September 1st is the first day of the Season of Creation, an annual ecumenical season when we pray and act together as a Christian family for Earth, our common home. The theme of the Season of Creation, 2024 is “To hope and act with Creation.”  September 1 is also the International Day of Prayer for Creation. The Environmental Concerns Committee will be reflecting on the Sunday readings each week this month and offering you some suggestions for HOPE and ACTIONS that will renew our relationship with the Creator and Creation.

In today’s readings, James writes, “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights… He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.” One of the goals of Laudato Si, Care for our Common Home, the 2015 encyclical of Pope Francis, is that we should discover God in all things, or know that “all good giving and every perfect gift is from above.” James wrote further, “Be doers of the word and not hearers only.” James is prodding us to acknowledge the word of God but also to act, to be “doers.” One way we can be “doers” is to look for ways to discover God in the world around us. Here are some practical ideas for you and your family to do that.

Week one, September 1-7, 2024:

• Google and read Pope Francis’s message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. “Hope and Act with Creation.”
• Go for a walk in a natural setting with your family or a friend. Talk about what you see in nature and how it reflects the glory of God.
• Watch a nature documentary with your family and talk about caring for creation.
• Spend some alone time in a natural space. Pray or meditate in that space.
• Plant a tree or some bulbs that will bloom in the spring. You will be “hoping and acting with creation.”
• Learn the songs of 5 local birds. Your walks will never be the same. YouTube: Minnesota Bird Calls.
• Make a list of all the good things in life that God has blessed you with.
• Think about your daily routines. What can you change to better care for our environment?

Prayer for week one:

God of the land, the sea, the sky: Creator of all that is seen and unseen. Open our hearts to the rhythm of creation in the swells of the ocean, the movements of air and wind, the breath of all living things. Open our eyes to the fragile beauty of the biodiversity of which we are a part. Open our ears to the sounds of life around us. Open our minds to the awareness of our deep relationship with all your creation. Creator God: May we hope and act with creation. Amen

Look for more ideas for HOPE and ACTIONS to care for creation next week.

Week two, September 8-14, 2024:

This is the second weekend of the Season of Creation. From September 1 through October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi (the patron saint of the environment), Christians come together to celebrate the care of our common home, planet Earth. Members of the Environmental Concerns Committee invite you to join us at Church of the Risen Savior to Hope and Act with Creation, the theme of this year’s Season of Creation.

In the first reading today, Isaiah reminds us that the Lord says “Be strong, fear not!” Climate change can seem daunting and overwhelming. However, facing those fears with His “divine recompense” having the will and working together, we can start to heal the damage done to our environment.

Another theme in the readings this weekend is the deaf finding their voice. Isaiah 35:6 tells us the mute will sing. In the Gospel reading, Mark 7:35, tells us that Jesus opened a man’s ears and removed his speech impediment. Finding our voice and speaking out about climate change is essential to Pope Francis’ instruction. In Laudato Si’ he says, “Today, however, we have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”   This social approach requires dialogue and discussion of how to address the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor. How do we do this?

In Katherine Hayhoe’s book, Saving Us, she says, “What if you started a conversation with something you agree on? What if you shared genuinely and personally how climate change threatens what you care about? Beginning a conversation with something that unites us rather than something that divides us means that we are starting at a place of mutual respect, agreement and understanding.”

So, this week, let us be strong in the face of climate change by talking about what we can do, both individually and together to Hope and Act with Creation to care for our common home and heal the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.