Welcome to this year’s Season of Creation! Christians around the world are invited to give particular attention to praying and caring for God’s creation as part of the global Season of Creation, observed from September 1st to October 4th every year. General Synod 2019 passed a resolution adopting the Season of Creation in the Anglican Church of Canada as a time of prayer, education, and action and encouraging dioceses and parishes to participate.

This year, the theme for the season is “To hope and act with Creation”,  inspired by Romans 8:19-25. Amid the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, many are beginning to despair and suffer from eco-anxiety. As people of faith, we are called to lift the hope inspired by our faith, the hope of the resurrection. This is not a hope without action but one embodied in concrete actions of prayer and preaching, service and solidarity.

Season of Creation 2024 Prayer: Triune God, Creator of all, We praise you for your goodness, visible in all the diversity that you have created, making us a cosmic family living in a common home. Through the Earth you created, we experience love and nourishment, home and protection.

We confess that we do not relate to the Earth as a Mothering gift from you, our Creator. Our selfishness, greed, neglect, and abuse have caused the climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, human suffering as well as the suffering of all our fellow creatures. We confess that we have failed to listen to the groans of the Earth, the groans of all creatures, and the groans of the Spirit of hope and justice that lives within us.

May your Creator Spirit help us in our weakness, so that we may know the redeeming power of Christ and the hope found in him. May the groans of the Spirit birth in us a willingness to serve you faithfully, so that we may hear and heal Creation, to hope and act together with her, so that the first fruits of hope may blossom.

Loving and Creator God, we pray that you will make us sensitive to these groans and enable us to have the same compassion as that of Jesus, the redeeming Lord. Grant us a fresh vision of our relationship with Earth, and with one another, as creatures that are made in your image.

In the name of the one who came to proclaim the good news to all Creation, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sunday’s Reflection: ‘True Religion’ – There is a question one can ask that could be received positively (as in seeking to understand) or negatively (as an affront to the custom of a place or people): “Why do you/we do ______ this way?” More scandalous is suggesting a long-standing custom may not serve (or may even be a disservice to) the way it was intended.

The Pharisees and some of the scribes are focused on a long-held tradition, and on the surface, it would seem to be a good thing. Wash what you buy before you eat it, and take care to wash cups, pots, and kettles properly. But Jesus knows their hearts, and the two commandments on which hang all the Law and the Prophets: to love the Lord thy God and to love thy neighbor as thyself. The Pharisees and scribes are more concerned with human tradition than the commandments of God. Neither their tradition nor the intent of their hearts seeks to love God or their neighbor.

• What traditions do you revere that may be barriers to loving God and/or your neighbor?
• How might you examine customs and traditions to ensure they are inclusive?

Announcements & News Update

Sept. 8th – Back to Church Sunday: We encourage all parishioners to invite families and friends to come and be part of our worship life at St. Michael’s church: 8am – BCP service and 9:15am – BAS with music. 

Sept. 16th – Parish Council meeting at 7:00pm. 

Sept. 29th – St. Michael’s Parish Anniversary Celebration. A Combined worship service at 9:30am followed by fellowship. The Venerable Nick Pang, Executive Archdeacon, will preside and preach on this occasion.