Season of Creation, Creationtide – Ecumenical Resources

An extensive annotated anthology of worship resources for Season of Creation, with links–
developed by the Joint Liturgical Group of Great Britain

Find your worship resources for the Season of Creation here!

This annual observance, referred to as both Season of Creation and Creationtide or Creation Time, stretches from 1 September to 4 October the day honouring St. Francis of Assisi. This liturgical season offers our churches a time within the church year to intentionally respond in worship to the current ecological crisis and to raise awareness about the urgency to care for creation.  It is a time to pray ‘for the protection of creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change’.

Churches and faith groups have developed dynamic, creative and challenging Season of Creation worship resources for local congregations to use. While congregations will hopefully engage in numerous Season of Creation activities, the focus of this listing is to provide links to liturgical resources for use in worship throughout the Season of Creation.

Start here – three comprehensive easy-to-use websites offering extensive worship resources for Season of Creation:
Click on the highlighted phrase to move down this page quickly.

Next – explore these hymns and songs for Season of Creation:

  • Hymns and Songs for Season of Creation – direct links to numerous songs and hymns

Continue here – more websites offering additional worship resources for Season of Creation
Click on the highlighted phrase to move down this page quickly.

This alphabetical annotated listing provides links to online liturgical resources produced for Season of Creation.
Please notify us of relevant worship resources not included so that we might add them.

Books of worship resources (to purchase) – recommended by groups named above.

Season of Creation Global Ecumenical Group

Link to: Season of Creation resources

SeasonofCreation.org, an ecumenical global movement, spearheads the annual Season of Creation providing a theme and logo/image and a ‘Celebration Guide’ full of ideas for worship, advocacy, walks and other activities to mark the Season of Creation.

Creator of All,
From your communion of love life sprung forth like a mighty river and the whole cosmos came into being.
On this Earth of overflowing love, the Word was made flesh and went forth with the life-giving waters proclaiming peace and justice for all creation.You called human beings to till and keep your garden.
You placed us into right relationship with each creature, but we failed to listen to the cries of the Earth and the cries of the most vulnerable.
We broke with the flowing communion of love and sinned against you by not safeguarding the conditions for life.
We lament the loss of our fellow species and their habitats, we grieve the loss of human cultures, along with the lives and livelihoods that have been displaced or perished, and we ache at the sight of an economy of death, war and violence that we have inflicted on ourselves and on the Earth.
Open our ears to your creative, reconciling and sustaining Word that calls to us through the book of Scripture and the book of creation.
Bless us once again with your life-giving waters so that the Creator Spirit may let justice and peace flow in our hearts and overflow into all creation.
Open our hearts to receive the living waters of God’s justice and peace, and to share it with our suffering brothers and sisters, all creatures around us, and all creation.
Bless us to walk together with all people of good will so that the many streams of the living waters of God’s justice and peace may become a mighty river all over the Earth.

– Bishop Marc Andrus, Anglican Church, Episcopal Diocese of California
– Rev. Dr. Dave Bookless, Director of Theology, A Rocha International, Lausanne Global Catalyst for Creation Care
– Bishop Rt. Rev. Malayil Sabu Koshy Cherian, Church of South India, National Council of Churches of India
– Dr. Celia Deane-Drummond, Director, Laudato Si’ Research Institute, Campion Hall, University of Oxford
– Rev. Tony Franklin-Ross, Ecumenical Relations, World Methodist Council
– Rev. Dr. Norm Habel, Lutheran Church, Adelaide Coordinator, Season of Creation Project
– Dr. Hefin Jones, Executive Committee, World Communion of Reformed Churches
– Metropolitan of Zimbabwe Serafim Kykotis, Greek Orthodox Archbishopric of Zimbabwe and Angola
– Mr. Marcelo Leites, General Secretary, World Student Christian Federation
– Fr. Martin Michalíček, Secretary General, Consilium Conferentiarum Episcoporum Europae
– Sr. Patricia Murray, Executive Secretary, International Union Superiors General
– Dr Kostas Zormpas, General Director of the Orthodox Academy of Crete
– Sister Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary, Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
– Dr. Paulo Ueti, Theological Advisor & Latin American Regional Director, Anglican Alliance
– Bishop Graham Usher, Anglican Church, Church of England lead Bishop on the Environment
– Dr. Ruth Valerio, Director Global Advocacy and Influencing, Tearfund

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Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Link to: Season of Creation resources

‘Current (and recent) material and resources for Creation Time are produced by ecumenical groups and are available to download via this website.’  This easy-to-use website provides easy access to numerous resources for Season of Creation.  This would be a good place to start.  While up to date, it also includes Season of Creation archives for the past several years.

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Worship Words

Link to: Season of Creation resources

Worship Words provides an extensive catalogue of resources for Season of Creation.  Items are free,  ready-to-use, and feature inclusive-language.  Liturgical resources focusing on the Season of Creation include: complete worship services, songs, prayers, litanies, dramas, poems, reflections and dramatic readings.  Free photographic images are available for use in PowerPoints.  All resources on the Worship Words website may be previewed online and are easily copied for local use.

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More websites offering additional worship resources for Season of Creation (Creationtide)
This alphabetical annotated listing provides links to online liturgical resources produced for Season of Creation.
Please notify us of resources not included so that we might add them.

A Rocha – Eco-Church

A Rocha oversees the Eco-Church programme and designs Creation Care worship resources. Written for ‘Christian groups who want to explore the biblical basis of caring for God’s earth,’ these resources include sermon ideas, PowerPoints, service plans, prayers, songs, children’s activities and resource packs on creation care themes. ‘Sharing teaching resources with the church, and enabling Christians to inspire each other is an important part of our work.’

Receive Creation Care worship resources by subscribing to A Rocha:

Eco Church began as an A Rocha UK project in 2016 in partnership with others, offering an environmental award scheme for churches in England and Wales. Today, Eco Church is supported by denominations and organisations across the length and breadth of the church in England and Wales.  In addition, Eco Church is spreading around the world as different A Rocha national organisations and their partners find ways to engage churches in creation care, demonstrating that the gospel is good news for God’s earth.

Link to: UK’s Eco Church website 

26 Prayers for the Climate and Ecological Emergency, by Rev Jon Swales, published by A Rocha International

Ranging from cries for lament to songs of praise, from calls to repentance to pleas for justice, these 26 prayers are available on a free download.  One must download the document in order to view the prayers and the language is not inclusive.

Link to:  A Rocha Music resources:

A Rocha provides several hymns including ‘God Creation Comes from You’ which has music and lyrics (offered here for non-commercial use with no modifications) from Jubilate Hymns. A Rocha’s 2012 Environment Resource Pack also contains song and hymn suggestions.

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Catholic Agencies for Overseas Development

CAFODCAFOD provides resources for Season of Creation including several prayers, novenas to St Francis and a vigil ‘to celebrate the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September, or to use at any point during Creation Time’.

Direct link to vigil: Vigil for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation  (WORD doc which can be adapted for a local service)

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Christian Aid

Christian Aid Climate Justice Resources  – unfortunately, these resources cannot be viewed online.  They must be downloaded in order to view. The items listed include an outdoor harvest service and a South African prayer.

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Church of England

‘Creation themes and environmental imagery can be woven through the Church of England’s liturgy, whatever kind of service you are holding.’  The Church of England provides worship resources for environmental themes, including prayers for World Environment Day (5 June) which are easily adaptable for the Season of Creation.

‘The liturgy for the Agricultural Year gives a structure for including creation and environmental themes in worship at specific times throughout the year.’

One book is recommended:  ‘A Time for Creation, by Church House Publishing, brings together the Common Worship liturgical resources for creation and the environment. These service resources can be used at any time of the year.’

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Climate Sunday

The Climate Sunday website offers a large collection of worship resources to help a congregation run a climate-focused service exploring creation care and follow-up action on environmental issues.

Many of the resources created for the 2021’s United Nations COP26 climate conference can be adapted for use during the Season of Creation. Most are available in English and Welsh.

The Climate Sunday initiative called on all local churches across Great Britain & Ireland to hold a climate-focused service on any Sunday before COP26 (November 2021). At this service, congregations were encouraged to make a commitment to greater action to address climate change in their own place of worship and community and to use their voice to tell politicians we want a cleaner, greener, fairer future at the heart of plans agreed during COP26.  The campaign may be over, but the need for Climate Sundays continues.

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Eco-Congregations Scotland

Eco-Congregations Scotland provides extensive ready-to-use worship resources for each Sunday of the current Season for Creation.  A work-in-progress, the website includes liturgical resources relating to both themes and the weekly readings of the New Revised Common Lectionary. Included are ‘original resources, gathered and curated in Scotland, and in fellowship with the global movement’ which ‘respond with hope and openness to the God-given witness of trustworthy peer-reviewed science.’  Resources may be previewed online without downloading and are available in PDF.

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Green Christian

The Green Christian website provides numerous worship resources including a comprehensive list (with links) of hymns focusing on creation care and the environmental crisis.

Link to Green Christian hymn list

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Joint Public Issues Team (JPIT)

JPIT’s Season of Creation worship resources focus on fulfilling Jesus’ commission to bring ‘good news to all creation’ (Mark 16:15) and provide material ‘going beyond the traditional understanding of a ‘Harvest’ service’.

In a co-production with Eco-Congregation Scotland, in 2021 they ‘gathered together writers, theologians, ministers and worship leaders to prepare resources easily integrated into a Season of Creation in-person, online or hybrid meeting. They allow for worship and challenge, discussion and exploration, and meditation and action.’  Some worship items arise from the Revised Common Lectionary readings for each Sunday of the Season of Creation during 2021 (applicable in 2024). ‘Other items are undated and appropriate for use at any time.’

JPIT is an ecumenical partnership between the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Methodist Church, and the United Reformed Church.

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The Methodist Church

The Methodist Church has produced numerous Creationtide resources including ready-to-use prayer videos for the environment and specifically Creationtide.

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Movement Laudato Si‘ (MLS)

Movimento Laudato Si (MLS) calls itself ‘a movement to inspire and mobilize the Catholic community to care for our common home and achieve climate and ecological justice, in collaboration with all people of good will.’

Resources for use in worship are available on the website as downloadable PowerPoints and documents.  These include an Ecological Stations of the Cross and prayers.  Some PowerPoints are in English, while others are in Spanish or Italien.

    1. Ecological Conversion – foster a change of heart in Catholics and a greater concern for our common home, enshrining care for creation as a Catholic priority.
    2. Full Sustainability– help the Church community lead by example by embodying the motto “Less is more” and reducing its footprint to zero, in keeping with the urgency of the climate and ecological crisis.
    3. Prophetic Denunciation – mobilize the Church to raise a prophetic voice for climate and ecological justice, calling for bold policies to meet the Paris Agreement target of 1.5C and halt the collapse of biodiversity.

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Pray and Fast for the Climate

This movement provides monthly Prayer Points focusing on current climate concerns.  These current and relevant Prayer Points are designed for inclusion in prayers of intercession or other segments of a worship service.

Example written for July 2023, by Delia Lang:
‘‘The heat is on’ as countries around the world experience record-breaking temperatures, while negotiators struggle to make progress in the UN climate talks. We give thanks for signs of climate action – increases in renewable capacity, a key referendum in Switzerland, progress to halt deforestation in Brazil, the Church of England’s decision to divest from fossil-fuel companies. Conscious of how much more needs to be done, we pray for all affected by the heat and all working to take forward meaningful action in the global climate negotiations and also at national and local level.’

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Hymns and Songs for Season of Creation – with links

Link to: A Rocha Music resources

A Rocha provides several hymns including ‘God Creation Comes from You’ which has music and lyrics (offered here for non-commercial use with no modifications) from Jubilate Hymns. A Rocha’s 2012 Environment Resource Pack also contains song and hymn suggestions

Link to songs: Doxecology

An album of 13 congregational worship songs celebrating the wonder of creation, acknowledging human failures, and ‘anticipate a glorious restoration in Christ’.  There is also a study guide and service plans.  The collection ‘brings together doxology (praise) and ecology, giving much-needed new worship language to the church. The album, recorded during lockdown and produced by Matt Weeks.’

One example:  ‘Hear the song of our lament’ by Keiko Ying

Hear the song of our lament,
we grieve a dry and broken land;
hearts have turned from your intent
and earth is ravaged by our hand….

One can preview the whole track, download free lead and chord sheets, or purchase scores, mp3s and videos.  Videos and recordings come with permission to include them in online worship on any platform where used with a CCLI or OneLicense streaming licence.

Link:  Songs by George Stuart

George’s easy-to use website (click here) includes numerous ‘Eco-Church’ songs focusing on God in creation/nature, the environment and our care thereof. Each song includes the lyrics, musical score, a link to listen to the tune, and a ready-to-use PowerPoint of the lyrics.  George has created an easy-to-use website offering usable hymns for today’s church.

One example: from the song, Climate in our hands

This planet’s destiny, life in its beauty
Rests with the choices we make every day;
We have the burden, we have the solemn duty
To guard tomorrow, so children can play.

Link to:  We hold the Keys – includes lyrics, piano score, guitar chords, and two recordings — one of David playing the piano and the other of David playing the wind pipes creating an almost mystical effect.

Verse 3:  All Creation calls across this wide, wide ball
We hold the keys, We hold the keys
To turn back the tide that can destroy us all
We hold the keys, We hold the keys
Sinking homes and habitats we see around
But we hope that we can do what must be done
For our actions now will shape the world to come
We hold the keys, We hold the keys

Link to: Trinity College music suggestions for Season of Creation

This list of songs is suggested by Eco-Church Scotland:  ‘We recommend the use of the music choices suggested via Trinity College, in which Eco-Congregation Scotland trustee Iain McLarty is fully involved.  

You can find a YouTube playlist here with many of the songs suggested for Season of Creation services.

‘You made a Universe’, hymn for purchase

Link to: ‘You made a Universe
Tune: Finlandia
Author: Ally Barrett; Alternative tune composed by: Peter Burton
CCL# 7184949

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Recommended Books of worship resources for Season of Creation – providing worship resources for Season of Creation

 (recommended by Churches Together in Great Britain and Ireland)

For celebrating Creationtide, this book from the Iona Community’s Common Concern Network (Environment)  features reflections, essays, liturgical resources, and hymns/songs from more than 20 writers around the world. Edited by Kathy Galloway and Katharine Preston, the worship resource was originally prepared for the weeks leading up to the United Nations COP26 conference.  Further information and to order, please see the Wild Goose Publications website.

 (recommended by the Church of England)

Published by Church House Publishing, A Time for Creation ‘brings together the Common Worship liturgical resources for creation and the environment. These service resources can be used at any time of the year.’

Link:  ‘A Time for Creation

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