A new ecumenical ‘Feast of Creation in Christ’ has been added to the Common Worship calendar. It is to be celebrated on the first Sunday of September.
The new Festival is one of the fruits of a growing ecumenical movement across churches worldwide and offers an opportunity for Christians to give thanks for God’s creation and redemption of the world, reflect on humanity’s responsibility to care for the natural world and pray for its renewal.
The title “Creation in Christ” emphasises that creation is understood through the person and work of Jesus Christ: created through him, sustained in him and destined for renewal in him. The new liturgical resources include prayers, readings and other material centred on creation, stewardship and hope, drawing Christians through worship and prayer toward playing their part in the Church’s mission to “safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth”.
The Festival connects the liturgical celebration of creation with the Church’s calling, expressed in the Fifth Mark of Mission, to ‘safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth’.
Creation must be cherished because it is created in Christ, sustained in Christ, wounded by human sin, and destined for renewal in Christ.
New Feast Day
Church House Publishing has released A Time for Creation (Second Edition): Liturgical Resources for Creation and the Environment. This revised and expanded volume combines the new texts for the Festival of Creation in Christ with a detailed commentary from the Liturgical Commission and a wealth of services, prayers and resources for worship and discipleship throughout the Church (and Agricultural) year.
The full text of the new edition is available on the Church of England website via cofe.io/ATimeForCreation
The Lectionary app has already been updated with the new provision for Sunday 6 September – users should make sure they have the latest version installed to access this.
At the heart of the discussions at the July 2026 meeting of General Synod was Hope for All Creation: A Theological Response to the Environmental Crises, a landmark teaching document authored by the Faith and Order Commission and adopted by the House of Bishops. The document sets out a Christian understanding of the environmental crises facing the world, rooting care for creation in the biblical story of creation, redemption and renewal, structured around the themes See, Reflect, Respond.
The document argues that care for creation is not an optional concern but a core part of Christian discipleship and mission. It presents environmental action as an expression of hope rooted in God’s purposes for creation, highlighting the Church’s role in responding to ecological crises alongside people of good will across society and around the world.
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