Creation Time and Holy Ground

  Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.  There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight and see why the bush is not burned up.”  When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”  Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

                                    Exodus 3:1-5

I was invited to be a guest anniversary preacher later this month and I asked if I could use a Creation Time theme, referring to the more recent mini-season of the Christian year which acknowledges our relationship with the Earth in both care and wonder. I was given the green light (nuck, nuck) and I decided that one of the texts I would use is the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus. Creation Time begins September 1st and concludes on October 4th, which is the Feast of St. Francis, the patron saint of the environment.

Lo and behold, I've since discovered that this burning bush image in the theme for Creation Time, or the Season of Creation as it's termed in some Christian denominations. I chose this passage and the story of the baptism of Jesus. Both are reminders that God, the Creator, ushered in pivotal new eras for God's people in the midst of what we sometimes call the natural world, rather than in formal places of worship.

I was also mindful that as climate change is reshaping the planet both fire and water have become destructive forces, ravaging huge areas across the continents. No place is immune to the realities of this climate emergency.

My blog will go silent now for about two weeks because we're at the very edge of our country,on two small islands off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. This is raw, wild, beautiful place and we've returned often since I served in ministry in the area decades ago. I plan to observe Creation Time in my own way during these first days of the season, expressing gratitude and reverence for the gift of Creation.