Recentering on Creation

Here, at the end of summer, we continue on our march through the long season after Pentecost. We are well past the more narratively- driven liturgical seasons, that is, the ones that follow the arc of the Gospel story: the expectation of the Savior, the birth of Christ, his revealing to the world, his suffering and death, his resurrection and ascension, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Those are the seasons from Advent through to Pentecost.

After Pentecost (May 24th) and Holy Trinity Sunday (May 31st), we began our “walk with Jesus,” along the ride with the disciples to witness Christ’s healings and teachings as they unfold, more or less chronologically, through the Gospel of Matthew.

This Sunday, September 6th, we take a break from this “Jesus tour” and celebrate a new liturgical day: “Creation in Christ.”  In the Byzantine tradition, since the 7th century, September 1st has marked the beginning of the Orthodox liturgical cycle.  It’s a day that symbolizes the day of the creation of the world, traditionally known as the “Feast of the Indiction.” 

Admittedly, I tend to be slow to take up on certain innovations on our liturgical calendar, but this one seemed especially helpful.  It is a way of returning.  Isn’t that what we are always doing, or should always be doing?  Returning to basic, foundational things?

We live in highly unsettled times, and our minds and our hearts are tangled in fear, anger, and uncertainty. In such a state, we struggle to stay grounded and centered on the foundational truth of our faith: that God created all that is, and we are creatures inside of God’s good creation.

And so this Sunday, we take a step back. We start at the very beginning…”a very good place to start!…and we reframe, once again, the story in which we live, as beloved creatures within God’s marvelous creation.

Hope to see you in church!  Remember: one service on Sunday, September 6th, 10:00 AM.

Sabbatical News:

Many of you have asked about the status of the renewal leave (i.e. sabbatical) grant that Redeemer applied for back in March.  Although the award announcements were scheduled to go out on Friday, August 28th, the Christian Theological Seminary (that administers the Lilly Foundation grants) announced that, due to “unforeseen circumstances,” the announcements would be delayed until this Friday, September 4th.  Alas…more waiting!

I’m guessing the decisions regarding who will be awarded a grant have already been made, but that’s only a guess. Prayers won’t change the outcome, but they might make the waiting a bit easier!