Season of Creation or Season of Catastrophe

Mary Philip aka Joy

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“We are part of Creation. We exist on one Sacred Breath." – Richard Wagamese

“We only have one earth. Let’s take care of it.” – Deb Haaland

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Close your eyes for a moment and feel what is around you. Can you hear the rustling of leaves that have fallen on the ground? Can you hear the call of the starlings, or is it the last of the house sparrow? Can you see the maple leaves touching one another as though they are consoling each other, knowing that they are all but about to fall, though not without the burst of colours?

What a question – how can we see with our eyes closed? But the thing is - we can! In this Season of Creation, that is the kind of seeing and listening that we are called to do so that it does not become a season of catastrophe and death. It is that kind of seeing and listening we are called to do - with our whole selves, our minds and bodies.

Why do we celebrate a Season of Creation? What is its origin? The first instance of prominence to the season is attributed to the Ecumenical Patriarch Dimitrios I, who incorporated a "Day of Prayer for Creation" for the Orthodox Church in 1989. While at that time it was a call to celebrate the majesty of God and the beauty of God’s creation, in later years it took on an environmental concern, especially after the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. Global temperatures were rising, the rate of loss of biodiversity was alarmingly increasing, and climate change was no longer lurking in the shadows but on the front porch, so much so that in 2001, “Season of Creation” got into the liturgical calendar and now has become a time of entreaty and exhortation for advocacy and action.

The once paradisiacal creation (or was it?) had become messy and calamitous thanks to the transformation of human beings to human havings. But had God left the building? NO! God was all the more determined! “Jesus Saves” is not just a billboard on 401. God so loved creation that in Jesus, God chose to be born not in a castle as a king but in a cattle shed, wrapped not in a baby blue blanket but in cloth rags and hay, amidst the stinky, dung and dirt. God in Jesus chose to become one among those who were marginalized. Creation is an epiphanic space where God continues to be with the ostracized and the outcasts of our times, be it refugees and immigrants and amidst the non-human world of endangered and threatened species, as the ash tree, the monarch butterfly, the belugas, the Peary caribous, the bleaching corals or the dying forests crying out with them, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.”

So, in this Season of Creation, where do we turn our gaze to? What do we listen to and for?

In Acts 1, we are told of Jesus’ ascension and that the disciples were gazing upward. The angels asked why they were looking up and then tells them that Jesus would come in the same way as they saw him go up. The disciples had lost their focus, and they needed to learn where to turn their vision. In not knowing where to look, they missed the point. It was not a question of when Jesus would return but where. It is from down/below or to be more specific from creation itself! To use Lutheran lingo: Jesus will return, Jesus is returning every day and Jesus continues to return, in with and under creation!

In the 5th century, a lay theologian spelled out the primary task of theology – to listen to the plea of the supplicant – those who are bent over due to trials and tribulations, oppression, suffering and such and raise them up. This is not just the task of theology; it is the task of each and every one of us. Our Indigenous neighbours are bent over without adequate health care and drinking water. Mother Earth, who hosts and nourishes us, is bent over and continues to be bent out of shape as temperatures rise, as fracking cuts deep into her core, as forest fires rage, and as fossil fuels get into the atmosphere. So, we are called to turn our gaze towards them and raise them up and in order to do that, we cannot but see and listen to our fellow beings – human and non-human – and the earth herself. We are called to see and listen to the voice of creation and everything in it.

Seeing and listening to the voice of the bent earth, and her earthlings, is a matter of respect and justice. When we turn our gaze to where creation is groaning and commit to a vision that responds with justice, hope of life and rejuvenation blossoms anew. So, let us not look up but turn our gaze, where life is exploited, where creation is groaning, with a different kind of vision, a vision that sees, hears and responds not by mere words but with acts of justice.

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Choir Resumes Practice Sept 4

If you are interested in joining the choir, now's the perfect time to give it a try. Choir practices on Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. 

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Souper Sunday:  September 7

We welcome members and friends back to church after the summer holidays with Super Sunday to be held this year on Sunday, September 7th.  We will be having our usual “Super Soups” that everyone loves so much as well as breads, and assorted veggies and fruit.  It is a great chance to reconnect with many of your church friends 

A sign-up sheet will be on the narthex table for soups and other items.  We hope you will put this event on your calendars and join us up in the Fellowship Hall after the service.  

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Mount Zion Cafe:  September 10 - 10 am

We are happy to announce that the Mount Zion Cafe will operate again this year on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, starting at 10 AM.  The first Cafe in September will be held on Wednesday, September 10th.  Please come out and join us for coffee, tea and goodies in the morning.  This year, we will be providing lunch on the Fourth Wednesday of the month, starting at 11:30.  We encourage you to come out and bring a friend (or more!!) and join us for caring and engaging conversation. 

If you need a ride to the Cafe, please call the church office the day before the cafe to make arrangements.

 

Mount Zion Kitchen – September 11

The Mount Zion Kitchen Outreach Food Ministry will be preparing meals to order for September 11. If you would like to support this Ministry by ordering a weekly meal, or if you are aware of someone who would appreciate a weekly home-cooked meal, please call the church office by Wednesday at noon. Check the church website for our menus. Volunteers are welcome for Wednesday chopping, Thursday packaging or delivering - please contact Margaret at the church office 519-886-5820. Thank you for your support. 

Jane Schlegel

Hot Stuff

Over the summer, sewer extraordinaire, Pauline Finch, designed and constructed soup jar insulated jackets to keep soup warm until the quart-sized bottles of soup reach your door. They are washable and reusable. Thanks Pauline

 

Mount Zion Kitchen Menu

Sept 11 Chicken Cacciatore, Noodles, Salad, Roll

Sept 18 Sausage, Mash Potato, Red Cabbage, Salad, Roll

Sept 25 Tuna Noodle Casserole, Salad, Roll

Oct 2 Chilli, Mashed Potato, Salad, Corn Bread, Roll

 

Food Card Supply is low after Busy Summer

The food card ministry has continued through this long, hot summer, and provided assistance to upwards of 30 families and a similar number of individuals who are eligible to come every second month. 

As in the past, we are not able to add new people to our list, but those we serve continue to be very appreciative.   The supply is running a little low, so please keep those donations coming! 

 

Financial Update

Because of rescheduled publication dates, the report below is for the month of July

Results for the seven-month period ended July YTD recorded a deficit of $30,251, which is $1,000 better than our budget.  Total revenue is higher than planned by $9,596; however, disbursements were also higher by $8,597.   

Richard writes, “Overall, results in our operating account are marginally favourable despite expenditures being higher than planned.  This is due to good member support, and higher rental income.”  Click here for the full report   

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CLWR using Nature-Based Solutions to Lake Chad Revitalization

Mount Zion's Justice through Service will be highlighting the work of the CLWR at Lake Chad this year. The Canadian Lutheran World Relief has entered an exciting new partnership with funding from Global Affairs Canada, focusing on regions most severely impacted by the climate crisis. Together with their partners, the Lutheran World Federation, they are pursuing an initiative called Nature-Based Solutions, which adopts an ambitious approach based on a simple premise: if we take care of creation, it can take care of us. Currently, they are focusing on Lake Chad, the largest inland water basin in Africa, whose ecosystem is fragile and degrading. You can read and donate to this project, which was designed through consultation with hundreds of families in Cameroon and Chad, and it will be carried out alongside thousands of local farmers here: https://www.clwr.org/foc-about​

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Congregational Meeting and New Member Sunday- September 28

Our new members will be welcomed during the Service. If you are interested in becoming a new member, please see Pastor Philip for more information. 

Please stay following the church service on September 28 for council’s update on our Reimagining Mount Zion Initiative. We promise it will be interesting!!!

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Open Sesame Space Renovated

Mount Zion’s property committee is just putting the finishing touches on the newly renovated Open Sesame classroom.  The kitchen cabinets and bookshelves were replaced, and a new, but small, industrial dishwasher and refrigerator were installed, along with new blinds.  The renovation included plumbing and electrical updates. The renovation and new appliances are expected to cost approximately $22,000. The renovation cost will be covered by grants and Provincial funding under CWELCC ($10/day childcare program).

 

Rev. Katherine Gohm To Serve As Assistant To The Bishop

The Eastern Synod Council is pleased to announce that Rev. Katherine Gohm has accepted a call to serve as an Assistant to the Bishop in the Eastern Synod.   

Katherine will begin her ministry in the Synod Office on September 15, 2025.

 

National Convention Elects New Bishop

Delegates at the 2025 ELCIC National Convention have elected Rev. Dr. Larry Kochendorfer to serve as its fifth National Bishop. The sixth and final ballot was cast by 156 voting delegates at the 2025 ELCIC National Convention in Winnipeg on Saturday, July 12.

Kochendorfer becomes the fifth National Bishop in the ELCIC, following Donald Sjoberg (1986-1993), Telmor Sartison (1993-2001), Raymond Schultz (2001-2007) and Susan Johnson (2007-2025). 

 

Faith and Genetics – Free online course offered by Canadian Council of Churches

The Faith and Life Sciences Reference Group of The Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) is co-organizing a free virtual course on "Faith and Genetics" along with the World Council of Churches and the Christian Medical College of Vellore, India. This course will run Monday mornings from September 29 to December 8 between 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. (Eastern Time).
The course will enhance the scientific understanding of members of faith communities on fundamental concepts in genetics and foster respectful dialogue between science and faith, identifying harmony, tension, and potential integration areas. Participants will also be equipped to engage in informed conversations about genetics from a faith-based perspective within their communities. For more information, visit the CCC website. Please click here to register. Applications are due on August 31.