Liturgy: Praise

This day is for Israel light and rejoicing – a Sabbath of rest.
Thou badest us standing at Sinai
that all the years through we should keep thy behest
to set out a table full-laden to honour. The Sabbath of rest!
Treasure of heart for the broken people
gift of new soul for the soul’s distress
soother of sighs for the imprisoned spirit: the Sabbath of rest!
When the work of the worlds in their wonder was finished
Thou madest this day to be holy and blest
and those heavy-laden found safety and stillness. A Sabbath of rest!

Traditional Sabbath table Hymn

O Lord our God, the author and giver of all good things,
we thank you for all your mercies, and for your loving care over all your creatures.
We bless you for the gift of life, for your protection round about us,
for your guiding upon us, and the tokens of your love within us.
We thank you for friendship and duty, for good hopes and precious memories,
for the joys that cheer us and the trials that teach us to trust in you.
Most of all we thank you for saving knowledge of your Son our saviour;
for the living presence of your Spirit, the comforter...
In all these things, o heavenly Father, make us wise unto a right use of your benefits
that we may render an acceptable thanksgiving unto you all the days of our life.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Book of Common Order

Good Lord, most high almighty
to you all praised is due,
all glory, honour and blessing,
belong alone to you;
there is no man whose lips
are fit to frame your name.

Be praised, my Lord God,
in and through all your creatures
especially among them,
through noble Brother Sun
by whom you light the day
in his radiant splendid beauty
he reminds us, Lord, of you.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and all the stars.
You have made the sky shine in their lovely light.

In Brother Wind be praised, my Lord,
and in the air, in clouds and calm,
in all the weather moods that cherish life.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water.
She is most useful, humble, precious, pure.
And Brother Fire, by whom you lighten night;
how fine is he, how happy, powerful, strong

Through our dear Mother Earth be praised, my Lord,
She feeds us, guides us, gives us plants, bright flowers
and all her fruits.

Be praised, my Lord, through us
when out of love for you we pardon one another.
When we endure in sickness and in sorrow.

Blessed are they who preserve in peace;
from you, Most High, they will receive their prize.

Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister Death
from whom no man alive can hope to hide;
wretched are they who die deep in their sin,
and blessed those Death finds doing your will.
For them there is no further death to fear.

O people! Praise God and bless him,
Give him thanks and serve him most humbly

Saint Francis of Assisi

Praise be to the Holy Trinity! God is sound and life, Creator of the Universe, Source of all life, whom the angels sing; wondrous Light of all mysteries known or unknown to humankind, and life that lives in all.

Hildegard of Bingen, 13th Century; source: Liturgy of the European Ecumenical Encounter, Strasbourg 2001

May none of God's wonderful works keep silence
night or morning.
Bright stars, high mountains, the depths of the seas,
sources of rushing rivers:
may all these break into song as we sing
in Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
May all the angels in the heavens reply: Amen! Amen! Amen!
Power, praise, honour, eternal glory to God, the only Giver of grace.
Amen! Amen! Amen!

Third-century hymn

O you who covers the high places with waters,
who sets the sand as a bound to the sea
and upholds all things:
the sun sings your praises,
the moon gives you glory,
every creature offers a hymn to you,
his Author and Creator forever.

Eastern Orthodox Prayer

Creating God,
You are the source of light and life,
So we praise you.
You became flesh to bring light and life,
So we praise you.
You sustain the world with your light and life,
So we praise you.

from the CTBI Eco-Congregation Programme

Die Nacht ist vorüber,
der Tag bricht an.
Ich will aufstehn und den Morgen begrüssen.
Sei gegrüsst, Licht,
sei gegrüsst, Luft,
sei gegrüsst, Erde.
Sei gegrüsst, mein Gott,
und bedankt für das Leben.
In deiner guten Hand bin ich geborgen.
Begleite mich an diesem Tag. Amen.

(aus: Sinfonia Oecumenica. Gütersloh, 1998, S. 76f)

Vater im Himmel, du bist reich.
Wir danken dir an diesem Morgen,
dass wir das Licht deiner Sonne sehen
und die Botschaft Jesu Christi hören dürfen.
Schenke du uns offene Ohren
und mache die Türen zu unserem Herzen weit,
dass unsere leeren Hände gefüllt werden
mit dem, was unser Leben auf Erden erhält,
was ihm Sinn und Ziel gibt
und was wir weitergeben können.
Wir bitten dich für die vielen Menschen
aus allen Völkern, Sprachen und Rassen,
die mit uns auf der Erde leben
und mit uns nach dir suchen.
Herr, fülle uns mit deiner Freude,
bis wir davon überfliessen,
dass die Erde erfüllt werde
von Frieden, Freude und Heil.

(Südafrikanisches Gebet aus: Augenblicke deiner Gegenwart. Frankfurt a.M. 1998, S. 16)

Urkraft des Fortschritts in unserer Kultur,
oftmals missbraucht, doch mit gesegneter Spur,
wo es bewegt war vom Geist und durchdrungen vom Licht
das heut noch die Starre der Kälte aufbricht.
Energie aus Verbrennung erleichtert das Leben,
hat vielen Arbeit und Brot schon gegeben.
Gelobt sei Gott für des Feuers wärmende Kraft,
für Energie, die Licht und Beweglichkeit schafft.
Entflamme die Herzen, bewege den Geist,
durch das Feuer der Liebe, die Christus verheißt.

(aus: Gottesdienstvorschlag für den «Tag der Schöpfung» 2000)

Lob sei der Dreieinigkeit! Sie ist Klang und Leben, Schöpferin des Alls, Lebensquell von allem, Lob der Engelscharen, wunderbarer Glanz all des Geheimen, das den Menschen unbekannt, und in allem ist sie Leben.

(Hildegard von Bingen, 13. Jh.; aus der Liturgie der Europäischen Ökumenischen Begegnung, Strassburg 2001)