Almighty and everlasting God,
after You had created heaven and earth,
and all the living beings,
plants and animals,
then You created man.
You made him king of Your whole creation.
You put everything in the whole round world at his disposal.
You gave to him alone,
of all the creatures on this earth,
the power to think and the power to will.
Everything else was made to serve man.
Then, when man sinned,
You sent Your Son to be the King of mankind,
and the Redeemer of the human race.
He is now King,
not only of mankind,
but of the whole universe.
He is the “firstborn of every creature.”
He is our King,
and everything that we have is made and given us to serve Him.
We are to use it,
not in selfishness and greed,
but in gratitude and generosity,
realizing that we are all subjects of the great King Jesus.
Help us to keep this in mind,
as we plough His fields,
lent to us for a time,
and as we reap His crops,
given to us by His generous hand.
Help us to use with care the goods He here gives us,
so that we may gain the eternal goods
that He has won for us.
Help us always and everywhere to be good,
loyal subjects of Christ, our King,
so that we may be with Him,
our victor and King,
forever in heaven.
Amen.
