Marking the Season of Creation

In the appointment agreement I provide to the Incumbents and Associate Incumbents of our parishes, expectations concerning worship are clearly laid out in these words: “clergy are required to adhere to the provisions contained in the Bishop of Ottawa’s directive entitled On Liturgical Texts and any subsequent directives that may be issued by the Bishop.”

The On Liturgical Texts directive says this: “Our liturgy both shapes and reflects who we are as Christians, and, as such, it is desirable that it reflect the common features of our Anglican identity. Consistency in liturgy across our diocese, particularly on Sunday mornings, roots us firmly in a shared spiritual tradition. Such consistency provides a solid foundation from which to seek ongoing liturgical renewal.”

In addition to providing clear direction concerning the wide scope of liturgical resources authorized for use in our diocesan church, Liturgical Notes are produced to provide further guidance and options for each season of the church year. Anyone can read On Liturgical Texts and the seasonal Liturgical Notes in the “For Parishes” section of our wonderful diocesan website.

In the long season after Pentecost, there are many special days, themes, and events. Clergy are encouraged to be judicious when choosing which ones to recognize and how to do that without losing focus on the central purpose of Sunday worship, which is to commemorate the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In recent years, the Anglican Church of Canada has joined a growing ecumenical movement to mark a time of prayer, education and action called the Season of Creation during September and early October. A recently issued Liturgical Notes on the Season after Pentecost talks about how this might be approached by parishes who choose to mark the season. It guides clergy to observe the Season of Creation with “a lightness of touch and sense of flexibility” and to ground the observance in what is being done by the parish (study or advocacy concerning the environment) and the wider community (celebrating the crops of local farmers or the greening of urban spaces).

The Liturgical Notes also say that images used for printed or projected materials during the Season of Creation “do not need to be limited to pumpkins and apples. NASA’s famous view of earth from space can orient people to the grandeur of God’s creation, as can images of flora, fauna and places of natural beauty from around the globe as well as locally.”

Last summer, I spent time on the gorgeous Bonavista Peninsula in Newfoundland, enjoying offerings of the Rising Tide Theatre in Trinity, watching hearty little puffins on a large sea stack near Elliston, and hiking along clifftops on the rugged coastline. Cape Bonavista is at the northernmost tip of the peninsula, and a trail traces the edge of it, eventually leading to a sturdy lighthouse. Along the way you can see craggy sea stacks, arches and caves—as well as dozens of noisy sea birds.

The accompanying photograph was taken along that trail, looking across a deep, narrow chasm onto a sea stack that shows the tremendous upheaval of the seafloor during the early, ancient days of creation. It was a striking taste of the mighty, massive force of Creator’s power. I was drawn into deep contemplation of the magnificent, free movement of creation, and the sheer, eternal strength of Creator’s hand—and how every human being is made from that same, powerful love and held in one communion with one Creator of all.

I was drawn from this contemplation when my eye fell on a small inukshuk that someone had made on the top of the stack (see if you can find it in the photograph). Someone had taken the time to somehow cross the chasm, scale the face of the sea stack and build a monument for all to see. At first, I felt annoyed by the spoiling of a natural place and the vanity of the person that built it. Then I laughed at the juxtaposition of that puny human effort against the stupendous monument Creator had made in the upheaval of gargantuan layers of rock.

If you choose to mark the Season of Creation, remember to think of what God has done and is doing in creation and celebrate that glorious, awesome and strong love over our own mixed human efforts to shape the environment we share with every creature.