O God, we thank thee for this universe, our great home; for its vastness and its riches, and for the manifold life which teems upon it and of which we are a part.
We praise thee for the arching sky and the blessed winds, for the driving clouds and the constellations on high.
We praise thee for the salt sea and the running water, for the everlasting hills, for the trees, and for the grass under our feet.
We thank thee for our senses by which we can see the splendor of the morning, and hear the songs of birds, and enjoy the smells on springtime.
Grant us, we pray, a heart wide open to all this joy and beauty, and save our souls from being steeped in care or so darkened by passion that we pass heedless and unseeing when even the thorn-bush by the wayside is aflame with the glory of God. -AMEN.
(Adapted from Walter Rauschenbusch)
