“The Beauty of Nature”: A Prayer

Walter Rauschenbusch was a name I’d never heard of until I worked on a book about Christian political theology a couple years ago. Now I know he was a theologian, minister, and passionate proponent of the Social Gospel—which basically means intentionally infusing the gospel into everyday social life. He said it like this:

“The kingdom of God is still a collective conception, involving the whole social life of man. . . . It is not [only] a matter of getting individuals to heaven, but of transforming the life on earth into the harmony of heaven.”

A creeping buttercup we found close to Ravenwood Park.

This quote is from his seminal work, Christianity and the Social Crisis, written in 1907. The book spells out problems facing the church because (among other things) followers of Christ had come to see their Christianity as something only for the future and something for individuals to work out alone.     

Rather, Rauschenbusch wanted Christians to realize there is saving to be done here and now. There is redemption work to do not just in heaven, but on earth. (Remember the words of the prayer? “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”)

With all this in mind, I wanted to share this prayer with you, written by Rauschenbusch. It reminds us that the words of the old hymn—“This world is not my home / I’m just a-passing through”—do not tell the whole story. Right now, this world is our home, and it is a gift.

May we live with intentionality toward all God has made and gratitude for all He has given. 💛

Carmac Falls in Smithville, Tennessee

The Beauty of Nature

O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;

For the wide sky and the blessed sun,

For the salt sea and the running water,

For the everlasting hills

And the never-resting winds,

For trees and the common grass underfoot.

We thank you for our senses

By which we hear the songs of birds,

And see the splendor of the summer fields,

And taste of the autumn fruits,

And rejoice in the feel of the snow,

And smell the breath of the spring.

Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;

And save our souls from being so blind

That we pass unseeing

When even the common thorn bush

Is aflame with your glory,

O God our creator,

Who lives and reigns forever and ever.

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Source: “Environment and Sustainability Prayers,” Xavier University’s Center for Mission and Identity, JesuitResource.org, accessed May 16, 2025, https://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/prayer-index/sustainability-prayers.