Swales
Music: Juan Sanchez Blue Nights
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
As bombs fall,
Our hearts break,
Lord have mercy.
As tanks advance,
Our souls are sad,
Christ have mercy.
You have placed upon humanity
the possibility and potential
to move towards love and justice,
Yet, at Putin's command,
Carnage &
Catastrophe have been unleashed.
Mariupol suffers,
Lord have mercy.
Innocents die,
Christ have mercy.
And so we pray for the downfall,
Of despots and dictators,
Cast down the mighty from their thrones.
And so we pray for the economic ruin,
Of the masters of war and machinations of evil
Cast down the mighty from their thrones.
Let your divine favour,
Rest upon those,
Who work and move for peace,
Let your divine favour,
Rest upon those,
Who work and move for justice.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
We pray for the cessation of war,
And the flourishing of peace.
Amen
Words and Voice by Jon Swales
Music:: Used with permission 'It pours' Chris Sayburn
18: A Conspiracy of Compassion
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
We praise that you proclaimed the Kingdom of God,
And demonstrated what this looked like by
Welcoming the outcast,
Feeding the hungry,
Healing the sick,
And speaking truth to power.
You laid down your life as an act of self-giving sacrificial love.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
You offer a revolution called Love,
A rebellion called Peace,
A conspiracy of Compassion,
That seeks to set the world to rights.
You laid down your life as an act of self-giving sacrificial love.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
We live in a world of climate breakdown.
We are facing a world of increased migration, refugees and those seeking asylum.
We are facing a world of food shortage, malnutrition and starvation.
Climate breakdown acts as a threat multiplier as
Temperatures rise,
Sea levels rise,
Conflict increases,
Extreme weather events increase.
Lord have mercy.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God
We are vulnerable,
We need your Kingdom.
We are vulnerable,
We need justice and peace.
We are vulnerable,
We need you to act, move, inspire, comfort.
In this storm of climate breakdown,
We ask that you would wake up.
That you would
Welcome the outcast,
Feed the hungry,
Heal the sick,
Speak truth to power,
Reign and rule with self-giving sacrificial love,
Overthrow the works of the evil one,
So that unrestrained capitalism would no longer destroy the world.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
You have called your church to be your body,
We are your hands and feet.
If we ask why you are not awake,
It is because we are asleep.
If we ask why you don’t speak,
It is because we are silent.
If we ask why oppression rules and reigns as a king,
It is because we have not lived with self-giving sacrificial love.
If we ask why the hungry starve and the stranger feels cut off,
It is because our hearts, like stone, have not shown compassion.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
In a world of climate breakdown,
Call us afresh to a kingdom conspiracy.
A Conspiracy of Compassion.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
We pledge allegiance afresh to you.
In a world of climate breakdown,
We commit ourselves to a Conspiracy of Compassion,
A Holy Revolution,
A Holy Rebellion,
Against anti-kingdom forces that come to steal, kill and destroy.
We conspire with Love,
For those who think they are forgotten.
We conspire with Peace,
For in a world of escalating conflict.
We conspire with Truth,
For a world in denial.
We conspire with Hope,
For a world in despair.
Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
The butchered and risen lamb who rules and reigns,
We conspire with your compassionate Kingdom.
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
Amen
Words and Voice: Jon Swales inc. various scriptures inc. Psalm 80
Music. Scot Buckley, Classical Sad Music, Undertow (No copyright sound)
A Prayer for Peace: Shine Forth, O Shepherd (Draft)
Give ear,
Listen to us,
O Shepherd of your people.
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim,
Shine Forth.
From the wolves of war,
Rescue Us.
From the beast of militarism,
Deliver us.
Restore us, O God;
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
All we like sheep have gone astray,
And colluded with empire and imperial intent.
We have walked into the valley of the shadow of death.
Have mercy upon us.
From the schemes of Putin,
Rescue us.
From that with comes to steal, kill and destroy.
Deliver us.
We have opened the door,
To the sin of Cain,
And the Masters of War have grown powerful
Through mechanised warfare on an industrial scale.
Restore us, O God;
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Give ear,
Listen to us,
O Shepherd of your people.
Ukraine eats the bread of tears.
And we sit waiting, watching, wondering,
Where will this end?
From the escalation of conflict,
Rescue us.
From the threat of nuclear war,
Deliver Us.
Restore us, O God;
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
We plead and beg,
Good Shepherd,
For the cessation of war and the flourishing of peace.
Have mercy upon us.
We are the people of your pasture,
And the sheep of your right hand,
Speak to us that we may hear your voice.
Saying’
‘Do not be afraid, little flock.’
We are the people of your pasture,
And the sheep of your right hand,
Lead us beside quiet waters,
Restore our souls.
For those feeling violence,
As Refugees,
We ask that you would,
Tend to your flock,
Gather the lambs,
Carry them in your bosom,
And gently lead the nursing ewes.
And we speak against,
False Shepherds,
For those church leaders who colluded with conquest,
And the politics of Putin.
Bring repentance and recalibration.
That they may look and love like Jesus, by
Aligning with justice,
Walking with mercy,
And Speaking truth to power.
From the wolves of war,
Rescue Us.
From the beast of militarism,
Deliver us.
Restore us, O God;
Let your face shine, that we may be saved!
Give ear,
Listen to us,
O Shepherd of your people.
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim,
Shine Forth.
To him who sits upon the throne,
And to the Lamb,
Be all praise, honour and glory.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Amen
Voice and Words: Jon Swales
Piano Alice Brencher
A Prayer for Peace in Ukraine-
Господи помилуй Lord have mercy (Draft)
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
The world has changed,
And so have our hearts,
As we face disappointment,
disorientation and distress
Not knowing what will happen next.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Putin and the Masters of War
Have opened the door to the beasts of war,
And it may overwhelm us.
Who is like the beast?
Who can fight against it?
Yet our grief, anxiety and fear
is nothing compared to that faced
by ordinary people living in Ukraine.
So we pray for,
The brave and the scared,
The soldier and civilian,
The elderly and the newborn,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
And so we pray for,
Those who have decided to fight,
Those who have decided to flee,
Those who resist but choose not to kill.
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
And so we pray for
Those who this day will be wounded,
Those who this day will die,
Those who this day will mourn.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy
Father of Compassion,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We look to you,
In a world at war,
For hope, healing and help,
For grace, goodness and guidance,
For the cessation of war and the flourishing of peace.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Peace,
God of Hope,
After crucifixion,
Your Son was laid silent in the grave,
And then you spoke and he was raised to life.
Violence does not win,
It will not have the last word,
Death does not win,
It will not have the last word.
In the reconciliation of all things,
War will be no more.
In the reconciliation of all things,
All tears will be wiped away.
In the reconciliation of all things,
There will be a tree for the healing of the nations.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Hospody pomyluy,
Christ have mercy.
Amen
Words and Voice: Alice Brencher
Music by Chris Sayburn 'Waiting'. Used withe Permission
Words and Voice: Rev'd Jon Swales
Music. Classical Sad Piano [No Copyright Sound] [FREE USE MUSIC] - Scott Buckley - Undertow (320 kbps).mp3
Father of Creation,
The Covenant God who spoke of blessing to the nations,
We weep anxious tears,
Not only for Ukraine,
But also with a forboding fear,
Of what may be.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Within the storm of war,
We long to hear afresh the words of your Son, saying
‘Do not be afraid’
We long to hear the the words of your Son, saying
‘Be still, The War is over,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
And so we pray,
For Russian soldiers to lay down their swords,
For Tanks fueled by violent intent to stop in their tracks,
For missiles and bomb to fail to detonate
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We conspire with compassion,
And hope against hope,
For the cessation of violence, &
The flourishing of peace.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
And so we pray,
For the hurt and the wounded,
The scared and the brave,
For Ukraine and Russia.
For mercy and grace.
And so we pray,
For world leaders,
Those fleeing for their lives,
Those moving at the command of the violent warmongers,
For mercy and grace.
We conspire with compassion,
And hope against hope,
For the cessation of violence, &
The flourishing of peace.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy
And so we pray against nuclear threats,
Against the trigger of terror,
And the the barbarity of man.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son said to ‘love our enemies’
And lived and loved with self giving sacrificial love,
May we too, whatever the cost,
Be those who are blessed for making peace.
God, our refuge and strength,
bring near the day when wars shall cease and poverty and pain shall end,
that earth may know the peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Piano: Alice Brencher.
A Prayer for Peace: Heaven’s Sabotage (Draft)
Father of Creation,
God of the Nations,
We cry out to you,
A litany of lament,
A heart song of sadness
As we witness war &
The death and destruction it brings.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
We cry out to you,
With sad souls and heavy hearts
As we witness Putin and the beast of violence,
Enacting catastrophe and embracing carnage.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
What have we become?
What have we done?
As women prepare molotovs,
Children hide in basements,
As tear stained cheeks wave goodbye,
Whilst Homes and hearts and humans are hounded by an embodied evil.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We have stood by as
the masters of war,
Amassed armaments and armies,
Weapons of woe,
Deigned to main, kill and destroy
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
And so we pray for the city Kyiv,
And plead and beg for mercy,
Draw close to those who hear things that should not be heard,
Comfort and enfold them in your love.
Draw close to those who witness things that should never be witnessed,
Comfort and enfold them in your love.
Draw close to those who face a pain that should never be faced,
Comfort and enfold them in your love
And so we pray for cessation of war and the end to all hostility.
We plead and beg for peace.
That heavens sabotage would still the sound of tanks and bombs
That heavens sabotage would silence the drums of war and carnage
That heavens sabotage would confuse those with intent to take the lives of innocents
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We conspire with compassion
To a revolution called love
In which justice is embodied
And war will be no more
God, our refuge and strength,
bring near the day when wars shall cease and poverty and pain shall end,
that earth may know the peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.
A Prayer for Peace: Ukraine and the Healing of the Nations
Words: Jon Swales
Music: Used with Permission, Chris Sayburn 'Distance'
Father God,
God of Compassion,
In your kingdom there is a tree,
For the healing of the nations.
In your kingdom,
Tears will be turned to joy,
Swords into ploughshares
And war will be no more.
Let your kingdom come,
Your will be done.
In Ukraine as it is in heaven.
Father of Creation,
God of compassion,
The unthinkable has happened,
As tanks roll into market squares.
Threatening not only the lives of defiant Ukrainians but also the well being and future of every European citizen.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Let your kingdom come,
Your will be done.
In Ukraine as it is in heaven.
Father of Creation,
Is heaven silent?
Are you asleep?
Do you care?
We have asked that you step in and save and rescue,
And put an end to war.
Yet, Our prayers remain unanswered,
The tanks roll on and on.
Yet, our prayers remain unanswered,
As children are both scared and scarred
Yet, our prayers remain unanswered,
As the death toll rises
Father of Creation,
God of compassion,
With our questions we look again to your kingdom,
And plead that heavens resources,
Would be poured out.
And beg that heavens angelic hosts
Would be deployed.
In darkness,
Let there be light,
In hopelessness ,
Let there be hope,
In a world at war,
Let there be peace .
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Blessed are the peacemakers
Let your kingdom come
Your will be done.
In Ukraine as it is in heaven.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of out Lord Jesus Christ,
In your Son,
You have shown clearly and decisively,
That violence will not have the last word,
That love itself will win.
We ask that this hope,
Would not simply be a future dream,
But that it would break into the present,
And be tasted and enacted in the here and now,
That this war would cease.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Blessed are the peacemakers
Let your kingdom come
Your will be done.
In Ukraine as it is in heaven
Father God,
God of Compassion,
In your kingdom there is a tree,
For the healing of the nations.
In your kingdom,
Tears will be turned to joy,
And swords into ploughshares
And war will be no more.
Amen
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Music: Blue Nights by Juan Sanchez
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
We thank you for your Son, Jesus,
Who proclaimed & enacted a
kingdom of peace.
A kingdom in which divine favour and blessing rests on those,
Who are peacemakers &
Justice seekers.
A kingdom in which divine favour and blessing rests on those,
Who renounce
politics of power and
violence,
And instead take the way of self giving sacrificial love.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
The beasts of militarism and
imperial conquest,
Are at the the gates of Europe.
And our twitter feeds and news channels are filled with images and sounds
Of brave defiance,
Tearful farewells,
Children cowering in underground shelters,
A Ukrainian soldier in a news interview saying ‘I love you Tato and Mama’.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
War is hell,
And from the pit comes death and desolation
In which bloodshed and butchery
Strike fear into ordinary people living ordinary lives.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Blessed are the peacemakers.
And so we lift up to you the Ukrainian people ;
We pray for those who this day will die,
And those who will mourn.
We pray for those who this day will flee their homes,
And those who stay put in fearful defiance.
We pray for those with calm and courage,
And those in acute anxiety and distress
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Blessed are the peacemakers
And so we lift up to you the people of Russia;
For those who protest the misuse of power,
Grant them wisdom and courage.
For those who encourage peace,
Grant them wisdom and courage.
For those soldiers considering insubordination,
Grant them wisdom and courage.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Blessed are the Peacemakers .
And so we pray for those who collude with war;
For Putin and the warmongers,
Bring repentance and resignation.
For the Russian military-industrial complex ,
Bring confusion and administrative collapse.
For the masters of war and those who profit from conflict,
Bring about their downfall.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy,
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
We thank you for your Son, Jesus,
Who proclaimed and enacted a kingdom of peace.
A kingdom in which divine favour and blessing rests on those,
Who are peacemakers &
Justice seekers
God, our refuge and strength,
bring near the day when wars shall cease and poverty and pain shall end,
that earth may know the peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
Our hearts are heavy,
Our souls are sad,
As we here the news,
Of war.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The anxiety we feel,
Is nothing compared to that which,
People like us,
Must feel within Ukraine
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
So we plead for peace,
In the name of him who said blessed are the peacemakers.
And so we beg for mercy,
In the name of him who said blessed are the peacemakers
We lift up to you the people of Ukraine,
For Men, Women and children
For those locked down at home,
For those fleeing in fear
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We lift up to you the Church in Russia,
May it raise up its prophetic voice,
To proclaim ‘Lay down the Sword’
We lift up to you the Church in Russia,
May it raise up its prophetic voice,
To say ‘Take up the cross’
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
We lift up to you the church in Ukraine,
May it raise up a prophetic voice,
To comfort those who mourn.
We lift up to you the church in Ukraine,
May it look and love like Jesus,
To comfort those who mourn.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of the Nations,
Bring down the beast of militarism which brings destruction and desolation,
Silence the warmongers who add fuel to the fires of this conflict,
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
We pray for world leaders,
That you would give them courage and wisdom,
To enact love and embrace justice
To stand strong with peaceable hearts
Against bullies and despots
Who sanction carnage
And command conflict
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Father of Creation
God of Justice,
We pray for the cessation of war,
And the flourishing of peace,
Blessed are the peacemakers,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
God, our refuge and strength,
bring near the day when wars shall cease and poverty and pain shall end,
that earth may know the peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Words and Voice: Jon Swales
Music: Cello & Piano Music 'Blue Nights' by Juan Sanchez
Prayer 40: Ash Wednesday
Almighty God,
The Creator of All that is,
You created us from the dust of the earth,
And breathed upon us and gave us the gift of life.
In our fragility and weakness,
We marvel at the precious gift of life,
And the calling you have placed upon us to
Tend and keep your cosmic temple.
Almighty God,
The Creator of All that is,
Dust we are and to dust we will return,
Yet you dignified us with the gift of love.
A love in which dust is taken up in your divine embrace,
A love in which the word became flesh and dust became divine.
A love in which the fire of your presence sanctifies dust.
Almighty God,
Humanity as dust,
Has been granted the possibility and potential to reflect your glory,
But we embarked to the far country, &
Squandered our inheritance,
Lord have mercy.
In our arrogance, we erected Babel, &
Have forgotten who we truly are,
And what we are called to be.
Lord have mercy.
Yet we now reap what we have sown,
And find ourselves,
Cast Adrift as Homesick Exiles
East of Eden and lost in sin and shame.
Lord have mercy.
Almighty God,
We have misused our power and privilege,
And have plundered and pillaged,
This world of your yours,
This world of ours,
This world which we share with a host of non-human worshippers.
Lord have mercy.
And so in this context of rising temperatures,
As we face our own existential threat.
Knowing the gods of consumerism and economic systems will not save,
We remember,
We lament,
We repent
Lord have mercy.
And so in the context of rising seas,
As we face ecological ruin,
Knowing the gods of individualism and technology will not save,
We remember,
We lament,
We Repent,
Lord have mercy.
We remember your great love,
We lament our prideful arrogance,
We repent and turn to you the wellspring of love.
We receive ash upon our head as a reminder of our mortality,
Shaped as a cross.
Knowing that we are signed and sealed,
In the self-giving love of Jesus
We receive ash upon our head as a reminder of our mortality,
Shaped as a Cross,
Knowing that we are called afresh to embrace and enact,
The self-giving love of Jesus.
Almighty God,
On this day when we are reminded of our fragility,
We too are reminded of your faithfulness.
On this day when we are reminded of our mortality,
We too are reminded of your grace.
Almighty God,
The Creator of All that is
You created us from the dust of the earth,
And breathed upon us and gave us the gift of life.
In our fragility and weakness,
We marvel at the precious gift of life,
And the calling you have placed upon us to
Tend and Keep your cosmic temple.
Almighty God,
The Creator of All that is.
Dust we are and to dust we will return,
Yet you dignified us with the gift of love.
...
Almighty God,
Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our
mortality and penitence,
that we may remember in the context of climate breakdown
that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given
everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen.
Words and Voice: Swales
Music:
Dramatic Apocalyptic Music ♪♬ - The Wasteland (Copyright and Royalty Free)Apocalypse: Prayers for the Climate and Ecological Emergency (Draft)
I.
Father of Creation,
To the one who sits on the throne,
The climate curtain has been drawn back,
And we see things as they really are.
An apocalypse,
An unveiling,
That reveals our existential threat.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Narratives of empire,
Announce news of endless growth
Whilst propaganda politics
distracts,
denies &
deludes
As mainstream media,
entertains &
educates,
The masses who march to the beat,
Towards the edge of the ecological abyss.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
II.
Father of Creation,
To the one who was , and is, and will be.
At the centre stands the butchered lamb,
He is the centre of the cosmos
We take our place alongside non-human worshippers.
Singing,
Praise, Glory and Honour..
We are not the centre,
The world does not revolve around us.
We are not on the throne,
To you, and your Son,
Be all praise, glory and honour.
Violent Power is not the centre,
That place is taken by the butchered lamb.
Violent Power is not the centre,
That place is taken by self giving sacrificial love.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
We march to the beat of a different drum.
Instead of a lust for power,
We love.
Instead of despair
We hope.
Instead of lies,
We speak truth.
We pledge allegiance to the butchered lamb,
To him be all praise, glory and honour.
III.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
The horseman of the apocalypse
Are at the gates.
The Alarm has gone off,
The neighbours are awake.
Lord have mercy.
Father of Creation
Famine,
Sword &
Pestilence .
Have been welcomed in.
We reap what we have sown.
As our addiction to fossil fuels
Sets your world
On fire
As our addiction to fossil fuels
Sets our home
On fire
We reap what we sow,
We sow what we desire,
We become what we desire.
If we sow to the wind of unrestrained capitalism,
We will reap a whirlwind.
If we sow to love
We reap a justice shaped harvest.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
IV.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Strange beasts stalk the land,
And we dare to name them,
Unrestrained Capitalism, yours days are numbered
Consumerism, your days are numbered
Individualism , your days are numbered
You offer life,
Yet you bring death.
You promise hope.
Yet you bring despair.
You offer joy,
Yet you bring grief.
Your days are numbered.
Unrestrained Capitalism, your days are numbered.
Consumerism, your days are numbered.
Individualism , your days are numbered.
V.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
You offer a
fresh story and stir imaginations,
&
We march to the beat of a different drum.
Hope is on the horizon,
Hope is in our hearts,
Hope has a name,
And we pledge allegiance to your Son.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
In your new creation,
Every Tear is wiped away,
Death will be no more,
There is a tree for the healing of the nations.
Hope is on the horizon
Hope is in our hearts,
Hope has a name.
And we pledge allegiance to your Son.
Swales, 2022
Words and Voice -Jon Swales
Music: Chris Sayburn 'Horizon' , Used with Permission
I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can play my part,
A small part,
So small,
That it is insignificant,
But I will try.
I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can pray,
And act,
So small,
That it seems insignificant
But I will try.
I can’t stop climate breakdown, But I can love,
And be loved.
So beautiful,
That my life has dignity, But I will try.
I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can rage against the machine, And say,
Not in my name,
So small,
But I will try.
I can’t stop climate breakdown,
But I can hope,
And dream,
And participate,
In a conspiracy of compassion,
A holy rebellion,
Until that day when all tears are wiped away.
Swales, 2021
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
Words and Voice- Jon Swales
Cello and Piano Music (Royalty Free) - Blue Nights by Juan Sánchez ðªð
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.
Words and Voice by Jon Swales
Music: Used with Permission from Chris Sayburn ' Memory'
Do not run from concrete reality,
Into a world of romanticised abstractions.
Take courage,
The truth at times will hurt.
Do not romanticise reality,
But look it straight in the eye.
And behold the nightmarish evil that many endure.
Don't dodge or look away,
But lament,
And grieve,
The Kingdom is calling.
Don't dodge or look away,
But listen,
And love,
The Kingdom is Calling.
Do not romanticise reality,
But look it in the eye,
Commit yourself to justice and peace.
Hold the hands of the hurting,
Wrap your arms around the broken,
Hold their gaze, and whisper
‘This is not the way it was meant to be’
Speak truth to those corrupted by power,
Stand up for the oppressed,
Hold their gaze and whisper.
‘This is not the way it is meant to be’
Do not romanticise reality,
But rest a while in extravagant love.
Bathe in his kindness,
Recieve his healing.
Do not romanticise reality,
But know that hope is on the way.
Reality will be redeemed,
There is not a hurt he will not heal.
Swales 2021
Words and Voice Jon Swales
Music. used with permission from Chris Sayburn 'Distance'
Father of Creation, Turn your face to us, Strengthen us,
So that
We will face what we will face With a firm heart,
Focused mind and resolute will.
Father of Creation,
Turn your face to us,
Strengthen us,
So that we may embody and enact Your mercy and justice
To a dying world.
Father of Creation,
Speak to us,
Strengthen us,
So that we may raise a voice for the world’s most vulnerable, Who are crushed beneath the wheels of climate injustice.
Father of Creation,
Your Son set his face towards Jerusalem, With self-giving sacrificial love,
So too, let us set our face towards injustice.
Let us not look away from the world’s most vulnerable. Let us not look away from sober scientific analysis.
Let us not look away from evil’s empires of exploitation.
The times are desperate,
19: Turn Your Face
And we are desperate.
The world is vulnerable, And we are vulnerable.
Have mercy upon us according to your steadfast love.
Have mercy upon us according to your Son and Our Saviour Jesus Christ.
We pray and petition,
We beseech and entreat,
That the leaders of this world, corporations and mainstream media, Would align themselves with justice.
We give thanks and pray blessing Upon those who enact justice,
Upon those who speak truth.
Upon those who bandage the wounds
of those caught beneath
the wheels of climate injustice.
And we pray for the transformation of society, For repentance and recalibration
in which unrestrained Capitalism
and Consumerism
will be exposed for what they are.
Instead, Father of Creation,
bring about economic and political change
which aligns itself
with justice and righteousness.
As we face what we will face, Grant us peace,
love
and hope.
As we face what we will face, Grant us boldness,
courage
and compassion.
Father of Creation,
We will one day see our Saviour face to face. Tears will be wiped away,
Death will be no more.
And there will be a tree for the healing of the nations. Until that day,
Turn your face to us,
Strengthen us so that
We will face what we will face
With a firm heart, Focused mind,
And resolute will.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May his face shine upon you.
May you know, in these difficult and strange days, His hope, his peace and his joy.
And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Be with you,
And remain with you,
Now and always. Amen.
Words and Voice by Jon Swales
Music : Cello and Piano Music , Blue Nights
How long, O Lord,
Will sea levels rise?
How high O Lord,
Will sea levels rise?
Before you step in and save and rescue?
How long, O Lord,
Will temperatures rise?
How much drought? How many famines? Before you step in to save and rescue?
How long, O Lord,
‘Til extinctions cease?
How many will be lost? How many species? Before you step in to save and rescue?
Will Bangladesh be no more? Or will Doha,
Abu Dhabi, and
Bandar Abbas
Be uninhabitable due to extreme heat?
Will the Amazon Rainforest be lost?
Will the Oceans be unable to sustain life?
How long, O Lord,
Will unrestrained capitalism
Rampage and pillage your good world?
How long, O Lord, before you step in and bring it to its knees? Must we wait ‘til mass starvation?
Must we wait ‘til mass migration?
Must we wait ‘til societal collapse?
When will Justice rise up and sweep away oppression? When will Love triumph over selfish individualism? When will Healing spring forth for the nations?
How long, O Lord, how long?
And yet, O Lord, in our lament, we hear a cry.
We hear a cry from the forests, From the oceans and the Arctic
We hear a cry from the vulnerable and the endlings, From the hungry and the refugee.
.
The cry began as a whisper,
Falling silent on a sleepy church.
The cry turned into an echo,
Reverberating through the walls of empty churches. The cry gains strength,
Joining the cry of a myriad of angels.
Come Lord Jesus!,
Let thy kingdom come. Come Lord Jesus!
Drive back the darkness.
I hear a reply from heaven,
From the throne room of the great King.
I hear a reply from heaven,
From the one whose hands were pierced.
I hear a reply from heaven, From the wild goose of love.
Awake O Church!
Let my world be blessed.
Awake O Church! Swing wide the doors.
He speaks,
'You are my hands and feet,
My covenantal kingdom community, You are called to be salt and light.
Execute justice,
stand up for the rights of the oppressed, Afflict not the stranger.’
Blessed are the peacemakers.
And the Crucified and risen King says, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’
Amen Amen Amen
Words and Voice Jon Swales.
Music Used with Permission from Chris Sayburn 'Mountain Tops'
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Your Son proclaimed and enacted the reign of God, He showed us what this looked like.
He healed the sick,
He welcomed the marginalised
He treated the vulnerable with dignity.
To him be all praise.
Your Son performed and participated in the reign of God, He showed us that love looks like something.
A self-giving sacrificial love,
That love is a verb,
That love makes a difference. To him be all praise.
Your Son proclaimed and enacted the reign of God, He knew what would befall the city.
He wept,
He urged repentance,
He promoted peace in a culture of violence. To him be all praise.
Your Son performed and participated in the reign of God, Speaking Truth to Power,
By overturning tables,
Extending tables,
And by being nailed to a cross. To him be all praise.
Father of Creation,God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We, too, have heard the kingdom call,
A stirring within to live authentically in this culture of denial and despair. We have wept when we have seen what is befalling the world.
As temperatures rise, As sea levels rise, Lord, have mercy.
As crop failures increase,
As conflicts over resources increase, Lord, have mercy.
As anxiety increases, As extinctions increase, Lord have mercy.
Yet, we too have heard the kingdom call, To proclaim and enact the reign of God. May we look to Jesus to look like Jesus, To bring healing to the world,
To welcome the climate refugee,
And to treat the world’s most vulnerable with dignity. Equip and empower us, O Father, to this kingdom calling.
We have heard the kingdom call,
To perform and participate in the reign of God.
May we look to Jesus to look like Jesus.
To live lives of self-giving sacrificial love,
To show that love is a verb,
A love that makes a difference.
Equip and empower us, O Father, to this kingdom calling.
We have heard the kingdom call,
To proclaim and enact the reign of God,
To weep at what is befalling us,
To urge repentance and recalibration from ecological violence,
To be peacemakers in a world of increased militarism and climate conflicts. Equip and empower us, O Father, to this kingdom calling.
We have heard the kingdom call,
To proclaim and enact the reign of God,
To speak truth to the power and politics that plunge us further into climate breakdown,
To have the courage and wisdom to overturn the tables of unrestrained capitalism that oppress the poor. To extend the tables that bridge the walls of climate apartheid.
To take up our cross and follow your Son.
Equip and empower us, O Father, to this kingdom calling.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
The miracle of divine grace does not imply passivity. Empower us by your Spirit,
To a holy Kingdom rebellion,
For all that is good, true and beautiful.
Until that day when the end will come,
When unrestrained capitalism and ecological violence will be no more, And the Kingdom will be handed to you.
To him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb,
Be all praise, honour and glory.
Words and Voice Rev'd Jon Swales
Music Classical Sad Piano, Copyright Free , Scott Buckley, Undertow.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
You made a beautiful world,
Full of awe and wonder,
Full of possibility and potential.
You declared it to be good.
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Mercy,
You gave humanity a call to tend and keep,
Yet we have sinned in thought, word and deed.
Through consumerism and exploitation
We have acted like parasites instead of gardeners.
We have acted like ecological vandals instead of caretakers, Have mercy on us!
We pause to remember and grieve the loss from this world of non-human worshippers who have now become extinct.
Bramble Cay Melomys What have we done? Have mercy on Us
Yangtze River Dolphin What have we done? Have mercy on Us
Northern White Rhino What have we done? Have mercy on us
Spix Macaw
What have we done? Have mercy on us
Zanibar Leopard What have we done? Have mercy on us.
Ivory-Billed Woodpecker
What have we done? Have mercy on Us
Black faced Honey Creeper
What have we done? Have mercy on Us.
Father, we know these are but a few of the creatures you have made who are no longer with us. You declared them to be good, but we made them extinct.
Have mercy on us.
Father of Creation,
God of Mercy,
We thank you for your Son Jesus,
Our brother, king and friend.
We thank you that in Jesus we see
Justice embodied and
Entwined with extravagant mercy.
We thank you that he welcomed the weak,
Gathered the oppressed and laid down the prophetic challenge to the unjust structures and systems of his day.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Embolden us with the Spirit of Christ,
That we may rise from the ashes of our lament into the prophetic waters of justice.
Restore us that we may be restored,
That your church may arise with healing in its wings.
In the year of the COP26 Climate Conference
Set us on fire with a love for all of your creation,
That we, your covenant people, would shake off our parasitical past and instead be the stewards, caretakers and love-filled creatures you have called us to be.
Let your church be so empowered that we would peacefully and publicly join with others in rebelling against extinction.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
To you be all praise, honor and glory, Now and Forever.
Words and Voice Jon Swales
Music: Sad Piano Instrumental, Copyright Free , Naoya Sakamata, Heartless Flock
Father of Creation,
God of Faithfulness,
If we ascend up into heaven,
You are there:
and if we make our bed in hell,
you are there.
We have made our climate bed,
It is hell
And we may well lie in it.
But you are there, and
You are here
To you be all praise and glory
As temperatures rise you are there,
As sea levels rise you are there.
Comforting,
Loving,
You offer Proximity and Presence
Challenging,
Beckoning,
You offer Proximity and Presence.
Father of Creation
God of Faithfulness,
If we to take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead us
And Your right hand shall hold us,
To you be praise and glory
We have travelled to the uttermost part of the sea,
As sons and daughters into the far country,
We have followed the siren song of consumerist delight, and now,
We reap what we have sown, and
Without help will be dashed against the rocks.
But even here you hold us
To you be praise and glory
As temperatures rise,
You hold us.
As sea levels rise
You hold us.
Comforting,
Loving,
Offering us Proximity and Presence.
Challenging,
Beckoning
Offering us Proximity and Presence.
If we had the wings of a bird we would fly away,
Away from the grief,
Away from the hurt,
Away from the existential threat which humanity faces.
But we don’t have wings and are bound to frail flesh.
But in our grief, hurt and danger,
You are there and your hand will guide us
Loving,
Comforting
Offering Proximity and Presence
Challenging
Beckoning
Offering Proximity and Presence
And so we lift up to you,
The foolish decisions from councils, corporations and governments, to
Expand airports &
Expand flights,
Despite the sure and certain knowledge that as it currently stands,
Such a choice plunges us further into the catastrophic and choppy waters
Of runaway climate breakdown,
Lord have mercy.
Bring repentance and recalibration,
We pray.
In our foolishness
Love us and comfort us.
Lord have mercy
In our foolishness
Challenge and Beckon us
Afresh to
To the beautiful dream,
The better story
In which our desire for overseas holidays,
Does not outweigh our commitment for justice, peace and the flourishing of all.
And so we lift up to you,
Our temptations and desires,
To travel the world and behold the wonder
Knowing that as it stands our flights support an industry that brings destruction.
When we did not know, we could not act.
Now we know, we must act,
We must perform and participate in a kingdom manner
That does justice and loves mercy.
In our foolishness,
Love us and comfort us.
Lord have mercy
In our foolishness
Challenge and Beckon us
Afresh to
To the beautiful dream,
The better story
In which our desire for overseas holidays,
Does not outweigh our commitment for justice, peace and the flourishing of all.
And so we pray for those who fly
For family reasons, business or recreation,
Words by Rev'd Jon Swales
Voice by Rev. Oli Preston
Music : Cello and Piano Music (Royalty Free)- 'Blue Nights' by Juan Sanchez
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We know that when your Son entered Jerusalem, he wept.
He wept because he knew what would befall it.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
When we look at this world of yours, this world of ours, we weep. We weep because we know what has befallen it.
Violence, Lord have Mercy.
Consumerism, Lord have Mercy. Unrestrained Capitalism, Lord have Mercy.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son dreamed a dream of a different kingdom,
An alternative reality for an alternative community.
And then he demonstrated what this looked like,
By healing the sick,
Welcoming the outcast,
Overturning tables of injustice,
And living a life, and dying a death, of self-giving sacrificial love.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
May we too dream a dream of a different kingdom,
An alternative reality for an alternative community.
That your church would demonstrate what this looks like,
By bringing healing to the world,
Welcoming the stranger,
Challenging injustice,
And living lives full of self-giving sacrificial love.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
You raised your Son on the third day,
Showing that a new day has dawned.
Demonstrating that violence, evil and death
Will not have the last word.
Demonstrating that oppressive empire
Will not have the last word.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
May we too be resurrection people,
Who demonstrate that violence, evil and destruction
Will not have the last word.
Demonstrating that unrestrained capitalism and empires of exploitation Will not have the last word.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus,
Your son came to his disciples in an upper room.
They were scared, and he spoke saying,
‘Peace to you,
As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.’
He calls, commissions and equips.
And then he breathed upon his disciples and said receive the Holy Spirit.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your son comes to us in a world of climate breakdown.
We are scared.
And he speaks saying,
‘Peace to you.
As the father has sent me, so I am sending you.’
He calls, commissions and equips.
Empower your church afresh with the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.
Empower us to be faithful to your Son,
Until that day,
When the Kingdom of Your Son,
Now inaugurated,
Is consummated.
Until that day, when swords of ecological violence are turned into ploughshares.
Until that day, when unrestrained capitalism and empires of exploitation are no more.
To him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb,
Be all praise, honour and glory.
Amen
Words by Rev'd Jon Swales
Voice by Rev. Oli Preston
Music :Broken. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYiVaLS6Mfs
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We know that when your Son entered Jerusalem, he wept.
He wept because he knew what would befall it.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
When we look at this world of yours, this world of ours, we weep. We weep because we know what has befallen it.
Violence, Lord have Mercy.
Consumerism, Lord have Mercy. Unrestrained Capitalism, Lord have Mercy.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son dreamed a dream of a different kingdom,
An alternative reality for an alternative community.
And then he demonstrated what this looked like,
By healing the sick,
Welcoming the outcast,
Overturning tables of injustice,
And living a life, and dying a death, of self-giving sacrificial love.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
May we too dream a dream of a different kingdom,
An alternative reality for an alternative community.
That your church would demonstrate what this looks like,
By bringing healing to the world,
Welcoming the stranger,
Challenging injustice,
And living lives full of self-giving sacrificial love.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
You raised your Son on the third day,
Showing that a new day has dawned.
Demonstrating that violence, evil and death
Will not have the last word.
Demonstrating that oppressive empire
Will not have the last word.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
May we too be resurrection people,
Who demonstrate that violence, evil and destruction
Will not have the last word.
Demonstrating that unrestrained capitalism and empires of exploitation Will not have the last word.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus,
Your son came to his disciples in an upper room.
They were scared, and he spoke saying,
‘Peace to you,
As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.’
He calls, commissions and equips.
And then he breathed upon his disciples and said receive the Holy Spirit.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your son comes to us in a world of climate breakdown.
We are scared.
And he speaks saying,
‘Peace to you.
As the father has sent me, so I am sending you.’
He calls, commissions and equips.
Empower your church afresh with the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit.
Empower us to be faithful to your Son,
Until that day,
When the Kingdom of Your Son,
Now inaugurated,
Is consummated.
Until that day, when swords of ecological violence are turned into ploughshares.
Until that day, when unrestrained capitalism and empires of exploitation are no more.
To him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb,
Be all praise, honour and glory.
Amen
Words and Voice by Jon Swales
Music: Sad Piano Instrumental [No Copyright Sound], Naoya Sakamata, Heartless Flock
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Help us not to romanticise reality,
But look it straight in the eye,
So that we may behold the climate chaos that many now endure And many more will endure.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Help us not to retreat into denialism, Living in our panelled houses
Whilst the temple of your world is in ruins.
Help us to see that
Climate breakdown acts as a threat multiplier.
As Conflicts Increase, Food supplies fail, Climate grief increases, Locusts swarm, Icebergs melt,
Seas acidify,
Extinctions multiply,
Children go hungry,
Floods and Fires wreck the land
And Humanity faces an existential threat.
This is not the way it was meant to be, Lord have mercy.
Father of Creation, God of Compassion,
8: Do Not Romanticise Reality
Let us not look away
But help us to lament
And grieve
And know that the kingdom of your Son is Calling.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Help us not to romanticise reality
But to look it in the eye,
That we would be those committed
To justice and peace.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Help us, like your Son,
To speak truth to those corrupted by power. Help us, like your Son,
To stand up for the oppressed.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Help us not to romanticise reality. We ask that, as our hearts break,
We may rest in your extravagant love And Holy embrace.
We thank you that whatever befalls We can bathe in your kindness
And receive your healing.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Help us not to romanticise reality.
But let us also know that hope is on the way, For your son will transform reality.
There is not a hurt he will not heal. Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus!
Amen
Words by Jon Swales
Voice by Jon & Sarah Swales
Music from Chris Sayburn, 'It Pours' Used with Permission
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
With Confidence
We Approach your throne of grace
To receive mercy
And find grace
And help in our time of need.
To you be all praise and glory.
Our need is great,
For we face shipwreck in the storm of climate breakdown.
Our need is great,
As the winds of unrestrained capitalism,
And the waves of consumerism,
Have charted a course to ruin.
Lord have mercy
Our need is great,
For your church has fallen asleep at the wheel,
Lord have mercy.
Our need is great,
But your grace is greater,
And your mercy ever sweet.
To you be praise and glory
Father of Creation,
Remember your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins our arrogant youth
and our rebellious ways;
We have drank deep from the wells of empire,
Our vision is blurred,
We stagger about as though blind,
Unaware of what befalls,
As temperatures rise,
Remember us.
For you O Lord are good.
As sea levels rise,
Remember us,
For you O lord are good
Our need is great,
But your grace is greater,
And your mercy ever sweet.
To you be praise and glory
Father of Creation
Out of the depths we cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear our voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to our cry for mercy.
And, perhaps Lord you have a word for us,
A word for your sleeping church
Perhaps, O Father, you would say
‘Awake O Sleeper and Rise from the Dead
I have called you to be the hands and feet of my Son.’
For a such a time as this,
I have called my church to compassion,
I have called my church to justice.
‘Awake O Sleeper and Rise from the Dead
I have called my church to look and love like Jesus’.
To welcome the climate refugee,
Feed the Hungry,
Live as Peacemakers
Embody mercy
Speak Truth to Power,
Build Community,
Live humbly,
Flip Tables of injustice.
Do Justice
To live lives of self giving sacrificial love.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
With Confidence
We Approach your throne of grace
To receive mercy
And find grace
And help in our time of need.
To you be all praise and glory.
Our need is great,
For we face shipwreck in the storm of climate breakdown.
Our need is great,
As the winds of unrestrained capitalism,
And the waves of consumerism,
Have charted a course to ruin.
Lord have mercy
Our need is great,
For your church has fallen asleep at the wheel,
Lord have mercy.
Our need is great,
But your grace is greater,
And your mercy ever sweet.
To you be praise and glory
Amen, Amen Amen
Words and Voice by Rev'd Jon Swales
Music 'This too Shall Pass'. by Scott Buckley
Father of Creation,
God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
The earth was formless and void,
The earth was drenched in darkness,
And the wild goose of love hovered over the waters of the deep.
Father of Creation,
God of Faithfulness,
You spoke and breathed life into being.
A tapestry of textures,
Displaying Bountiful biodiversity,
An interconnected web of life,
Formed and Filled as an act of creative love and power.
You declared it to be good,
And it is good,
It is our home.
To you be all praise and glory.
You declared it to be good,
And it is good,
We share this home with non-human worshippers
To you be all praise and glory.
Father of Creation,
Creation sings your praise,
Non-human worshippers partake in a litany of life,
A sweet song of praise,
A reverent dance and waltz of wonder.
Aardvarks and Badgers
Cats and Dogs
Elephants and flying foxes,
The sweet embrace of life.
Gorillas and Hippos,
Iguanas and Jellyfish,
Koalas and Llamas,
The sweet embrace of life.
Meerkat and Nightingales,
Orang-utans and Polar Bears,
Quetzals and Racoons,
The sweet embrace of life.
Seals and Tigers,
Umbrella Bird and Voles
Walrus and Xantus Leaf-toed Gekkos,
The sweet embrace of life.
Yellow Fin Tuna and Zebra Finch
The sweet embrace of life.
To to you be all praise and glory.
And yet, Oh Father,
The song of praise is being silenced
As humanity betrays it’s calling to tend and keep.
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
And Yet, Oh Father,
Creations dance turns to final waltz,
As holy habits are plundered and pillaged,
Lord have mercy,
Christ have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
At this late hour,
As the earth becomes formless and void,
As the light of life becomes drenched in darkness,
We thank you that the Wild Goose of Love still hovers
Wild goose of Love,
Creation Groans.
Wild goose of love,
Creation groans.
In darkness, we wait.
In darkness, we hope.
These dry bones may yet live.
In darkness, we wait,
In darkness, we hope,
These dry bones may yet live
Father of Creation,
God of faithfulness,
Speak your word afresh and breathe life into being.
So that creations song will sing once more,
That out of the lament for loss may once again be found a litany of life
A sweet song of life
The sweet embrace of life,
To you be all praise and glory.
Beats via Chris Sayburn
Words and Voice by Jon Swales.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
You created a world of wonder,
And declared it to be good.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
The Earth was formless and void,
And you spoke,
And life came into being.
Trees and plants were raised from the earth,
You formed man out of the dust of the ground.
The soil and mud
Participate in your creative act.
And you declared it to be good.
And we declare it to be good.
For our lives are inexplicably linked with the life of the soil.
From the riches of soil,
Crops, vegetables, and fruit grow which sustain life,
Both of Humans and Non-Human Worshippers.
Soil is our life support system,
For this we give you praise.
Soil provides anchorage for roots,
For this we give you praise.
Soil holds water and nutrients,
For this we give you praise.
Soils are home to a myriad of microorganisms,
And an army of microscopic animals,
For this we give you praise.
In this time of climate breakdown,
The soil is our ally,
Our friend.
Providing a vital role in the earth's interconnected ecosystem,
We praise you for fertile soil from which a symphony of praise grows and is given voice.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We have moved East of Eden,
We are Homesick Exiles,
Creation Groans,
The Soil is Dying.
We have betrayed our friend,
And may well reap what we have sown.
We have opened the door to the sin of ecological violence,
And it has overwhelmed us.
Through the greed of exploitation,
The fertile earth is being degraded,
Polluted and Acidified.
We lament that 12 million hectares of land of once fertile land is lost every year to desertification and drought.
We lament that an increase in degraded soil will likely affect food production.
We lament for when we have chosen quick profits instead of sustainable agriculture.
We lament the use of certain types of pesticides which bring increased yields for the moment, but in the long-term makes the soil incapable of sustaining life.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your Son walked this land of soil and dust,
And dreamed a dream of a different world,
A Kingdom in which the hungry are fed
and the humble are lifted high.
May we too, who walk this earth,
Tread lightly upon the soil.
And like your Son,
May we be Kingdom people,
Who Dream,
And Act
Who Tend and Keep,
Guard and Protect,
Plant and Harvest,
Sustain and Develop
This world that you have made.
May our hearts, as fertile soil,
Be the place from which the fruits of the Spirit grow,
May we, like Jesus, feed the hungry,
And care about the soil from which it comes.
In all areas of life may we point both to the King and the Coming Kingdom.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ,
You created a world of wonder
And declared it to be good.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ
The Earth was formless and void.
And you spoke, and life came into being.
Trees and Plants were raised from the earth
You formed man out of the dust of the ground,
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
Amen.
Words and Voice by Rev'd Jon Swales
Music by Rev'd Chris Sayburn, "Waiting' Used with Permission.
- Woe to the Unholy Trinity
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
You made a world full of possibility and potential, You declared it to be good.
For this, we give you thanks.
To you be all honour and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
There are strange dehumanising and destructive forces at work In this world of yours, this world of ours.
Creation Groans,
Creation Cries.
Lord have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Your church has too bowed the knee and benefited from these demanding and destructive powers. We have become entranced and enticed,
We are compromised and have colluded,
We have grown rich, our hearts have grown heavy.
Lord have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
These dehumanising and destructive forces help to maintain our status quo,
And we have stood silent at the butchery of your world,
At first unaware, but then deliberately we have walked down the other side of the road And then, at times, we have acted as cheerleaders and chaplains to this unholy trinity Lord have Mercy.
And so we name the unholy beast.
We renounce it. We repent of it.
Unrestrained Capitalism, Consumerism, Individualism.
Your days are numbered.
This unholy trinity
That oppresses the poor, Ransacks the Earth, Dehumanises.
Your days are numbered.
This unholy trinity
Offers entertainment, Distraction,
Denial.
Your days are numbered.
Woe to the unholy trinity. Justice and Mercy will kiss, The kingdom will come. Blessed are the Peacemakers.
And so we pledge allegiance afresh to Jesus the butchered lamb
And ask that in this time of climate breakdown, we would be faithful to him.
To him who sits on the throne, And to the lamb,
Be all praise, honour and blessing.
Words and Voice vy Rev'd Jon Swales
Music. 'Father' by Rev'd Chris Sayburn. Used with permission.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We thank you that you are a holy Trinity of Love Who rules and reigns with self-giving sacrificial love. To you, we give all praise, honour and glory.
In this time of climate breakdown,
we ask that we would be filled with your love.
For a love, which in a wounded world, makes a difference. Trinity of Love, Fill our hearts.
For a love, which in a warming world, looks like something. Trinity of Love, Fill our hearts.
For a love, which in a culture of denial, speaks truth. Trinity of Love, Fill our hearts.
For a love, which in a world of oppression and indifference, challenges injustice. Trinity of Love, Fill Our hearts.
Fill our hearts, O Lord, with love for
Climate refugees
Those caught up in climate-related conflicts Those suffering from extreme weather events Those who face drought and food shortages
Father of Creation,
God of justice,
We thank you that you are not indifferent to those who suffer injustice and oppression.
In this time of climate breakdown, we ask that You would give us a holy rage,
4: Trinity of Love.
A righteous anger,
Which seeks to stand up,
Speak out and
Oppose the machine of unrestrained capitalism.
Father, in the name of your son,
Let us be those who rebel against Evil which tramples on the vulnerable.
Father, in the name of your son,
Let us be those who rebel against systems that put profit before people.
Father, in the name of your son,
Let us be those who rebel against economic forces that put pleasure before ethics.
Father, Give us courage.
Father, we ask that, like Jesus, our anger would come from a wellspring of Holy love. We ask that our righteous love and holy anger
Will always be good and never turn itself into violence.
We pray for an increase in peaceful truth-speaking, campaigning and protest.
We pray that it would be made clear to our governments that we will not be silent until we have plans put in place that do not jeopardise our futures and the wellbeing of the world's most vulnerable.
Blessed are the peacemakers.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice.
Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Amen
Words by Rev'd Jon Swales MBE
Music by Chris Sayburn.
For more info on Divestment see here
Words and Prayers by Jon Swales,
Video version here
Piano by Alice Brencher
Father of Creation, The first and the last,
You created a world of wonder,Full of possibility and potential,
You declared it to be good.
And it was good,
And it is good,
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
A river flowed through Eden,Watering the garden of delight.
And Creation flourished in the blessing of biodiversity.We praise you for the rivers.
A river flowed through Eden,Sustaining, Maintaining, and Participating, In the cosmic dance of wonder. We praise you for the rivers.
Watercourses of wonder,Spread across the globe,Teeming with life,We praise you for the rivers.
Streams, creeks, brook and gills,Collecting, Gathering, Growing, Moving,Flowing,Still,Calm,Fast,Furious,Shallow,Deep,
From source to mouth.
We praise you for the rivers.
Amphibians, reptiles, fish, Birds and mammals,Are sustained by flowing freshwater ,The river choir of non human worshippers Joining a symphony of praise.
Beavers,Otters,Crocodiles, & Hippopotamus,Open their lips to sing your praise.Kingfisher,
Mallard, Herons,& Swans,
Open their wings to proclaim your praiseTrout,Chub,Dace,& Minnow.Perform an underwater waltz of wonder.
For the flow of the Yukon ,and the life giving Ganges,For the Rio Grande, and the
Mighty Mekong,We praise you for the rivers.
For the flow of the Amazon And the life giving Zambezi,For the beauty of the Bhramaputra,
And the mighty Mississippi.We praise you for the rivers.
Closer to home,We give thanks.For local rivers, full ofLife, love and laughter,Fishing and fun,Ducks and Birds,Willows and Waterfalls,Swimming, Stepping Stones, and Skipping stones Romantic walks and peace of mind.For the healing wisdom of walks beside water.
In local rivers,At local rivers.A taste of Eden
For the Tees, Wharfe and AireThe Ribble, Severn and the WyeWe praise you for the rivers.
For the Tyne, Thames and TamarThe Mersey, Avon and the Ure We praise you for the rivers.Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Your son was plunged in Jordan flow,
And in the waters of baptism you remind us of,
Waters that wash,
Of streams that sanctify
Of rivers of rebirth,
We praise you for the rivers.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
The rivers of this world are not as you intended them to be.
For we have sinned and done evil in your sight.
The natural network of wondrous watercourses are now plagued with pollution,
Lord have mercy.
Industrial chemicals and agricultural runs offs upset the balance of biodiversity,
Lord have mercy.
Our children Swim in sewage,
Lord have mercy.
Non human worshippers face population decline, decimation and extinction,
Lord have mercy.
Forgive us Lord,
For what we have done,
We have poisoned our own wells,
And fear that we will reap what we have sown.
Have mercy on us.
Rivers,
Be renewed ,
In Jesus’ named.
Father of Creation,
God of restoration and renewal.
In you there is hope,
Hope for the human,
Hope for the rivers.
Words and voice Rev’d Jon Swales
Music, used with permission from Chris Sayburn
New Years : Prayer for the Climate and Ecological Emergency
Father of Creation,
God of Faithfulness ,
The First and the Last,
You show your love to us through time,
Every moment of existence a fragile gift,
A blessing in the beauty of biodiversity.
To you be praise and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
In space and time,
Frail flesh is blessed by you,
To bear an image of eternal,
As divine honour is bestowed on us.
A commendation
A benediction,
From on high,
To to be all praise and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Participation,
You have called humanity,
To tend and keep,
To love and serve,
Through space and time,
Through seasons, soil and sweat.
To you be all praise and glory.
The cosmic temple of your creation,
Takes our breath away,
Called to worship alongside non-human worshippers,
Who participate in a symphony of praise,
In soil and sky,
Rainforests and rivers,
In grassland, oceans and savanna.
To you be all praise and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
We all like sheep have gone astray,
And wandered from your way,
We have betrayed our calling.
Instead of tending and keeping,
We have plundered and pillaged.
The soil and sky are dying.
Lord have mercy.
Instead of loving and serving,
We devastated and despoiled,
The rainforests and rivers are dying,
Lord have mercy.
Instead of participating in a symphony of praise,
Our grasslands, oceans and savannah,
Take up a lament,
A cry of extinction.
Lord have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
We look back at,
The beauty,
The brokenness,
The joy
and the sorrow,
Of our Lives.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
We look forward,
With anticipation and fear,
Not knowing what the coming years will hold,
As we come to terms with our own existential threat.
We have been seduced by consumerism and unrestrained capitalism,
We will reap what we sow.
Lord have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
Even in our present dark hour we look to you,
For the light and radiance of your Son,
To shine upon our hearts,
To lift our souls,
To move us from despondence and despair, to
A loving rage,
A holy anger,
A righteous rebellion,
In which we will
Tend,
Keep,
Love and serve,
And do and be,
Something beautiful,
As we take up the song of cosmic justice.
Father of Creation,
God of Faithfulness ,
The first and the last,
You show your love to us through time,
Every moment of existence a fragile gift,
A blessing in the beauty of biodiversity.
To you be praise and glory.
Amen
https://youtu.be/9QohvB6LpRU
'Lay Down the Sword' taken from 26 Prayers for the Climate and Ecological Emergency by Rev'd Jon Swales https://atyourservice.arocha.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/26-Prayers-for-the-Climate-and-Ecological-Emergency-Jon-Swales.pdf
Voice: Katie Dowds
Images: Freely Available from Prexels
Music: Benjamin Tissot (also known as Bensound)
11: Lay Down the Sword, Take Up the Cross
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
We praise you for your son Jesus, The Lamb upon the Throne.
We praise you that your son Jesus said, 'Blessed are the peacemakers’ and called us to love our enemies. We thank you that your son rules and reigns through self-giving sacrificial love.
We thank you that Jesus took up the violent symbol of empire and, in his death, transformed it into a symbol of hope restored and sins forgiven.
We thank you that your son, in his dying breath, said, 'Father forgive them, for they know not what they do'.
We praise you that, in his death, his bloody execution, he dragged the forces of sin, death, empire and violence into the grave, offering us an alternative kingdom.
We thank you that your son’s glorious resurrection demonstrated that death will not have the last word and love itself wins.
He reigns victorious, forever glorious. He is the lamb.
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
We stand on the brink of climate breakdown, which will lead to an increase in conflict and war. Humanity will reap what it sows,
Those who live by the sword will die by the sword.
Lord have Mercy.
As Temperatures rise, Tensions arise.
As food shortage and malnutrition increases, Conflicts follow.
As refugees flee flooded lands, Wars will follow.
Tribal Conflicts,
Local Conflicts,
Regional Pressures, Battles for resources.
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.
And so in the coming months, and through whatever follows, we commit ourselves afresh to Kingdom Peacemaking.
In our homes,
Blessed are the Peacemakers.
In our churches,
Blessed are the Peacemakers.
In our cities,
Blessed are the Peacemakers.
For our nation's leadership, Blessed are the Peacemakers.
For global leaders,
Blessed are the Peacemakers.
Father of Creation,
God of Peace,
Grant us the courage to speak out against increased militarism.
Grant us the courage to speak out against the arms trade.
Grant us the courage to speak out against increased nuclear capability.
Grant us the courage in a world of increasing violence to stand fast to the peaceable kingdom and the peaceable King.
Grant us the courage to seek the path of peace until that day when all weapons of war are turned into ploughshares, and
War will be no more.
We lay down the sword.
We take up our cross.
Blessed are the Peacemakers.
Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Those who by the spirit will walk in the spirit. Blessed are the peacemakers.
To him who sits upon the throne, And to the lamb,
Be praise, honour and glory.
Amen.
Words and Voice Jon Swales
Background Music is freely available.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
We marvel at the sacred mystery of faith,
The incarnation,
The enfleshment of your son
Fully God,
Fully Man,
Jesus,
To him be all prayer and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope
We marvel at the sacred mystery of faith,
Word became flesh,
Love became dust,
Beauty revealed,
Jesus,
To him be all praise and glory.
Your life, O Lord, which has bubbled up from eternity,
Has now stepped into time.
Your love, O Lord, which created a world of wonder,
Pitched a tent and took up the human cause.
And yet our Christmas carols ,
Our advent anthems,
And joyous joy at incarnation
Is conjoined with songs of lamentation.
For a world plunging headlong into climate devastation.
Lord Jesus Christ
You took up flesh,
But we take up the sword of ecological violence.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You sanctified dust and walked this cosmic temple
But we plunder and pillage your Father’s world.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You welcomed the weak and loved the lost,
But we turn our backs on the world most vulnerable
Maranatha,
Come Lord Jesus,
Bring your justice,
Set the world to rights
But Lord remember mercy.
Maranatha,
Come Lord Jesus,
Bring your justice,
Set the world to rights
But Lord remember mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
We thank you that the birth of Jesus,
The incarnation,
Shows that matter matters,
That everything is spiritual
To you be all praise and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope
Equip your church afresh to behold the holy mystery,
May our wonder and our worship of the enfleshment of God
lead to lives of care, compassion and service for the world which you came to save
May we wait for the return of your Son,
Jesus the God-Man
with
Embodied love,
Embodied hope,
And embodied peace.
Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus,
Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus,
Maranatha, Come, Lord Jesus,
-Swales, Dec 2021
Words: Rev'd Jon Swales
Voice: Rosie Smith
Music: Used with Permission. Chris Sayburn 'It pours'
A Lament for Covid & Omicron Variant (Draft)
Father God,
Healer of All Hurts.
We come to you in our hour of need saying.
How Long? O Lord.
How Long?
We find ourselves caught up in the storm of Covid.
We feel stranded and alone,
Fearful that we will be cut off from those we love.
A new variant,
A new wave,
Damned if we lock down,
Damned if we don’t.
Catch 22 loaded with suffering.
How Long? O Lord.
How Long?
We face shipwreck and catastrophe,
Battered and bruised by the storm of this pandemic.
Our nation is in peril,
Our NHS is stretched,
Our Souls feel anxious and afraid.
How Long? O Lord.
How Long?
Healer of all hurts,
We come to you in our hour of need pleading.
That you would still the wind and waves,
And act,
And move,
And comfort,
And heal,
And embrace us in your healing hands.
Covenant God,
Father of Lights,
We bring before your tender love.
Those who are sick,
Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.
Front Line workers for protection and resilience,
Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.
For energy and patience for those in education
Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.
For the vulnerable and those shielding,
Lord have mercy, Christ Have mercy.
Step in,
Hold back the Wave.
Step in and bid the storm to cease.
Help us to move,
And act,
In love,
And hope.
Father God,
Healer of All Hurts.
We come to you in our hour of need praising you,
That you do not leave us,
or forsake us.
You have shown your love to us in Jesus.
Covenant God,
Father of Lights,
We come to you in our hour of need praising you,
That there is not a hurt you will not heal.
Nor a tear you will not wipe away.
You have shown your love to us in Jesus.
We praise you that in Jesus is a balm to soothe our souls.
We praise you that in Jesus there is always hope.
We praise that in Jesus all will be well.
Until that day,
We Weep and Pray.
How Long? O Lord,
How Long?
-Swales, Dec 2021
Words by Jon Swales
Music Here.
Youtube Version
Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
We have heard it said of old,
That you acted in history,
To redeem your people from tyranny, From Slavery in the Empire of Egypt, To a land flowing with milk and honey.
Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
You saw the affliction of your people,
You heard the cries of the oppressed,
You heard the groans of the enslaved,
And you delivered them with a strong and mighty hand.
Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
We desperately need your help,
To redeem us from beastly forces,
From Slavery in the empire of unstrained capitalism, To a land of flowing with biodiversity and justice.
Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
Do you see the affliction of your planet?
Do you hear the cries of the hungry?
Do you hear the groans from refugees?
Deliver us from our greed with a strong and gracious hand.
Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
In the death of your Son, you disarmed the powers of empire,
16: Exodus and Empire
In the resurrection of your Son, a new way has become possible, For he rules and reigns with self-giving sacrificial love.
Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
You have called us to be faithful, whatever befalls,
You have empowered us with your life-giving Spirit. Help us to tend and keep with self-giving sacrificial love.
And so we speak and name our captors, We renounce their power and sway,
We will not yield nor bow the knee.
Unrestrained Capitalism- your days are numbered. Consumerism- your days are numbered. Individualism- your days are numbered.
They bring death,
But you, O Lord, bring life.
They bring destruction,
But you, O Lord, bring restoration.
They bring slavery,
But you, O Lord, are the God of freedom.
They bring sorrow,
But in you, O Lord, is fullness of joy.
They build walls,
But you, O Lord, extend the table.
In your kingdom,
A new way is possible.
In your kingdom, Justice flows.
In your Kingdom, Jesus is Lord.
Father of Creation,
God of Redemption,
To you be all praise, honour and glory Now and Forever.
Amen.
Words and Voice by Jon Swales
Music Copyright Free. Click here.
Father of Creation,
In our bleak mid-winter we are confronted again
With
Something startling
Something shocking
And something profoundly beautiful.
A Holy mystery
The story that the Mighty God
Has revealed himself
In the Babe born in Bethlehem.
To him be all praise and glory
Father of Creation,
We remember that holy night
When eternal son of God
Took up fragile flesh,
In a lowly cattle shed
grows inside Marys womb, journies through the birth canal and is born to a colonised and oppressed people group.
To him be all praise and glory.
In Jesus we see a new power, a new might at work in the world.
A power so powerful, yet so beautiful
A power so powerful, yet so loving
A power so powerful,
Yet
wrapped in swaddling clothes and extravagant mercy.
And now,
Right now,
As we stand within the unfolding of the climate apocalypse,
As we lament for what has already been lost,
As we grieve in anticipation for what is already locked in.
We look to you with advent hope.
O come, O Come Emmanuel,
Comfort us with your presence.
O COme, O Come Emmanuel,
Bind up the Broken hearted
O Come, O Come Emmanuel,
Restore unto us the joy of our salvation
And now,
Right now,
As we stand between the first and second coming of your son,
As we weep for a world in the grip of beastly powers,
As we hope against hope for the manifestation of your cosmic shalom
We look to you with advent expectation.
O come thou rod of Jesse, free
Your world from Satans Tyranny
O Come thou rod of Jesse, Come
And deliver us from from climate breakdown hell
O Come thou rod of Jesse, Free
Your world from the tyranny,
From the beast of the unholy trinity
Deliver us O Lord from unrestrained capatilsm,
Deliver us O Lord from consumerism
Deliver Us, O Lord from individualism.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Advent Hope.
We thank you that your son is,
A Mighty God who binds up the wounds of the broken hearted
We thank you that your Son is,
A Mighty God who who stoops and serves and washes feet,
We thank you that your son is,
A Mighty God who Holds the hands of the leper,
Who takes up his cross,
And recieves a crown of thorns
A Mighty God who enters the grave and in doing so deals the death blow to death itself.
A Mighty God crucified and raised to life.
Asacended to glory.
The servant King,
the butchered lamb,
the name above all names.
And His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
And now,
Right now,
As we stand within the unfolding of the climate apocalypse
We look to Jesus,
We confess him as Lord,
Maranatha, Come lord Jesus
Maranatha Come lord Jesus
Maranatha, Come lord Jesus
Voice and Words by Jon Swales
Music from Scott Buckley
Father of Creation,
God of Justice.
Your kingdom is one of love, joy and peace. For this, we give you praise.
In this time of climate breakdown, Temperature rises will act as a threat multiplier Across the world
Through food shortages and extreme weather, Our neighbours will suffer.
Our neighbours in vulnerable nations,
Our neighbours in future generations.
This suffering may work alongside a climate apartheid world in which we Build walls,
Prioritise the western world,
Silence the voices of the oppressed,
Whilst keeping ourselves busy with consumeristic hedonism.
In this world of climate breakdown,
Prepare your church for love,
That we would be a community which extends the table, So that the marginalised may find a place.
Prepare your church for love,
That we would be those
Who listen to the voices of the oppressed.
Prepare your church for love,
That we would be those
Who love the Lord God with all our heart, mind and soul, And love our neighbours,
Both global and future, As ourselves.
Remove from us our idolatrous hearts,
Which, through consumerism, consumes more than we need at the expense of the world's most vulnerable.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice.
Your kingdom is one of love, joy and peace. For this, we give you praise.
In this time of climate breakdown,
Temperature rises will act as a threat multiplier Across the world,
As climate grief increases,
As once hoped for futures seem to be reduced to ash, As mourning and grief increase.
In a world of climate grief,
Prepare your church for hope and joy,
That we would be those who speak truth in a culture of despair,
Prepare your church for hope and joy,
That we would be those who celebrate the gift of life, With simplicity and gratitude.
Prepare your church for hope and joy,
That we would be those who are rooted and grounded in the hope and joy of Jesus.
Remove from us our idolatrous hearts which can wander down the paths of denial and despair. Make us, in Christ, hope and joy-filled realists.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice.
Your kingdom is one of love, joy and peace. For this, we give you praise.
In this time of climate breakdown,
We will see temperature rises act as a threat multiplier Across the world.
Through food shortages and increased migration,
We will see an increase in conflict,
With a potential for sustained violence
Locally,
Regionally,
Globally.
Lord have mercy.
In this world of climate breakdown, Prepare your church for peace.
That we would be a community of shalom, that works for the healing of the nations.
Prepare your church for peace,
That we would be those
Who take up the cross and lay down the sword.
Prepare your church for peace,
That we would be those
Who move and act
With a commitment to self-giving sacrificial love.
Prepare your church for peace, That we would be those
Who act as peacemakers For the peaceable kingdom.
Remove from us our idolatrous hearts,
Which bow the knee to nationalism and militarism At the expense of the world's most vulnerable.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Your kingdom is one of love, joy and peace. For this, we give you praise.
To you be all praise, honour and glory.
Spoken word: Jon Swales
Music: Scott Buckley - This Too Shall Pass" is under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 3.0) license
Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: https://bit.ly/bkc-pass
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
The prophets speak ,
And dream and hope
For a different world,
The age to come.
Maranatha
Father of Creation,
God of Hope.
We dwell in great darkness,
The joy in our hearts has ceased.
Our garments are rolled in the blood of ecological violence.
Lord have mercy,
Maranatha
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
The yoke of unrestrained capitalism,
Is placed upon the necks of the global south.
Consumerism delights and shares the spoils.
Lord have mercy,
Maranatha.
And yet we wait knowing that once you
Heard,
Saw
And responded to the cries of your people.
In that day a child was born.
Wonderful Counsellor,
To him be all praise and glory.
Mighty God,
To him be all praise and glory.
Everlasting Father,
To him beall praise and glory.
Prince of Peace.
To him be all praise and glory.
He dreamed a dream of a different kingdom
And showed us what this looks.
In a world of darkness,
He is the world true light
In a world of spiritual hunger,
He is the bread of life.
In a world of violence,
He is the blessed pacemaker
To be him be all praise and glory.
And so now we wait,
In the storm of climate breakdown,
Hungry, Sacred, in Darkness
And we pray for the advent,
the arrival,
Of Bread, the Light and the Blessed Peacemaker
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus
Father of Creation,
God of Hope
Whilst we wait,
And sea levels rise,
Grant us strength to face the day.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Whilst we wait,
And temperatures rise,
Grant us wisdom to discern how we should live,
Father of Creation,
God of Hope
Whilst we wait,
Grant us the courage to pledge allegiance to the worlds true light.
Grant us the courage to resist the beasts that destroy the world.
Grant us courage to articulate, imagine and embody the Kingdom of Your Son,
Let the present moment of our existential threat,
Point to the presence and person your Son Jesus.
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
The church proclaims ,
And dreams and hopes
For a different world,
The age to come.
Maranatha
Come Lord Jesus.
Voice and Prayer by Rev'd Jon Swales
Music by enrique27naveda from Pixabay
Prayer with Visual see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtODNrsN58Y&list=PLmqiQVXn_oPxt7IaNF-vNz3W0Gx9SfIQu&index=7&t=8s
24: The Prophetic Community
Praise be to you,
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Who, in various and diverse ways, Raised up prophets
Who gave voice to a new reality,
Who spoke truth in a culture of denial, Who enacted hope in a culture of despair.
Praise be to you,
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
You have spoken definitely and decisively,
In the God-Man Jesus Christ.
He walked this earth proclaiming and demonstrating the kingdom of God, In his death, he dealt the death-blow to death itself.
In his resurrection,
He reigns and rules victorious,
And offers hope for
The individual,
The church,
The nations
And the world.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Our world is in peril,
The boat of humanity is cast adrift upon the storms of exploitation and extinction. Many are in denial,
Many are in despair, Lord have mercy.
Humanity faces an existential threat. What have we done? Lord, have Mercy.
Humanity has pillaged and plundered your good creation. What have we done? Lord, have mercy.
Humanity faces difficult decades as a consequence of our ecological violence. What have we done? Lord, have mercy.
And so,
With sad hearts and tears in our eyes,
We look to you,
Father of Creation,
Recognising that you have spoken,
And revealed yourself most clearly in your son.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
Touch our lips,
Cleanse our hearts,
That your church may, once again, be a prophetic community. That, in our darkest hour we, like your son,
Would be a servant community,
Which moves and acts with self-giving sacrificial love.
That, in our darkest hour we, like your son,
Would be a light to the nations and work for the reconciliation of all things.
May we, like the prophets of old, Speak Truth to a Culture of Denial. May we, like the prophets of old, Enact hope in a culture of despair.
Help us to tell stories,
Sing songs,
Love and be loved,
Tend and keep,
Guard and protect,
Stand up and speak out,
And live in such a way
That we would provide fresh imagination and hope,
Which can overcome the myths and ideologies
That have brought us to what seems like the point of no return.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Invigorate us afresh by your Spirit,
with the hope of the God-Man Jesus.
Let us be conformed to his image and likeness,
That we might proclaim and demonstrate the Kingdom of God.
In his death, the death blow has been dealt to death itself,
So let us be filled with self-giving sacrificial love
That reaches out with resurrection hope to a dying and exiled world. Inspire hope in us, our churches and the world,
Until that day when all tears are wiped from our eyes.
Praise be to you
God of creation,
God of justice,
And praise be to your Son who rules and reigns with self-giving sacrificial love. To you be all praise, honour and glory.
Amen
Father of Creation,
God of Hope.
The prophets of old looked forward,
With expectation,
And anticipation,
For the arrival of the coming King.
To him be all praise and glory.
Stirring Imaginations,
And articulating action,
They dreamed a dream,
And hoped a hope,
For the arrival of the coming King.
To him be all praise and glory.
In the advent of your Son,
The darkest night receives the dawn.
There is no darkness so dark his light cannot shine.
To him be all praise and glory.
In the advent of your Son,
A wounded world receives healing balm,
There is not a hurt that he will not heal.
To him be all praise and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope,
The prophetic church looks out,
With sadness at the suffering,
With tears at the trauma.
In a world of climate breakdown.
For the arrival of the coming Kingdom.
As temperatures rise,
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.
As sea levels rise,
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.
For our children,
Lord have mercy,
For our Grandchildren,
Christ have mercy,
For the worlds most vulnerable,
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.
As we wait,
Let us pray.
As we wait,
Let us act.
As we wait,
Let us love.
Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus.
With the coming of your Son,
A violent world will be transformed,
In the presence of love there is always change.
To him be all praise and glory.
With the coming of your Son,
Our aching hearts will know close embrace.
There is not a tear he will not wipe away.
To him be all praise and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Hope.
The your covenant community looks forward,
With expectation,
And Anticipation,
For the arrival of the coming King.
To him be all praise and Glory.
Amen.
Words and Voice: Rev'd Jon Swales, Leeds
Piano: Alice Brencher
For more prayers see https://atyourservice.arocha.org/en/26-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/
For prayer video including visuals see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGNiAYfJQ4&list=PLmqiQVXn_oPxt7IaNF-vNz3W0Gx9SfIQu&index=11&t=96s
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, You created a world of wonder,
You declared it to be good.
The world was formless and void,
And you spoke and breathed life into being.
On the third day, you made trees. You declared them to be good.
And we declare them to be good.
For our lives are inexplicably linked with theirs.
For deciduous and evergreens, We give thanks,
A stunning array of designs That sustain life.
Fruit trees & Fig trees,
Ash and Aspen,
Willow and Walnut,
Cyprus and Cedar,
We declare them to be good.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. The Giant Redwood,
The Monkey Puzzle,
The Peppermint tree,
Praise your name,
Through root, trunk, branch and leaves.
O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
20: Trees
The Sweetbay Magnolia,
The Coconut Palm,
The flowering Dogwood,
Praise your name,
Through root, trunk, branch and leaves.
In this time of climate breakdown, The trees are our allies,
The Lungs of the Earth,
Forming Habitats of Hope.
The Forest is our friend,
The Woods our co-workers, The Jungles work for justice.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We have moved East of Eden, We are Homesick Exiles, Creation groans,
The Tree of Life is no more.
We have opened the door to the sin of ecological violence, And it has overwhelmed us.
Through the greed of exploitation,
Slash and Burn,
Over Consumption
Unrestrained Capitalism has unleashed hell against Forests, Woods and Jungles.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We have sinned and done evil in your sight.
As unrestrained capitalism, fed by consumerism and profiteering, Plunders and Pillages,
Ransacks and Rapes
The Woods, Forests and Jungles.
What have we done? Have mercy on us. What have we done? Have mercy on us.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We remember your son who was nailed to a tree, Whose blood was poured out on the wood of the cross, To remind us, in bloody technicolour, of
the evil of empire & violence,
and the butchery and barbarity of man.
It was our sin that held him there.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We remember your son nailed to a tree,
Whose blood poured out on the wood of the cross, To remind us of self-giving sacrificial love.
In his glorious resurrection, we are offered hope, And called to a new way of being,
A Priestly calling to tend and keep.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
You have not abandoned us,
But are working through us and in us to bring your kingdom. A kingdom of Justice and Peace,
A kingdom in which is to be found,
A tree for the healing of the nations.
We pray for the trees,
The Woods, Forest and Jungles.
Call us afresh to tend and keep,
Guard and protect,
Until that day when
We shall go out with joy and be led forth in peace, The mountains and hills shall burst into song, And the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Words byJon Swales see https://atyourservice.arocha.org/en/2...
Voice by Sarah Swales
Video from Pexels. Legal and free to use without specific attribution
Audio: 'Looking Forward' from Pixabay ' free for commercial or personal use.
Video with Visuals available here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0D75cguZA8&t=8s
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, You created a world of wonder,
You declared it to be good.
Your Spirit hovered over the waters of the Deep, You Spoke and breathed life into being.
On the third day, you made the oceans,
On the fifth day, you filled the sea with every kind of living thing. You declared it to be good.
And we declare them to be good,
For our lives are inexplicably linked with the life of the oceans.
For the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and Indian, We give thanks.
For currents, waves and tides,
Oceans that were full and filled
With bountiful and beautiful biodiversity, Teeming with a vast array of life.
The earth is the Lord’s,
Let the seas roar, and all those who dwell in it.
Sharks and Rays,
Shellfish and Crustaceans, Sea Turtles and Reptiles, Whales and Dolphins
Sea Birds and Fish.
We declare them to be good.
The earth is the Lord’s,
Let the seas roar, and all those who dwell in it.
The Short-Snouted Seahorse,
Picasso Trigger Fish,
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna,
Participate in the Symphony of Praise.
Indian Humpback Dolphins,
Peekytoe Crabs,
Caribbean Reef Sharks,
Participate in the Symphony of Praise,
In this time of climate breakdown, The oceans are our allies,
A Habitat of Hope,
Producing Oxygen,
Absorbing Carbon,
Regulating our weather patterns.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We have moved East of Eden, We are Homesick Exiles Creation Groans,
The Seas are Dying.
We have opened the door to the sin of ecological violence, And it has overwhelmed us.
Through the greed of exploitation.
Ocean Destruction through drilling and mining,
Lord have mercy.
Ocean Acidification through carbon emissions, Christ have mercy.
Overfishing leading to Extinction,
Lord have mercy.
Plastic pollution bringing Sickness and Death, Christ have mercy.
Deoxygenation through use of fertilisers, Lord have mercy.
Unrestrained capitalism has unleashed hell Against the Seas and Oceans,
And all those who dwell in it.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
We have sinned and done evil in your sight,
As unrestrained capitalism, fed by consumerism and profiteering, Plunders and Pillages,
Ransacks and Rapes
The Seas and the Oceans.
What have we done? Lord have mercy. What have we done? Lord have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
We remember the story of old,
How the world turned wicked and violent, And you responded with a flood.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
So, we will reap what we have sown,
For ecological violence results in rising seas.
In your justice, remember mercy.
In your righteous anger, remember mercy.
Father of Creation,
Healer of all hurts,
Your kingdom includes the reconciliation of all things, And this includes the oceans and seas.
In your mercy, call us afresh, To be agents of reconciliation, So that we would
Tend and keep,
Guard and protect
The oceans and seas,
Until that day when death will be no more, And your Son wil
Voice and Prayer from Rev'd Jon Swales
For a video of this prayer with visual see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRy_llPdqsQ&t=22s
Further Prayers available at https://atyourservice.arocha.org/en/26-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion
You created a world of wonder, Of possibility and potential. You declared it to be good.
For this, we give thanks.
To you be praise, honour and glory.
For this, we give thanks.
To you be praise, honour and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
This world is no longer as you intended it to be. Humanity has betrayed its calling,
To tend and keep,
Creation groans.
For this, we weep,
Lord, have mercy.
For this, we mourn,
Christ, have mercy.
On our watch,
We reap what we have sown,
On our watch,
Sea levels rise,
For this, we weep,
Lord, have mercy.
26: Community Lament
For this, we mourn,
Christ, have mercy.
On our watch,
Forests destroyed,
On our watch,
Locusts Swarm.
For this, we weep,
Lord, have mercy,
For this, we mourn,
Christ, have mercy.
And so now with tears in our eyes we look to you, With regret,
With repentance,
Knowing the difficult decades that we face,
As temperatures rise,
Extinctions increase,
As we come to terms with our existential plight.
For our children,
Lord, have mercy.
For our grandchildren,
Christ, have mercy.
For the world's most vulnerable,
Christ, have mercy.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Wake us from our slumber,
Equip us afresh to be the justice-shaped people of God.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
Wake us from our slumber,
Equip us afresh to our priestly and prophetic calling.
That we would speak truth in a culture of denial,
That we would enact hope in a culture of despair,
That we would face what will be with love-filled action,
That, in humanity’s darkest hour, you would enliven us, so
We would bandage the wounds of those caught beneath the wheels of climate injustice, That, in humanity’s darkest hour, we would have the courage,
To drive a spoke into the wheel of climate injustice itself.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
You created a world of wonder, Of possibility and potential. You declared it to be good.
In our grief,
In our mourning,
We give thanks.
To you be praise, honour and glory.
Voice and Prayers by Rev'd Jon Swales https://atyourservice.arocha.org/en/26-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/
A YouTube video with visuals can be found here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QuI0FwdsdQ&t=5s
Music freely available with no copyright restrictions.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, You made a world of wonder,
A world that takes our breath away.
You declared it be good.
We take our place within the choir of Creation, Within the dance of biodiversity,
The rich tapestry of life.
The Lord's name is to be praised.
Praise the Lord,
All his creatures!
From the rising of the sun to the setting of the same, The Lord’s name is to be praised.
Praise the Lord,
All the earth!
From Coral Reefs to Grasslands,
From Temperate Forests to Savannas, From Mountains High to Oceans Deep, The Lord's name is to be praised.
Asian Hornbills & Hammerhead Sharks honour you, Vervet Monkeys & Viperfish venerate you,
Gazelles, Gibbons and Giraffes glorify you, Peacocks and Pelicans praise you,
Eagles and Elephants exalt you. The Lord’s name is to be praised.
And yet, O God,
17: Symphony of Praise
We are killing the choir,
Making silent the symphony of praise.
Our parasitical use of power leads to Endlings and Extinctions.
Forgive our foolish ways.
Humanity has sinned and done what is wicked in your sight, Christ, have mercy.
We have moved East of Eden, Christ, have mercy.
We have built Babel and made ourselves as gods, Christ, have mercy.
Our exploitive economic system has encroached into holy habitats,
Forgive our foolish ways.
We lift up to you our oceans, Christ have mercy.
We lift up to you our rainforests, Christ have mercy.
We lift up to you non-human worshippers facing extinction, Forgive our foolish ways.
God of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Empower your Church to execute justice and speak truth to power.
Equip your Church to work for the healing of the nations and the flourishing of all. Enable your church to recognise its priestly calling to tend and keep.
Father of Creation,
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
You made a world of wonder,
A world that takes our breath away. You declared it to be good.
The Lord’s name is to be praised. Amen
Voice and Piano: Alice Brencher
Taken from https://atyourservice.arocha.org/en/26-prayers-for-the-climate-and-ecological-emergency/
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
The earth as a cosmic temple presents itself as a symphony of praise; A rich diversity of song and dance,
From a whole range of characters who Inhabit,
Perform
And point to you
As the giver of gifts.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion,
From mountain heights to ocean depths,
Across the seasons,
Non-human worshippers worship
With a stunning array of unique characteristics and colours.
The willow tree bows in referent praise,
Whilst birds in flight perform a waltz of wonder. Since creation’s dawn,
You, O Lord, have opened their lips;
A hiss, a screech, a bark, a purr,
A tweet, a song, a howl, a caw,
A neigh, bleat, a cuckoo, a buzz, a roar.
You have filled their beaks,
Their wings,
Their lips
Their mouths with praise.
And we join them with them in saying What you have made is good.
To you, we give praise, honour and glory.
Father of Creation,
God of Compassion
The cosmic temple has begun to sing a different song; A lament for what has changed,
A requiem for what has been lost,
A lament for what will be.
Father of Creation,
God of Justice,
From mountain heights to ocean depths,
The impact of humanity has been made known. Instead of worshipping,
Tending
And keeping.
We have forsaken,
Betrayed
And plundered.
Have mercy on us according to your steadfast love. Have mercy on us according to your steadfast love.
Father of Creation,
God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
We live within both the beauty and the brokenness.
We ask that you would give us a melody of praise to join with creation's cosmic song and dance.
We ask that you would give us a lament that grieves for what we have lost and what will be.
May the melody of our humble existence take up afresh our priestly calling
To tend and keep your cosmic temple until the redemption and restoration of all things.
Father of Creation,
To him who sits on the throne and to the lamb, Be praise, glory and honour.
Amen