August 2024 e:News: From Bishop Monnot

Introducing and authorizing the Season of Creation

About twenty years ago, my brother took a walk with a New York Times reporter. They were in Greenland, where my brother was working as a glaciologist as part of a team studying the effects of global climate change. At that time there were already significant and measurable changes to the Greenland ice sheet, and scientists were working to understand the potential consequences for the rest of the planet. My brother told the reporter, “It's as if we're running a gigantic uncontrolled experiment on the climate system and we know we have the capability of making large impacts. Should we continue just to experiment or should we try to figure this out first?’’ (Read the NYT article HERE)

Twenty years later, the uncontrolled experiment has continued, the consequences of climate change for the planet are clearer and more alarming, and a new generation has come of age in a world in which their very existence is threatened by the cumulative impact of human activity on God’s creation. The Episcopal Church has recognized global climate change as a crisis that must be urgently addressed.

As part of addressing this crisis, I have authorized the use of the Season of Creation resources in the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa beginning on September 1 and ending on October 4, 2024. Those resources are available HERE, and they include collects, prayers, readings, ideas about preaching, Eucharistic prayers, and much more. In addition to these resources, I am delighted to authorize the newly revised version of the Rev. Jennifer Latham’s Prairie Eucharistic prayer for use during this season. You can find the newly revised version HERE.

I encourage you to take advantage of these resources. Every congregation is unique, and each one will have their own way of using them, from full creation-themed Sunday worship to mid-week study groups and everything in between. Part of our call as disciples of Jesus is to be stewards of creation, and using these resources can help to guide us in ways that we as individuals, as congregations, and as a diocese might work to mitigate the effects of global climate change and forestall some of the worst of the potential impacts to our planet.

One wonderful example of a congregation in Iowa that is actively working in the area of creation care is Christ Church, Cedar Rapids, which recently completed the installation of solar panels on their property. You can read more about their work HERE , and I hope it may inspire you to discern what ways God might be calling your congregation to stretch further in the area of caring for God’s creation. God has given us so much, and offering our thanks in the form of caring for God’s gifts is a natural response.