Seasons of the Spirit ~ SeasonsFUSION
Lectionary resources for worship, faith formation, and service
September marks the beginning of many new things.
Depending where we find ourselves in the world, winter weaves into spring; summer into autumn/fall; wet into dry, and dry into wet.
In the northern hemisphere it is the beginning of a new school year; for Seasons of the Spirit it is the beginning of a new quarter of material, and the beginning of a new resource, SeasonsFUSION, which will begin in churches in the southern hemisphere in Advent.
New to Seasons of the Spirit this year is the introduction to a new season of the church year – The Season of Creation. Celebrated during four Sundays in September, this season is alive with possibilities; it is a time when we not only give thanks for creation but also celebrate with creation. Read more about the season in the article “Celebrating the Season of Creation”
In 2009 I sat on a bench on the Isle of Iona, mesmerized by the sea waters of the Sound of Iona and its magical aqua colour. The back of the bench was inscribed with “rest and remember. “ I followed the prompt. Close by, sheep grazed contentedly in green pasture, yellow buttercups and white daisies danced in the gentle wind, the notes of the ocean were in harmony with the song of the birds, the rhythm of pilgrim steps mingled with voices of children at play, and in that “thin place” there was a moment (“a flash,” to quote from the biblical backgrounds for September 4) when I got it! Creation in all its splendor teaching. Not me apart from creation, not nature helping me to worship, rather I was caught up with and in all creation. All creation worshipping.
As well as opening the sacred text of our tradition – The Bible — in the Season of Creation we are invited to open ourselves to the sacred text of creation.
The poetic imagery of the biblical backgrounds on September 4 helps us to imagine a new Paul – perhaps one of a pilgrim “intimately immersed in creation every step of the way” — and poses the question, “Was there one moment when in a flash of insight he got it: God is in all this?”
Perhaps your tradition will not have you move from the Revised Common Lectionary for these 4 weeks. If this is so, we encourage you to use the rich material offered for these four weeks for personal reflection.
For others, we encourage you to be creative in setting your space. You might set your worship outdoors. Or consider how you might set the space in order to welcome more of creation into it. And, please, share your comments and ideas, here, with others.
We encourage you to read and share the articles “Celebrating the Season of Creation,” “Forests,” and “Spotlight On…Let the Energy Flow.” A video clip introducing the Season of Creation can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3EPirR2ZUI
We also encourage you to tell here what has sparked your imagination for living the Season of Creation in your community, and in what ways will you adapt the SeasonsFUSION materials for your context?
“I had assumed that the Earth, the spirit of the Earth, noticed exceptions – those who wantonly damage it and those who do not. But the Earth is wise. It has given itself into the keeping of all, and all are therefore accountable.”
~ Alice Walker Living by the Word.
