It is appropriate as our Aussie brothers and sisters mourn the death of Steve Irwin (Crocodilehunter.com), to consider a less flamboyant, more understated, but nevertheless significant contribution from "the land down under." Norman Habel and the Uniting Church in Australia have challenged christians to take seriously their worship of God as creator by establishing a season within the church year to be known as the Season of Creation. Of course, christians who read the Psalms ( like Psalm 8 ) have long known that the "heavens declare the glory of God," but it takes an Aussie to name this Sunday (September 17) "Sky Sunday," the "Third Sunday in Creation." (The proposed calendar, appropriately, celebrates only six Sundays in Creation. One assumes both we and God rest on the seventh.) Tumbledown likes that the season begins with "Creation Day" (September 1), rather than Earth Day. Tumbledown is also particularly pleased to see an invitation to Protestants to follow the example of their Roman Catholic friends in honoring St. Francis of Assisi. So, for example, the proposed "Season of Creation" calls for the "Blessing of the Animals" on October 1, followed by St. Francis of Assisi Day on October 4. Too bad the animals will mostly be dogs and cats. Tumbledown has nothing against them, but would like to see a procession of goats, sheep, pigs, and the like. Maybe even a croc or a ray. THAT would be blessing the animals!
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