BLESSING OF ROGATION ELEMENTS
Prayer for Seeds
Creating God, you have given seed to the sower and bread to the people. Nourish, protect, and bless the seeds which your people have sown in hope. By your loving and bountiful giving, may they bring forth their fruit in due season, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayer for the Soil
Giver of life, we give you thanks that in the richness of the soil, nature awakens to your call of spring. We praise you for the smell of freshly tilled earth, the beauty of a cleanly cut furrow, and a well-plowed field. We ask that you help us to be good stewards of this land. In the name of the one who gives us new life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Prayer for Water and Rain
Sustaining God, we receive the fruits of the earth from you. We give you thanks for the smell of the earth after rain, for its welcome cooling, and its necessary hydration for the land. We ask that the rain come as often as it is needed so that the crops may flourish and the coming harvest be indeed bountiful. Amen
From Worship from the Ground Up: A Worship Resource for Town and Country Congregations. Dubuque, Iowa: Center for Theology and Land, University of Dubuque and Wartburg Theological Seminaries, 1995.
Spring is here! For those who are about to plant seeds and care for their gardens, patios, lawns or farms we pray! Lord have mercy!