“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow…”
Matthew 6:28b
When Jesus saw the anxious ways of his followers, he invited them to contemplate God’s goodness and faithfulness towards the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
When God spoke to Job out of a whirlwind, God pointed to the wonders of creation: the majestic stars in the heavens, the wild ostrich and lion of the savanna, the mysterious monsters of the deep oceans.
When David turned his mind toward the Lord in Psalm 19, he began by contemplating the cosmos.
Jesus and the prophets looked toward creation- sheep, trees, seeds, rain- to illustrate the truths of God.
Over and over again, scripture invites us to selah, to pause in contemplative wonder and praise, at the marvels of God revealed in creation.
In September, we are doing just that.
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward has asked that we join with our Christian sisters and brothers around the globe this month. We’re turning our minds to what Creation teaches us about the Lord, what it means to live in relationship with creation, and how we can be better caretakers of what God has entrusted into our hands. The NC Conference Caretakers of God’s Creation have prepared multiple opportunities to consider the lilies of the field this September.
Online Worship Service
The first is a Conference-wide worship service, with a special gospel message from Bishop Ward. The online worship service will premier September 6 at 10:30, and will be available to share afterwards. The service can be accessed here.
Learning Opportunities
Each Tuesday and Thursday evening at 7:00, from September 8 through 29, hour long webinars are being offered. Topics include theology of creation care, how to reduce waste in our lives, what scripture says about the environment, saving money and decreasing energy usage, and how our misuse of creation unjustly harms the very people Jesus commanded us to care for. For a full list of all webinars, and to register, check out our NC Conference events page.
Resources for You
To help all churches lead their own creation-themed worship services and studies, we have also gathered together various resources. These include liturgies, articles, books, websites, and organizations (both local and global in scope) for your use. You can see our resource list here (and feel free to share with us any resources you have).
We are excited about this month-long focus on such an important and pertinent topic. Be sure to check us out on Facebook for the latest in all that we’re working on. Please reach out if you have any questions. We hope you’ll join us in considering the lilies of the field.
“Creator God, as Jesus walked through the hills of Galilee aware of the beauty of your creation, grant that we, too, may live with eyes to see and ears to hear the wonder of creation each day so that we might be ever-reminded of your greatness and glory. Amen.”
Rev. Bill Adams