Earth Day is over, but I hope that our commitment to the earth and all its creatures will continue to grow and bear fruit. It was a very busy weekend. My only regret is that there were so many events I would have loved to be a part of that I wish Earth Day celebrations were spread out throughout the year.
On Friday and Saturday my husband Tom and I enjoyed the privilege of participating in the Inhabit conference, which draws together practitioners from all over North America who are involved in their neighbourhoods. We heard wonderful stories of people connecting to their neighbours, helping the vulnerable find housing, jobs and safety, creating urban gardens and parks, and many just being neighbourly to those around them. Part of what I loved was the global reach of the gathering. One of the emcees was from Kuwait, of Palestinian background, and one of the band members was from Russia and half her family live in Ukraine. Their sharing of their own struggles and the struggles of their families for peace, acceptance and security was one of the highlights for me. It was a very hope filled, encouraging conference to be a part of. We reconnected to old friends and made new friends. I even met a number of people who use Godspacelight resources regularly, a huge encouragement for me personally.
On Sunday I facilitated the Earth Day service at church, using excerpts from the Earth Day liturgy I posted on Saturday, for worship and sharing a sermon which later morphed into my Meditation Monday: God the Cosmic Gardener. We ended by making seed bombs. Everybody participated, the kids loved it. It was great fun. One of the huge delights of the weekend was having our dear friends Andy and Susan Wade stay with us. Some of you may remember Andy from Mustard Seed Associate days. He is now past at Bethel UCC White Salmon near Hood River Oregon. He also wrote Earth Day in the Neighborhood – Top 10 Ideas. One of the privileges of our lives is friends from all over the world, but Susan and Andy hold a very special place in our hearts.
Earth Day is a good place to gain fuel for reading all through the year. I have several books stacked up waiting for me to dive into them. You too might like to add a few to your reading last from our Earth Day Resource List. Make sure you read Louise Conner’s beautiful post The Art of Creation: Birds Cry Out. I love her contributions to Godspace. Make sure you also read what she writes on the Circlewood blog. So much to inspire us that we are unable to repost on Godspace.
Last week Rebecca Conner completed our latest free resource Simple Ways to Care for Creation. She did a wonderful job and it contains many valuable suggestions for easy ways we can all make a difference by making simple changes to our lifestyles. Don’t forget to download your copy today.
The next major milestone on our calendars is Ascension Day (May 18th). This is the celebration of Christ ascending into heaven. It is also, and in some ways more importantly, a celebration of the new creation that Jesus’ resurrection brought into being. If you are looking for some fun things to do in church check out our Ascension Day resource list. Pentecost Sunday follows soon after, and then Trinity Sunday. There are other interesting occasions we like to celebrate too however that you might like to put on your calendar. Here in the U.S. May 4th is the National Day of Prayer; May 15th is International Day of Families, and May 21st is World Day of Cultural Diversity. On the Celtic calendar we have St Brendan’s Day May 16th. I love to revisit his prayer each year. And for the gardeners in our midst, May 20th is World Bee Day.
There is so much to celebrate in our faith, I pray that you will have a week filled with joy and delight.
Many Blessings
Christine Sine
At Godspace, environmental issues and creation care are two things we are passionate about.
This document is designed to help you celebrate Earth Day by making a positive impact on the environment. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of environmental issues facing our planet, but by taking small, simple steps, we can all make a difference! Click here to download today.