Creation Time calls for collaboration
Tomorrow, Sunday, September 11th 2016 shows up on the Canadian Church calendar (published by the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada) as the first Sunday of Creation Time. Creation Time is a five or six week stretch in the Church year running from early in September until early October. Search Season of Creation online and you will find a growing volume of resources for use in Sunday services during Creation Time. Today the vast majority of faith traditions have developed significant and comprehensive faith statements with respect to our individual and corporate environmental responsibility as people of faith.
I was trying to remember how long ago the congregation I serve had begun celebrating Creation Time and focusing on important environmental education. I think we began soon after a National Urban Ministry Conference was offered by the United Church of Canada at the University of British Columbia in 2006. Here’s why!
The Urban Ministry Forum was called Faith in the City. Many topics were discussed at Faith in the City …but one message in particular left an unforgettable impact. It was the message about the urgency with which churches needed to be responding to Climate Change and the resulting environmental crisis. Former BC Premiere – Michael Harcourt (also former Chair of a Prime Minister’s Committee on Greening Cities and Communities) gave the opening address and welcome. Two days later it was the Dr. Sallie McFague’s turn to deliver the closing address. McFague, described at the time as one of the world’s leading experts on the intersection between faith and environmentalism, provided the delegates with a ‘great commission’ as the conference drew to a close. McFague reminded the Urban Ministry Forum delegates that oikos (a Greek word meaning house, home, habitat, dwelling place) is also the root word of three other important terms that also pertain to our house, home, habitat and dwelling place. Planet Earth, she emphasized, is the only home we’ve got!
These three important terms deriving from the Greek oikos are: Ecology, Ecumenism and Economics. Each of these, McFague contended, has tremendous impact on our house, home, habitat, dwelling place (planet Earth).
Ecology refers to how you take care of your home. You always have to clean-up after yourself. You must do your best not to make any big messes. If you accidentally make a mess you need to clean-up your mess right immediately and redouble efforts not to make any more messes. Your home only survives with good ecology. Without good ecology your home (planet earth) does not survive.
The second word deriving from oikos (Greek word for earth or home) is Ecumenism. Ecumenism is about relationships. Ecumenism is about people respecting one another and respecting differences. Diversity is essential in all of life. Ecumenism is about investing energy in getting along with others and discovering how to build good and healthy long-term relationships. Working together is the only way in which the human species can possibly respond effectively to Climate Change and hope for prolonged survival on Earth. Ecumenism is about relationships.
The third word derived from oikos is Economics. Economics is about everyone having enough. Economics is about managing your home wisely for the well-being of all. Good economics means no-one taking more than their share. Good economics is about planning for the future; in indigenous tradition it can mean planning for the next seven generations. Good economics is about figuring out how to have enough for all for a very long time to come.
At the end of her closing address, Dr. Sallie McFague looked squarely at every Urban Ministry Forum delegate – representing a congregation from somewhere in Canada, and said: “If your church is not doing anything about Ecology, Ecumenism or Economics then go home and close it up, because it’s not doing anything for the health of the world.” I believe ‘that’ was a key reason why the congregation I serve began celebrating Creation Time on a regular basis!
As the Fall season begins revealing nature’s beauty in the color of Autumn leaves, may we also be revealing nature’s beauty by joining hands with one another to better care for the only home we’ve got.