The Season of Creation is celebrated at our 10:30 a.m. service during the last seven weeks of Pentecost.

Season of Creation is a seven-week spiritual journey into all aspects of creation – humans, other living creatures, and the natural environment. It often features guest speakers, storytellers and artists, contemporary liturgy, readings, dance, music, and other art forms. Our purpose is to celebrate the wonders of God’s creation, and to commit ourselves to become peacemaking stewards in our own lives, in our local communities, and in the world

Here is the list of the seven Sunday of the Season of Creation.

Season of Creation I – In the Beginning. Week 1 begins with “In the beginning” when all was a void and dark, before there was light. The church is stark. There are no altar flowers and the participants dress in black cassocks. A crashing cymbal calls us. Our intention is to embrace the theory of evolution as observable, scientific fact, while at the same time embracing the faith that a loving personal God is the instigator and at the center of an ongoing creative process who actively interacts within human history.

Season of Creation II – Our Living Planet. Week 2 of the Season shows Mother Earth as a garden as we celebrate and embrace the whole of God’s creation and the bible’s vision of the earth in which all of God’s creatures – human and other forms – live out our destinies in a peaceful and harmonious environment, sharing equitably the rich and sustaining resources of the planet. Our globe banner is prominently featured in the sanctuary.

Season of Creation III – Our Common Humanity.  Week 3 considers the human family at a time when our planet is smothering under a pall of death-war, hatred, violence and murder, abuse, greed, and injustice. In the face of this, we are reminded that we need to hear again the Word of God proclaiming the goodness of creation. 

Season of Creation IV – Our World at Peace. Our Week 4 readings focus on world peace and our need to experience the healing and reconciling power of God through Jesus Christ and to be open to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, moving us to accept our roles as peacemakers in God’s creation.

Season of Creation V – The Saints Among Us. (All Saints Sunday). Week 5 celebrates All Saints Day when we turn our attention to the “saints among us” beginning with the naming of many well known saints – and some not so well known.

Season of Creation VI – Our Role as Stewards. In week 6, we seek the commitment of our members to contribute our personal finances, prayers and energy for our shared ministries of worship, education, and service toward healing the division and brokenness in ourselves, our local communities and in the world.

Season of Creation VII – The Cosmic Christ. Week 7, our last, celebrates the Feast of the Reign of Christ (traditionally known as Christ the King Sunday), we praise the Cosmic Christ “through whom God was pleased to reconcile to God’s self all things,  on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Since 1998, SsAM has participated in the development of a new liturgical season.

The Rev. Canon Lloyd Casson, our rector emeritus, wrote the following about the early days of the Season of Creation at SsAM.

“The primary aim of the events of the season has been to enable adults and youth to celebrate and experience the inextricable link which binds together the destinies of all of God’s creatures. The Season of Creation celebrates and embraces the Bible’s vision of the earth in which all of God’s creatures – human and other forms – live out our destinies in a peaceful and harmonious environment, sharing equitably the rich and sustaining resources of the planet. We also acknowledge the unfortunate reality – that in all aspects of creation, this vision is blurred or hidden by human division, arrogance, war, greed, and the abuse of our natural environment. It is further aggravated by the decisions and actions of the current administration in Washington.”

Let us join the people of the Episcopal Province of New England in a commitment:

• To act together to honor the goodness and sacredness of God’s creation;
• To acknowledge the urgency of the planetary crisis in which we now find ourselves;
• To pray and take action to restore a right relationship between humankind and creation;
• To lift up prayers in person and public worship for environmental justice, human rights, and sustainable development;
• To repent of greed and waste, and to seek simplicity of life;
• To commit ourselves to energy conservation and the use of clean, renewable sources of energy; 
• To reduce, reuse, and recycle, and as far as possible to buy products from recycled materials;
• To realize that, through participation in community public policy, and business decision-making, we have corporate as well as individual opportunities to practice environmental stewardship and justice;
• To seek to understand and uproot the political, social and economic causes of environmental abuse.

(Thank you to the Episcopal Bishops of New England)

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