Today marked the first day of our 5-week series on Creation and Ecology. We speak of creation when we talk about the work of God and we talk about God as continually creating. We speak of eco – or Greek for oikos – home, like our planet. And we speak of ecology, the interconnectedness of all things.
Creating and Observing Exercise (referred to at the end of the sermon).
In our scriptures there are many instances of creation. In fact, right from the beginning there are two very different creation myths. There also stories of abundant rivers, prophets getting fed by ravens, leaders going up mountains to pray and prophets proclaiming the might of God that they saw in the planet.
For ancient people, connection of the earth was very easy. Most of their time was spent outside and so they were keenly aware of the cycles of the moon, the calls of the birds, and the rhythms of the seasons. These days, people can go days without ever stepping foot outside. For the month of May, we are going to explore some of the creation texts in our scriptures. We also want you to explore. We want you to take up or find a practice that will awaken your sense of the natural world and our interconnectedness with it. Your task could be anything. Here are a number of ideas:
Quiet Time: Go outside and find a nook, a beach or a trail and just be silent for 20 minutes each dav for the entire month of May. What do you hear? Smell? See? Taste? What do you pray? Write your observations in a journal.
Plant something: This will be especially good if you don’t normally garden. It could be something simple, like beans. Watch your plant grow and observe its development. What do you notice?
Take Up A Cause: Has there been something pressing you when it comes to environmental activism or protection? Coal terminals on Texada? LNG development in BC? Write some letters. Make some letters for other people to sign.
Create something: Make a piece of art out of something natural, like driftwood or try a new recipe. If you finish before the end of the month try make another piece, or share what you’ve created.
Photograph: Take a photo a day as a practice. Maybe your photo is of something different each day. Or, maybe you take a picture of the same thing each day, just from different angles. Remember, sometimes something decaying can be just as beautiful as a new shoot or flower.
Remember, these are just suggestions – there are countless possibilities. Here’s the best part about these exercises. On May 31st the sermon will be individuals or groups sharing these practices. We will give people a minute or so to share what they’ve been doing. For example, if you took a photograph a day, pick one and share about it. If you took 20 minutes of silence outside, tell us about something that change in you as a result. More information will follow during the month.
If you want to read ahead, here are the texts we are going to be covering this month:
May 3: Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 – Seven-Day Creation Story
May 10: 1 Kings 19:11-12 – Elijah and the Earthquake
May 17: 1 Kings 17:1-7 – Ravens Feed Elijah
May 24: Ezekiel 47:1-12 – River Runs from the Temple
May 31: Ecclesiastes 1:1-8 – A Time For Everything