Season of Creation
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Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. -Matthew 16:34
Last week Jesus asked the disciples what people were saying about him. Then he asked them directly, “But who do you say I am?” And this week, Jesus describes who he is to them himself - not by giving himself theological titles or names, but describing what he’s going to do for them. He also points out that if they want to be his followers that they’re going to have to do likewise.
What he tells them is that soon he will undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. But they didn’t hear the ‘raised’ part at first. It was the suffering and being killed part that jumped right out at them. Peter cries, “Heaven forbid this should happen to you!” to which Jesus famously responds, “Get behind me Satan!” a remarkable thing to say to the rock upon which he’s going to build his church.
Peter and the others, in their heart of hearts, were hoping that this was the time that God, through the Messiah, would right all the wrongs of this world. Having the Messiah suffer and die did not fit into that picture. But they also knew, as we all know, in our heart of hearts, that life is never all peaks and no valleys. It’s never all dessert and no chard. But that didn’t stop them from harboring some wishful thinking - maybe this time everything is going to work out…
This makes me wonder how we are being called to pick up our crosses and follow Jesus in these tumultuous times of climate change. Some of the things happening in this world seem almost too terrible to face or talk about, but of all places, the church is not a place for wishful thinking or denial.
This week we’re entering the Season of Creation. It begins on Sept 1 and goes through St. Francis’ Day on Oct 4. The season is celebrated by Christians around the world as a time for renewing, repairing and restoring our relationship to God, one another, and all of creation. It is an important time for us to discern how we, as individuals and as a parish, are being called to address the difficult issue of climate change and to commit to caring more deeply for this earth and future generations.
One of the ways it is suggested that churches mark this season is to worship outside - to do liturgy in the midst of God’s creation. Well, we’ve already got that down. Hopefully our last outdoor Sunday will provide us with good weather to be outdoors one more time. But whether we’re inside our out, I look forward to starting an ongoing conversation about our creation care ministry here at St. James.
