A Prayer for the Flourishing of Bees

Creator, 
We bless you for the cycle of the earth: 
    for my kitchen scraps that became compost to nourish the soil, 
    for the soil that harbored the seed, 
    and the sun that awakened it, enticing a flower to burst into bloom, 
    which in turn nourishes the bee darting from plant to plant. 
    A necessary link in your created order.

        (There are too few bees these days.) 

Creator, 
Forgive us for how we have poisoned the earth 
    and killed entire populations of bees. 
Forgive us that, because of our desire for beautiful yards, 
    we have filled the soil with pesticides 
    and killed off the very plants that bees have needed to thrive. 
Forgive us that, in the name of progress,
    we have turned lifegiving land into lifeless concrete,
    we have turned fresh water into cancer superspreaders, 
    and cut down swaths of forests and sides of mountains. 
Forgive us for not giving voice to the cries of the land
    or amplifying the voice of those most affected by its pollution. 
Forgive us for thinking that since we are not farmers who care for large swaths of land
    we have no responsibility for the land you have given us. 
Forgive us for thinking that what we do in our small yard 
    or apartment balcony does not matter, 
    or that you do not call us to be caretakers and stewards as well. 

Creator,
Help us to set to right what we have broken, 
    to learn how to care for the soil and plants 
    so that bees may flourish. 
Then will these bees return to pollinate plants
    that will become food for humans and other of your created beings. 
Then will the scraps of that food be returned to nourish the earth, 
    and that fertile soil will in turn produce plants that the bee needs to thrive.
May we be attentive to every part of your creation 
    so that all may flourish. 

Creator, 
We bless you for the cycle of the earth, 
    and for the bee. 
In the name of Jesus Christ, 
    who came to redeem all things, 
Amen. 

Rev. Joyce Borger is senior editor of Reformed Worship and a resource development specialist at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship.

Reformed Worship 148 © June 2023 Worship Ministries of the Christian Reformed Church. Used by permission.