Illuminations on the Season of Creation readings for Sept. 7, 2025 (Flora and Fauna Sunday)
The Peaceable Kingdom (c.1833), oil painting on canvas by Edward Hicks (1780-1849). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Click image to enlarge.)
Flora and Fauna Sunday
“Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Praise the Lord!”
–Psalm 148:10
First Reading: Job 39:1-8, 26-30
The Kingdom of the Wild
God shows Job the kingdom of the wild, over which Job as a human has no control, but where God’s Wisdom and nurture are ever present. Each part of nature has its ‘way,’ a reflection of Wisdom.
Psalm: Psalm 104:14-23
Survival and Celebration in the Wild
God not only nurtures and sustains all creatures of the wild, but also joins with them and us in celebration.
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:10-23
The Wisdom of the Gospel
The Wisdom of God may be evident in creation. The wise of the world may search for wisdom. The message of the Gospel, however, which may seem folly to the wise of the world, is the ultimate wisdom.
Gospel: Luke 12:22-31
The Kingdom of God
The kingdom of God and the kingdom of the wild complement each other, says Jesus. God provides for all and wills for all species to survive and thrive.
The Season of Creation, September 1 through October 4, is celebrated by Christians around the world as a time for renewing, repairing and restoring our relationship to God, one another, and all of creation. The Episcopal Church joins this international effort for prayer and action for climate justice and an end to environmental racism and ecological destruction. The 2025 theme is Peace with Creation. In celebrating the Season, we are invited to consider anew our ecological, economic, and political ways of living.