Australians have an opportunity to be part of an exciting new development in worship – A Season of Creation. The current Season of Pentecost/Trinity already includes many creation themes. A Season of Creation focuses these themes in a special way.
The planned Season of Creation is scheduled for the four weeks in September that precede St Francis of Assisi Day. The initial four week pilot of this new festival in the church year was held in about 40 Uniting Church congregations in Melbourne in September 2004. The response was very positive.
In September 2005, parishes and congregations from major denominations across Australia will launch A Season of Creation with four Sundays having titles linked to the readings: Forest Sunday, Land Sunday, Outback Sunday and River Sunday. Your parish is invited to join in the celebrations.
The materials being prepared to celebrate A Season of Creation, include a 3 year Cycle of Readings, Bible Studies based on these readings, liturgies for each Sunday, Earth ministry activities and guidelines for teams to plan the worship program. These materials will be available from OpenBook in Adelaide. (www.openbook.com.au)
Why a Season of Creation? For many reasons!
- First, because God has given us a creation with which to celebrate!
- Second, because through worship we have an opportunity to comes to terms with the environmental crisis in a spiritual way and empathise with a groaning creation.
- Third, because a fresh focus on the wonder and wounds of creation will help us to care for creation as part of our ministry.
- Fourth, and perhaps most important of all, this Season enables us to celebrate the many ways in which Christ is connected with creation.
As Dr. Senn, a liturgist from the USA, said recently in Adelaide, the Season of Advent was only introduced after several centuries of celebrating Christ’s birth. We also have an opportunity to enrich the church year with a new segment in the church year, A Season of Creation.
If your parish, region or committee would like more information about this new development and the possibility of participating in regional workshops to introduce A Season of Creation please contact Dr. Norman Habel, the project coordinator, Cath James (Uniting Church Victoria/TAS) or John Pfitzner at OpenBook.