What is Creation Time?
In 1989 the Ecumenical Patriarch (the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide) suggested that 1 September, the first day of the Orthodox Church’s year, should be observed as a day “of protection of the natural environment”.
Ten years later the European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN) widened this proposal, urging churches to adopt a Time for Creation stretching from 1 September to the feast of St Francis on 4 October. This was endorsed by the 2007 European Ecumenical Assembly, which recommended that the period “be dedicated to prayer for the protection of Creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change”. This period is known as Creation Time.
Since 2008 Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has compiled a programme of resources to encourage and assist churches to observe Creation Time, which stretches from 1 September to the feast of St Francis on 4 October – and so spans the “harvest season” for many in Britain.
In addition, in 2015 Pope Francis established an annual day of global prayer for creation to be celebrated on 1 September; an event that offers a hand of friendship to the Orthodox Church, which established a similar day of prayer in 1989.
If you’re working toward your Eco Church bronze, silver or gold award, you’ll be looking for ways to explore creation care in your worship life. Or perhaps you’re simply looking for resources for your Local Arrangement services. Creationtide is a time in the church year when we are particularly invited to consider our relationship with God’s creation.
Prayer and worship ideas
There are some great ideas in this resource produced by the World Council of Churches, as well as some opportunities to join with Christians across the world in prayer and action. We particularly like:
- the full script for an ecumenical prayer service found on pages 31-40;
- the beautiful craft ideas on pages 42-43;
- the history of creationtide on pages 27-28;
- information about an online ecumenical prayer service on 1st September and a day of advocacy action planned for 21st September on page 26.
The website greenchristian.org.uk includes lots of liturgies you could use in your Creationtide services.
These beautiful prayers were written during an Iona Community pilgrimage, but with a little adaptation they would work wonderfully in a church service.
Hymn suggestions
Creation Time resources usually include hymn suggestions for each week of worship. However, we’ve also compiled a quick reference list of suitable hymns for use in Creation Time. See also StF’s harvest hymns listed under Harvest in the Festivals and Seasons search category.
Still images
If you’re creating PowerPoint for your Creationtide services, these images are offered copyright-free.
You can also find hundreds of copyright-free images at websites such as www.unsplash.com and www.pexels.com.
Video
Eco Congregation Scotland’s Eco Chaplain Revd David J.M. Coleman has produced these video sermons and scripts for anyone to use.
Joint Public Issues Team Season of Creation resources
The JPIT website lists a range of resources including all-age activities, poems, prayers and discussion activities. See jpit.uk/creation
“The annual World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation will offer individual believers and communities a fitting opportunity to reaffirm their personal vocation to be stewards of creation, to thank God for the wonderful handiwork which he has entrusted to our care, and to implore his help for the protection of creation as well as his pardon for the sins committed against the world in which we live.”
Pope FrancisOther resources
The Catholic aid agency CAFOD has put together resources that draw on Pope Francis' encyclical, Laudato Si' – including a Prayer for Creation and a Prayer Vigil, as well as a study guide to accompany the encyclical.
There are many books of prayer and liturgy suitable for Creation Time and Harvest festivals. Two staples that have stood the test of time (and both produced in collaboration with Christian Aid) are:
Harvest for the World: a worship anthology on sharing in the work of creation – compiled by Geoffrey Duncan
Bread of Tomorrow: praying with the world’s poor – edited by Janet Morley.
The Royal School of Church Music has produced an excellent resource, Bread of life: a festival service for young voices celebrating God’s physical and spiritual gift of food. As our review suggests, this is a flexible resource that can be adapted for all sorts of music groups and many different occasions.
In addition, Creation Time falls at a simlar time of year to the Jewish Feast of the Tabernacles or the Sukkot. (Read more about Sukkot here). This festival inspired StF+’s reflections on living in a fragile world.