An Earth-Honouring Equinox

 

1 Great is thy faithfulness, God our Creator; 

there is no shadow of turning with thee;

thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not; 

as thou hast been thou forever wilt be.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see;

all I have needed thy hand hath provided -

great is thy faithfulness, ever to me!

2 Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,  

sun, moon, and stars in their courses above

join with all nature in manifold witness 

to thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.  R

3 Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,

 thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide,

strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow - 

wondrous the portion thy blessings provide.  R

Voices United 288

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3: 23-24

This is the first day of Fall, the Autumnal Equinox which officially begins at 8:03 this evening. Here in the Northern Hemisphere we've been noticing that daybreak is later and nightfall comes earlier. Other traditional signals of the changing season such as the leaves taking on Fall colours haven't shown up in our area of Southern Ontario. Over the years I've noticed that decorations on Thanksgiving Sunday and Monday are different in this neck of the woods because we aren't able to collect the items from the natural world we once did. 

We're also seeing a variability in weather which is disturbing, including massive Fall storms which used to peter out before arriving in Atlantic Canada. Hurricane Juan nearly a decade ago,  Hurricane Dorian three years back, now Hurricane Fiona looming -- these are part of a new and devastating pattern. 

As we continue in the liturgical period known as Creation Time it's important to appreciate the gifts of Creator and Creation and to pay attention to the "signs of the times" in terms of human-influenced climate change. 

As we approached this day I thought of the oldie and goodie hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness. It is based on a passage from the Hebrew scripture book called Lamentations which makes only a passing appearance in the Common Lectionary. It is about God's our Creator's faithfulness to us through all the seasons of life, but I take it as a call to respond with a sense of urgency and hope as we live as Christians in a troubled world. 

I notice that some Indigenous groups are holding Equinox gatherings today. Perhaps we Christians should be doing so as well, or joining in those events.

Please find time to get outside today, as you're able, so that your soul can say, I will hope in a merciful and loving God. And find the ways you can be agents of change for the sake of the planet. 

Equinoxe d'automne --Jean Paul Lemieux