Give us reverence for all creation

Give us reverence for all creation

The Second Sunday before Lent is one of those Sunday’s that the Common Worship Lectionary, as followed by the Church of England, varies from the Revised Common Lectionary followed by many Churches around the world. In the Church of England our readings and Collects, today, encourage us to think about the Creation; and today is sometimes referred to as Creation Sunday. I think, though am far from sure, that people following the RCL would usually celebrate a Creation Sunday much later in the year.

I don’t really think, at least in my experience, that enough is made of Creation Sunday. It would be good for all of us to think more about creation occasionally. And that doesn’t always have to encompass the thorny theological issues surrounding a literal six-day creation, or intelligent design, or evolution. We pray in this collect that we’ll be given reverence for all creation, not just the big issues.

God has created a world which is, in many places, of outstanding beauty. And yet he has shared the work of creation with us human beings. And having done so, he relies on us to bring his creative work to completion.

Art, music, and drama are the most obviously creative human activities. But many of the day-to-day things we do, and the relationships we build, show that we’re made in the image of God the Creator. Plant flowers in a garden, or arrange them in your house; wrestle to find the right words to say or write; cook an imaginative meal; teach unruly children to behave in a civilised manner; these, and numerous others, are all creative acts, acts through which we share with God in creating the world as he wants it to be.

When we behave creatively, we’re acting on God’s behalf, as his hands. We should concentrate on the many different chances God gives us to be creative. Enjoy them, and do them well, for in these ways we are acting as agents of God the Creator; in these ways we will give reverence for all creation.

Almighty God,
give us reverence for all creation
and respect for every person,
that we may mirror your likeness
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Second Sunday before Lent
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council