Joel 1:12“The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree - all the trees of the field - are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away.”
Today you will be marked with the sign of the cross, with ashes which are made from the burned palm leaves from last year’s Palm Sunday.
In our prayer of confession today we confess our abuse of living trees, deforestation and destruction of the eco-systems; the web of life that sustains us.
Creator God, you planted a world of beauty and variety, filled with trees for food and shade. We have turned forests into deserts, and many living trees into disposable consumer products. We have not protected the web of life on which we depend and which you called us to care for. We confess our selfishness in misusing your handiwork to resource our greed.
Lord have mercy.