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St Mary’s News – The Season of Creation Edition

St Mary’s News –Creation, Ride & Stride & More

Season of Creation Logo

Lay Minister Liz Dixon starts off this Season of Creation edition of St Mary’s News by introducing the Season of Creation. This is followed by:

… the usual listings of services and contacts.

Season of Creation @ St Mary’s

St Mary’s is taking part in this year’s Season of Creation during the month of September, and details of our events can be found below.

The Season of Creation is a global and ecumenical Christian movement, established in 1989, to celebrate and care for God’s gift of Creation. Each year, from 1st September through to St Francis Day on  4th October, Christian Communities from all over the world come together to pray and act for our common home.

The First Fruits of Hope

This year’s Season of Creation theme is ‘to hope and act with Creation’. The theme has been inspired by some verses from St Paul’s letter to the Romans in which he writes:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Romans 8:22-25

Earth as a Mother

Caring for the environment

This biblical image pictures the Earth as a mother, groaning as in childbirth. The current levels of environmental damage and loss of biodiversity, all too often highlighted in the news, reveal that we are in the habit of treating the Earth as a resource rather than as a gift to be treasured. Creation is groaning because of our lack of care through the unsustainable actions that harm our common home.

From lament to hope and action.

The climate crisis can seem complex and overwhelming, and we might feel powerless in the face of so many factors outside of our control.

In our despair it is right to lament and cry out to God; there is good biblical tradition for this in the Psalms. But we don’t have to be paralysed by despair. As Christians we have hope: we believe in a God who cares and who is actively working to overcome darkness with light, to bring reconciliation and healing to His Creation. But that doesn’t mean he wants us to sit back and do nothing. The waiting St Paul talks about in verse 25 above is an active sort of waiting.

Loving your neighbour

Personally, what drives me on to keep taking action are Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:  

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.

It’s the ‘loving your neighbour’ that compels me to act; to work towards alleviating the suffering of those communities who have contributed the least to climate change but are the most impacted.

With blessings, Liz Dixon

Season of Creation: Climate Sunday Service

We warmly invite you to join us for this special service celebrating God’s creation and reflecting on how best to look after our common home. This will take place at 9:30 am on Sunday 1st September. We are delighted to welcome Kate Clifton, Environmental Advocate for the Colchester Deanery, as our guest speaker to share her reflections. 

There will be displays and interactive prayer spaces in church throughout September to give people the opportunity to reflect and be inspired to take action.

Ride and Stride

A sponsored rider leaving one of the many participating churches

Richard Chadborn will be taking part in the annual sponsored bike ride, on 14th September, to raise money for the Friends of Essex Churches, enabling them to give grants towards the repair of historic churches. If you would like to sponsor Richard, or can help ‘man’ St Mary’s Church on the day, please contact him on 01206 240541 or at [email protected].

Alpha Course

Alpha Course

Curious to know more about the Christian faith? Then come along to the Alpha Course! The course starts at 7 pm on Thursday 26th September in St Mary’s Church.  The evenings will include supper, followed by a talk and time for discussion. For more details contact Rev Heather 01206 240906 or email: [email protected].

Table Top Sale

Got stuff to sell? To book a space (£10 per table), please contact the church office on [email protected] or Ronnie Seymour on 07772 241178. In aid of the church hall project.  The sale will be on Saturday 28th September between 10:30 am – 2:30 pm in the Church Hall.

Services

1st September9.30 amClimate Sunday Service + Holy Communion (see above)
8th September9.30 amSeason of Creation Messy Church
15th September9.30 amBaptism
22nd September9.30 amSeason of Creation Café Church
29th September10.30 amUnited Parishes Celebration Service at St Peter & St Paul, Little Horkesley, followed by lunch.

Our Team at St Mary’s

Nine ways of living gently on the Earth

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