Season of Creation

For me, this week’s late summer blast of heat is not a cause for celebration. While some lament the end of summer — technically still three weeks away — by late August I’m ready for the cool, crisp air of fall. When it’s hot, I don’t feel particularly motivated to praise God. Instead, I pray for relief. But the text of Canticle 12, A Song of Creation, from Morning Prayer in The Book of Common Prayer (p. 88) reminds me that all creation is praising God, including the heat.

Glorify the Lord, every shower of rain and fall of dew, *

all winds and fire and heat.

Winter and Summer, glorify the Lord, *

praise him and highly exalt him for ever.

Complaining about the heat is a sign of my privilege. I live and work in climate-controlled environments. A heat wave is inconvenient but not a threat. But for countless others — human beings, animals, insects, plants, and all living things — extreme heat can be dangerous. According to the National Weather Service, “Heat is one of the leading weather-related killers in the United States, resulting in hundreds of fatalities each year.” And because of climate change, heat waves are more frequent, more intense and last longer.

So, if I don’t feel like lifting my voice in praise during a heat wave, what might I pray? Each year from September 1-October 4, Christians throughout the world focus on our relationship with and stewardship of creation. According to the Season of Creation website, this season “is a time to renew our relationship with our Creator and all creation through celebration, conversion, and commitment together. During the Season of Creation, we join our [siblings] in the ecumenical family in prayer and action for our common home.”

Along with many other denominations, the Episcopal Church has a whole host of resources and prayers to use during the Season of Creation. We’ll use a few of these prayers at St. Paul’s starting in mid-September, but they can also be prayed at home. Here’s one example from “Honoring God in Creation,” presented by the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music to the 78th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2015.

The justice of God and the dignity of all creatures

Holy God, your mercy is over all your works, and in the web of life each creature has its role and place. We praise you for ocelot and owl, cactus and kelp, lichen and whale; we honor you for whirlwind and lava, tide and topsoil, cliff and marsh. Give us hearts and minds eager to care for your planet, humility to recognize all creatures as your beloved ones, justice to share the resources of the earth with all its inhabitants, and love not limited by our ignorance. This we pray in the name of Jesus, who unifies what is far off and what is near, and in whom, by grace and the working of your Holy Spirit, all things hold together. Amen.