We begin September with the nationwide celebration of Father’s Day.
For some of us this is an exciting day to honour our fathers, grandfathers and other father-figures in our lives. For others today is a day of grief – of not being able to be a father, of having lost your father or of being hurt by your father. What I would encourage you to do is to focus on God, in particular, God’s everlasting love for each one of us.
September is also a time when we celebrate the Season of Creation in many Church services around Australia The 4 Sundays of September are celebrated as:
Forest Sunday – which emphasises the connection between God and all of nature and Paul explains that it’s through God that ‘we live and move and have our being’.
Land Sunday – in which we are reminded how important our relationship with all creation is to our relationship with God. It’s a way to experience God’s presence but also a way to break or do harm to our relationship with God. In how we treat the land around us, what messages are we sending to God?
Wilderness/Outback Sunday – in which we are challenged to find union with God in both physical and spiritual experiences of wilderness – by caring for creation and caring for our spiritual lives. How might we let the wilderness renew us and deepen our connection with God?
River Sunday – we have John’s vision in which the water of life quenches thirst, the tree of life provides nourishment and its leaves heal the nation. This might sound contrary to the stories of pollution, hunger and war that we see in the world. God’s examples of healing and renewal inspire us to be agents of hope and change today.
During this season, I encourage you to get to know the vision God has for us – focus on the parts of our spiritual lives that need work, explore our gifts and talents and find out how best to use them in service to God and others.
Rev Angie