A Prayer of Awe & Thanksgiving

O God of all that is and was and is to come, you have placed us in a Universe of Wonder,From wildly spinning galaxies in the night skiesTo oh-my-gosh sunsets seen from the back porchFrom the intricate webs of spiders in the nearby forestTo the busy order of ants going about their business in our front yards.It is a vast and wondrous community of life,And we are in awe of it.Then you have placed us in communities of our own kindBest friends and cherished family,Those with whom we do businessAnd those whose connection to us is just a nod.We are appreciative of how well these communities generally work.God of all that is, give us forgiveness when we despoil our communities,Give us insight to better understand themAnd the strength and skill necessary to further build them.We give thanks for offerings from our community of food for our nourishment,For gatherings of colleagues for our encouragement,For teachers and scholars for our inspiration,And to you, O God, from whose heart all of this flows and continues to flow.Amen.-Rev. Woody Bartlett, GIPL Co-Founder & Board Member