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Perhaps there is an opportunity to pay attention to some detail of the divine design of the trees, plants, birds, insects, animals, sky or soil that you usually walk right past, that can become a prayer of gratitude or a moment to invite God’s Spirit to reveal afresh to you something of Himself
We are currently in the season of Creationtide – the time in the church’s calendar – from 1st September to 4th October – dedicated to remembering God as Creator and Sustainer of all life. As we move through the equinox and the season tilts decidedly into autumn after the long hot summer, we hold in mind all those bringing in the year’s harvest, with gratitude for their labour and with ultimate gratitude to God – the source and preserver of all of Creation’s goodness.
The image of the burning bush has been chosen as a symbol to hold before us during this year’s creationtide. An ecumenical group appointed to facilitate worship, reflection and response during the Season of Creation flesh out the reasons for this symbolic focus in the following:
‘Today, the prevalence of unnatural 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.
On the contrary, the fire that called to Moses as he tended the flock on Mount Horeb did not consume or destroy the bush. This flame of the Spirit revealed God’s presence. This holy fire affirmed that God heard the cries of all who suffered, and promised to be with us as we followed in faith to our deliverance from injustice.’ Season of Creation
Perhaps for you too, these last few days of this formal season of the celebration of creation invite a moment to pause, to reflect and marvel at the gift of creation. Perhaps you would like to take your time of daily prayer out into the natural world in some intentional way this week. Perhaps there is an opportunity to pay attention to some detail of the divine design of the trees, plants, birds, insects, animals, sky or soil that you usually walk right past, that can become a prayer of gratitude or a moment to invite God’s Spirit to reveal afresh to you something of Himself. Perhaps you too might hear something new as you stay with the image of the burning bush in Exodus 3. In the burning bush God spoke to Moses in the midst of his fears and sense of inadequacy to commission him to the responsibility of leadership and liberation, because this was the work God was calling him to. Perhaps as you think about the state of the natural world you find in yourself fears and a sense of inadequacy, but yet perhaps the great I AM – the creator and redeemer of all things – is calling you to partner with him in His work of protecting and liberating his created order. What might God be speaking to you about a prophetic stewardship of His creation – in your context, as part of His Kingdom work?
About the writer
Dr Sarah Pawlett-Jackson is a Lecturer and Tutor at St Mellitus College. She has a PhD in Philosophy, which considered the phenomenology of multi-person interactions. She is also a Tutor in Philosophy of Religion for the University of London’s International Programme
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