The burning bush is the Symbol for the Season of Creation 2022.  Today, the prevalence of unnatural fires are a sign of the devastating effects that climate change has on the most vulnerable of our planet.  Creation cries out as forests crackle, animals flee, and people are forced to migrate due to the fires of injustice.

On the contrary, the fire that called to Moses as he tended the flock on Mt. Horeb did not consume or destroy the bush.  This flame of the Spirit revealed God’s presence.  This holy fire affirmed that God heard the cries of all who suffered, and promised to be with us as we followed in faith to our deliverance from injustice.

In this Season of Creation, this symbol of God’s Spirit calls us to listen to the voice of creation.

~ from The Season of Creation website

History of the Season of Creation

The beginning and the end date of Season of Creation are linked with the concern for creation in the Eastern and the Western traditions of Christianity, respectively.

September 1st was proclaimed as a day of prayer for the environment by the late Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I in 1989.  The Orthodox church year starts that day with a commemoration of how God created the world.  On 4 October, Roman Catholics and other churches from the Western traditions commemorate Francis of Assisi, known to many as the author of the Canticle of the Creatures.

The proposal to celebrate a “Time for Creation” during these five weeks was made by the Third European Ecumenical Assembly in Sibiu in 2007.  The following year, the WCC Central Committee invited churches to observe “Time for Creation” through prayers and actions.  In 2015, Pope Francis has designated September 1st as a World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation for the worldwide Roman Catholic Church as well.

Throughout the years, major Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican organizations have joined to encourage the 2.2 billion Christians worldwide to pray and act on ecological issues.

~ from the World Council of Churches’ website