In a year that has had so much turmoil, so many issues demanding our attention, it may seem odd to take a sustained period of time during the church year to focus on Creation. And yet, in a way, this is the perfect time to talk about Creation—to remind ourselves that the world is not ours, but God’s. To remind ourselves that God created all that has life and breath, and that God loves and delights in all of it, from single celled organisms to elephants. To remind ourselves that this means we, made in the image of our Creator, need to reframe our relationship with the Earth—need to view it and treat it with reverence, respect, and appreciation, just as Creator God does.
In a sense, this is the very root of the justice for which we yearn. Biblical justice, Christian justice, is about seeing and respecting the dignity of every human being and about having a special care for the poor and the vulnerable, but at heart it is about being in right relationship. And it is acknowledging that this relationship extends not just to other humans but also to all of God’s Creation—every blessed thing. Only when we begin to approach all of life with that understanding, will justice truly be done.
So during this Season of Creation, I invite you to worship with us, to celebrate and rejoice in the myriad breathtaking expressions of God’s life that make up this beautiful blue green planet. I invite you to contemplate your relationship with others, human and non-human, and with God. And I invite you, having done that, to imagine how you might live differently, tread more lightly upon, and see anew God’s beloved Earth.
May you see the glory of God in sun and sky; may you hear the Creator’s song in bird and breeze; and may the grace of Christ’s Spirit course through you, body and soul.
Peace,
Claire+