Candice's Comments

In September, we will be doing a new thing in worship. We will be celebrating the season of Creation. The liturgical color of aqua will be present in worship. Aqua is the blue-green color of the planet Earth when viewed from outer space and reminds us of the living light of the divine presence that is experienced in all creation.

In the four weeks of this season, we will pay particular attention to forests, land, wild places, and rivers. We will be invited to listen to the voice of creation, so we may respond to the longings, freedom, and love of the world that God loves.

Forests  are places brimming with life. They contain tall trees that often form a canopy under which there are several layers of plants. Plants are important as they provide food and shelter for animals and they are important to the environment as they produce oxygen which all life needs to exist. Their root system also provides stability to the soil and presents erosion.

Land can be considered to exist in different ways. It can be seen as the surface terrain that covers Earth’s crust. It is the continents and islands, deserts and mountains that emerge from the oceans. It can be a source of life and home for a wide variety of creatures (including us)! Land can be the soil in which plants grow, a space in which we can play sport and other activities. It comes in all colors and textures, shapes and sizes.

Wilderness suggests any wild, uncultivated, untamed, uninhabited (or inhabited only by wild animals) location; a part of desert or ocean, an empty place. It is where the soul of the Earth is untamed by human boundaries. Wilderness is a place where the fine balance of the environment is maintained by nature.

Rivers are bodies of water that carve their ways through the landscape. Rivers can be wide or narrow, short or wide. They can be slow moving or contain flashing torrents. A river can contain life, and it can bring life. It can turn a desert into an oasis. It can help transport goods, bring water to crops, bring life to remote areas. Rivers are often moving and heading towards a destination. Life can be described as a river. It flows forward taking us into the future.

I look forward to celebrating the season of Creation with you in the month of September.

Gratefully,

Candice