During this month of September we are sharing in the wonderful ecumenical gift of “The Season of Creation.” The focus is to help all Christian communities claim the richness of their own Christian tradition in order to grow in our awareness of our responsibility to preserving the earth for all living creatures. All Churches and spiritual groups can enter into this prayer and celebration on an equal footing. Each Christian community has so many gifts toward preserving the earth and all living creatures.
This is not limited just to active believing Christian people. People who have no connection to any church or faith tradition are invited to share in this wonderful season to celebrate all aspects of creation, from the largest trees to the smallest bacteria.
We were given the symbol of Abraham’s tent as a sign that all living things must find their place in our common home, the earth. The tent is such a wonderful sign that as Abraham and Sarah invited the three men (who were actually agents from God) to lodge with them, so may all living creatures find lodging on this earth. May everyone, from the human to the smallest fish in the ocean find that the earth is their home. May they all be welcomed. May they all thrive on this earth.
In our Christian practice we have come out of four centuries where creation has been seen as a commodity to be exploited (not loved). We have overfished the oceans, warmed the atmosphere, cut down the forests and polluted the waters. Now, nature is giving us powerful signs that we are reaching the edge of collapse.
Christians need not fear that their religious faith will be weakened. This is a season of new discovery of what we have lost with regard to the power of God in creation. Go back into our Christian tradition to discover what God has done with the creation of all the planets and stars, all the fish, birds and mammals that were on this earth millions of years before the creation of the first human being. What was God doing with all those creatures? What did they mean to God?
You will not preserve and protect what you do not love. If you do not love the creatures of the earth you will not make any adaption in your lifestyle to preserve their existence.
We are being challenged to learn to love creation. Look to see the very image of God in the tree leaf, the gulls flying overhead and the soil in which our crops grow. What did God create and love in each of these pieces of creation? How do they image God?
This ‘Season of Creation’ is opening a new vista for all Christians. We have much to learn for the first time and integrate into our spiritual lives. Making creation a vital part of our spiritual lives is a very good journey to be on.
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