Season of Creation 2022
Season of Creation : September 1 through October 2, 2022
2022 marks the first year St. Francis Episcopal Parish and Community Center is participating in the Season of Creation liturgically. And, we are so excited to embark on this journey together with you!
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What is the Season of Creation?
The Season of Creation is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During this season, St. Francis Episcopal Parish and Community Center joins over 2 billion Christians worldwide in prayer and action for the earth. The Season of Creation runs from September 1 through to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi which we will celebrate on Sunday, October 2. As we know well here, St. Francis as the patron saint of ecology and care and stewardship of the earth and its creatures is the inspiration for both people of faith and people of no faith to care and tend to our common home.
This ecumenical liturgical celebration began in 1989 when Ecumencial Patriarch Dimitrios I established a day of prayer for the Orthodox. It then grew to include the World Council of Churches - of which the Episcopal Church is a member - into its current pattern. The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, Bishop of California, represents the Episcopal Church on its steering committee. You can find more information about this season at seasonofcreation.org
What is the worldwide theme for the Season of Creation in 2022?
In 2022, we commit to Listen to the Voice of Creation. The symbol for 2022 is the burning bush. Creation cries out as forests crackle, animals flee, and people are forced to migrate due to fires of injustice. In contract, the holy fire that called to Moses as he tended the flock did not destroy the bush. This flame of the Spirit revealed the presence of God and affirmed that God hears the cries of all who suffer.
How will St. Francis Episcopal Parish and Community Center celebrate the Season of Creation?
Here are just a few of the additional ways we are honoring this season in the following ways during Sunday morning worship: new prayers in worship from Every Moment Holy; original Prayers of the People written by Sara for St. Francis; creation-themed music, including "Camp Songs" that have dance moves and using the Creation themed Eucharistic prayer (Prayer D) from the Book of Common Prayer.
Why is marking the Season of Creation in our worship life important?
St. Francis Episcopal Parish and Community Center is itself a new creation, founded in 2020, the age of climate crisis and ecological disaster. The way of discipleship practiced by St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi is the way of discipleship prayerfully chosen by our community and affirmed by the Vestry and the Diocese of Maryland, the first Episcopal Parish named after St. Francis of Assisi in the Diocese of Maryland and the first community that is both Episcopal Parish and Community Center.
How we worship God in our common life forms us into disciples of Jesus Christ and shapes us to do the work that God has given our community to do. From beekeeping, community gardens, rain gardens, recycling, an environmental justice intern and in so many ways, our community is committed to care and stewardship of our earth. Our worship life nourishes our mission which in turn nourishes our worship life. Thanks be to God!
What is our Gospel call to grow in faith? What does Christianity have to do with ecology?
God the Creator pronounced the world very good (Gen 1:31) and gave humans the task to till and keep the Earth (Gen 2: 15) as stewards and caregivers rather than owners. (Ps 24:1) Christian hope is in the renewal (Mt 19:28) and restoration (Act. 3:21) of all things. Our participation with God in creating a more just and habitable world and living more gently on Earth is how we share in what the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu called the 'supreme work" of Jesus Christ, who reconciles us to God, one another, and God's whole creation. The good news of God in Christ is for all creatures and the whole Earth.
Why is the Season of Creation important?
The 80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church recognized climate change as "an all-encompassing social crisis and moral emergency that impacts and interconnects every aspect of pastoral concern, including health, poverty, employment, racism, social justice, and family life and that can only be addressed by a Great Work involving every sector of society, including the Church."
For more about the Season of Creation, visit seasonofcreation.org/about.
