Celebrating the Season of Creation

There is a lot going on this Sunday. It is the first Sunday of the Season of Creation while we hear the readings for Ordinary Time.

The theme for this year is “Listen to the Voice of Creation.” The logo is a burning bush. There are many burning bushes around the world at present. These hugely destructive fires are a “sign of the devastating effects that climate change has on the most vulnerable of our planet. Creation cries out as forests crackle, animals flee, and people are forced to migrate due to the fires of injustice.” (Season of Creation Celebration Guide 2022)

In Exodus we read of another burning bush, one that calls to Moses as he tended his flock. This fire did not consume or destroy the bush. This holy fire revealed God’s presence and affirmed that God had heard the cries of God’s suffering people with a promise to deliver them from slavery. Today it is read that God hears and works to delivery all who suffer injustice.

During the Season of Creation, this symbol calls us to listen to the voice of creation, and faithfully respond through worship, repentance and action. We are reminded that “Moses was told to remove his sandals, for he was standing on holy ground in God’s presence. May this symbol move us to remove the “sandals” of our unsustainable lifestyles that disconnect us from creation and our Creator, contemplate our connection to the holy ground where we live, and listen for the voice of creation.” (ibid)

So, I wonder how our readings help us in this task. We have Jesus in Luke 14:25-33 telling his disciples that to follow him is to give up everything that had shaped their identity and provided the support they might need to survive. It was and is a big ask. I wonder what we are invited to give up as we enter the Season of Creation? We also have Jeremiah’s great passage about the potter in chapter 18. What is God seeking to create in our lives, and our communal life here in Tauranga, Aotearoa, and the world. What is our role in all that?