The Season of Creation, or Creationtide is the period in the church´s calendar, from 1st September to 4th October, dedicated to God as Creator and Sustainer of all life. It is a time when many churches hold special services to thank God for the gift of creation, and renew their commitment to caring for our planet.
This year´s theme is Hope and Act with Creation. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he describes the earth as a mother, groaning as in childbirth (Rom 8:22). We are not caring for the Earth as a gift from our Creator, but rather using it as a resource to be exploited.
And yet, there is hope, and Christian hope can be very active. To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but rather groaning, crying, and actively striving for new life amidst the struggles.
More details here. More resources here.
The Church of England is an active member of Season of Creation, an international and ecumenical coalition of churches, providing activities and resources to celebrate this important season. Under their guise, many churches and communities around the world are preparing activities to draw attention to the world´s plight. There are also global events:
- September 1: Opening prayer service led by the Season of Creation Ecumenical Steering Committee. Watch the live event here.
- September 10: Webinar about the Fossil Fuels Non-Proliferation Treaty with high-level speakers from religious and political spheres. Find more details on how to join the event here.
- September 21:Fossil Fuels Day of Action. Find more information here.
- October 4: Closing prayer service for the Feast of St. Francis led by the Ecumenical Youth Committee. Find more details on how to join the event here.
This is the formative issue of our time, and one in which Christians have as a substantial stake. Ahead of the UN Climate Conference in Glasgow (COP26) in 2021, a joint statement on the protection of the environment was issued by Pope Francis, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Justin Welby, Archbishop Canterbury. Read the full statement here.
Together they have said:
“Future generations will never forgive us if we miss the opportunity to protect our common home. We have inherited a garden; we must not leave a desert for our children.”
Click here to see Look at the World, a Harvest Anthem by John Rutter, comissioned in 1996 by the Council for the Protection of Rural England, as “a widely-usable choral song or anthem on the theme of the environment and our responsibility towards it”