This September, the wider Church will be celebrating a brand new liturgical festival. To put that in perspective, protestant churches have shared the same liturgical calendar for over 40 years, and this is the first time a feast day has been added to that calendar. But, it’s not just us protestants who will mark the occasion. This festival, Creation in Christ (or the Feast of Creation) marks the culmination of many years of collaboration between the World Council of Churches, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church. A worldwide effort like this hasn’t been seen for over a millennia, so you know it’s a big deal.
While a festival day for Creation may be new to us, celebrating God’s Creation around this time of year is an ancient practice. Since about the seventh century, the Eastern Orthodox church has held the belief that September 1st was the day that God began to create the heavens and the Earth. Later, folks latched on to the idea that Jesus began his public ministry on this day as well. For the Eastern Church, it became the first day of the liturgical year. (As a refresher, in the west our calendar restarts on the first Sunday of Advent.) In addition, this autumn observance lines up a bit with the Jewish celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the New Year and the day of the world’s creation, which occurs in September or early October.
Work to expand the Feast of Creation into the wider, western church has been going on since 1989, when Ecumenical Patriarch Demetrios of the Orthodox Church invited Christians around the world to spend the first day of September offering prayers, “both as thanksgiving for the great gift of Creation and as petitions for its protection and salvation.” Since that time, the day has become two very modern things. First, it is the biggest ecumenical initiative since the church began to fracture between East and West over a thousand years ago. Second, it has expanded from a celebration of the first day of creation into a day to also address issues of ecology and justice through our faith in Christ. As issues of eco-justice become less avoidable and more universal, it will take a new kind of unity to address the worldwide problems humanity faces together.
As with many feast days that happen in the middle of the week, at St. Mark we will celebrate the Feast of Creation the Sunday after September 1st. I am excited to come together with you that day, along with Christians around the world. On September 6th, the Church will be united in giving thanks for all that God has made. And, we will acknowledge all the ways that we can live out our faith by caring for the Creation that feeds us, clothes us, and gives a home to every human, creature, and plant that has ever lived.
Peace,
Pastor Chad McKenna
