Prodigal Australia
Jason John calls for Australia to have a prodigal moment, a Zacchaeus moment, turning around now.
We know that God's beautiful Earth is worth protecting. Christians know that we need to be reminded what we know over and over again.
To celebrate. To be inspired.
To be moved to protect that beauty.
That’s why this September, we’re inviting you to journey with us as we hear the groaning of creation through various interpreters, and respond in individual actions, and together in the lead up to the September 20 #ClimateStrike rallies.
An Invitation to Strike
On September 20th, students and young people, invite all of us to gather at the #ClimateStrike, calling on the Government to demand climate justice for all.
Connected to Creation
Brooke Prentis reflects on the interconnectedness of all things in creation, encouraging us to come together, lament and rally.
Week 1 - Oceans
Through her research, Nicola Fraser has watched corals bleach and die, and kelp forests disappear as waters warm up. Fish are migrating to cooler waters, but where will the fish in the Antarctic go?
Week 2 - Flora and Fauna
Since 1970, there has been a staggering 60% decline in mammal, bird, fish and reptile populations. Dr Byron Smith reflects on the extinction of the humble Bramble Cay melomys, an indistinct rat living on a tiny sand island in the Torres Strait, inviting us to notice, pause and grieve.
Week 3 - Storms
As record breaking storms threaten to become the new normal, Mahala Grace calls churches to preach about ecological ethics as we ‘follow the one who is our shelter from the heat and the storms.’
Week 4 - Cosmos
Through prose and poetry, Tau’alofa Anga’aelangi challenges us to repent of our sense of separation from the Fonua, and to reconnect with the Earth family.
Week 5 - Blessing
As we conclude our Season of Creation we reflect on the way small actions of faith can achieve incredible change.
What is the Season of Creation?
Every year, Christians around the world, from across traditions, commit the month of September as a season to celebrate God’s beautiful Earth, and renew our shared commitment to preserving and restoring that beauty.
Each week during September we have invited various guests and a few Common Grace regulars to explore our relationship with the rest of creation, using this year’s themes: oceans, fauna/flora, storms, cosmos, and the blessing of Creation.
If you’re new to considering our Christian responsibility to care for God’s beautiful Earth you might like to start with our series from last year.
If you’re already on board, this is a great chance to be nourished on the journey, and rally together to join God’s mission of the reconciliation and renewal of the whole creation.
In late August, Jason introduces the series by setting Australia’s responsibilities within a global context. Ally Neale brings us the call of students to join them at the September rally, and Brooke Prentis calls us to listen deeply to the lands, waters, and all creation, hearing the rallying call of generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In week one, the marine scientist Nicola Fraser pleads for the oceans, and we hear the call of Torres Strait Islander peoples and Pacific Islander peoples to action. In future weeks we will bring you the silenced voice of those species no longer with us and first hand stories of the impacts of extreme weather. Tau’alofa Anga’aelangi challenges us to a more familial, reciprocal relationship with Mother Earth, in prose and poem. This reciprocal blessing is picked up by Jessica Morthorpe in our concluding post.