Blessing of Pollinator Plots (this takes place outdoors if possible. Congregations who do not have a pollinator garden yet may modify this blessing.)

The Lord of all Creation be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray.

We praise you, ever-Creating God, for your power made known in what seems powerless, your strength in what we call weak, your infinite regard for what we overlook and disregard.  We see your awesome power at work in the life giving relationship between pollinator creatures and the plants they pollinate. They are our teachers. 

Bless this pollinator plot  with your life-giving love. Bless those in our congregation who will tend it, and those who will linger here to enjoy it.  Open our eyes to the small wonders of your creation and the calling you have given us to lovingly care for the earth.  Give us patience as we transform these grounds into native habitat that provides sanctuary for pollinators.  Help us persevere when we encounter disappointment or failure.  Give us humility to turn to people who know more than we do.  

May we learn from this plot to see beauty in a different way, not as perfect lawns, but as the wild diversity of native habitat. May we learn to find our place in your Creation, not to dominate and exploit, but to care and be cared for.  We thank you for the fifty congregations in our synod who are also committing to be pollinator sanctuaries.  Strengthen and encourage them too as part of the pollinator plot.

Bless all of your people in our congregations and communities as we create a plot for pollinators in a growing network of welcome and safety that enables these creatures to flourish and do their sacred work. . May they continue to teach us a different way of being human, a gospel way, for the sake of all life.   

If your congregation is “planting” the Pollinator Sanctuary yard sign this day, you could say:

May this Pollinator Mandala yard sign be a sign to all in our congregation and community of the wondrous beauty of plants and pollinators in mutual care.

If your congregation is doing some planting, or ground preparation, you could say,

May these [name these plants] find their home in this earth, taking root and growing.

May this patch of God’s earth, free of harmful chemicals, be a home for God’s plant and animal creatures. 

We ask this in the name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things.  

And let all the people say AMEN!