The Season of Creation

How can Christian congregations deepen awareness of and express their concern for the health of creation through worship and proclamation? This book offers congregational leaders a host of biblical and liturgical resources to guide people into deeper connection with our imperiled Earth through a yearly observance of a new Season of Creation.

Norman C. Habel is professorial fellow at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia, and a pastor in the Lutheran church. Together with the Uniting Church of Australia he initiated The Season of Creation. David Rhoads is emeritus professor of New Testament at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, founder of the Web of Creation Web site, and directs the Green Congregation and the Lutherans Restoring Creation programs. H. Paul Santmire, a retired Lutheran pastor living in the Boston area, has been a leading voice of ecological theology for more than forty-five years and is the author of numerous books on nature, God, and ecology.

Preface	p. v
Theology, Liturgy, Bible Engaging the Season
Introducing the Season of Creation	p. 3
A Special Season of the Church Year	p. 3
Why a Season of Creation?	p. 5
Origins and Growth	p. 7
Features of the Season of Creation	p. 9
Readings for the Season of Creation	p. 11
The Season of Creation Web Site and Logo	p. 14
A Theology of Liturgy in a New Key: Worshiping with Creation	p. 16
Worship as Reorientation	p. 17
A Theology of Worship	p. 19
Care for Creation in the Seasons and Days of the Church Year	p. 21
A Theology of the Liturgy	p. 23
The Invocation: The God of All Creation and a Theology of Earth Sanctuary	p. 24
The Invitation and Gloria: A Theology of Kinship with Creation	p. 26
The Confession: A Theology of Alienation and Reconciliation	p. 30
The Scripture Readings: A Theology of Listening	p. 33
Proclaiming the Gospel: A Theology of Incarnation and Reconciliation	p. 37
Prayer and Offering: A Theology of Creation as Gift	p. 41
The Sacraments: A Theology of Presence	p. 44
The Commission and Blessing: A Theology of Ministry	p. 47
Engaging the Bible in a New Key: Reading and Preaching with Creation	p. 54
Conscious of the Creation Context	p. 55
Suspecting a Human Bias	p. 56
Identifying with Earth	p. 58
Retrieving the Voices of Creation	p. 60
Discerning the Restorative Powers of Earth	p. 61
Human Justice in Ecological Justice	p. 63
Connecting with Christ	p. 64
Conclusion	p. 65
Spirit, Word, Wisdom Engaging the Sundays and Readings
The Spirit Series
First Sunday in Creation: Forest Sunday	p. 70
Second Sunday in Creation: Land Sunday	p. 83
Third Sunday in Creation: Wilderness Sunday	p. 100
Fourth Sunday in Creation: River Sunday	p. 112
The Word Series
First Sunday in Creation: Earth Sunday	p. 126
Second Sunday in Creation: Humanity Sunday	p. 143
Third Sunday in Creation: Sky Sunday	p. 153
Fourth Sunday in Creation: Mountain Sunday	p. 164
The Wisdom Seises
First Sunday in Creation: Ocean Sunday	p. 180
Second Sunday in Creation: Fauna Sunday	p. 192
Third Sunday in Creation: Storm Sunday	p. 202
Fourth Sunday in Creation: Cosmos Sunday	p. 214
Afterword: Blessing the Animals: A Sermon	p. 228
Contributors	p. 232
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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The Season of Creation

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials