EcoSpirit

07/09/2021

This is the Season of Creation which will be observed in many churches and congregations for the next five weeks. Here is my posting for this week which is about the Green Bible. I hope that you find some inspiration here to live some simply so that others (two-legged, four-legged, winged, scaled, etc)may simply live.

During the Season of Creation 2021, you will be introduced to the Green Bible which was a large publishing event in 2008. The Green Bible helps us look at th...

28/03/2021

Palm Sunday & Holy Week Nature Meditations

This short video was produced to be included in a virtual church service during the COVID-19 isolation. It briefly touches on Creation Center, the Cosmic Chr...

28/03/2021

This short video was produced to be included in a virtual church service during the COVID-19 isolation to replace the traditional Episcopal Book of Common Pr...

02/02/2021

Good Day Friends,

In case you are counting we are half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox which makes today a cross-quarter day falling between the “quarters” of the natural year. For people living in the Northern Hemisphere today was celebrated by many traditions in many ways as the days where getting noticeably longer and people were tired of the cold and looking forward to spring. Our American Culture celebrates it as Groundhog Day. In Celtic circles it is celebrated at Imbolg. Christians celebrate these early days of February in a several ways.

It is the Forty days after Christmas and the celebrated as the time that Mary returns to the liturgical life of the temple/synagogue and presents Jesus and receives a prophecy that Jesus will be the light to the world. (The Feast of the Presentation also Festival of Lights). It is also Candlemas when the candles that will be used in the church for the coming year are blessed. On Feb 3rd St. Blaise was invoked with a special blessing using two candles touching the throat and in the prayer: “May God at the intercession of St. Blaise preserve you from throat trouble and every other evil.”

For Celtic Christians this also is the Feast Day for St. Brigid who is associated with a tended every burning fire in Kildare, Ireland. There is much that can be told about St. Brigid but for Marc and me she became special in our trips to Ireland because we stayed in Kildare for several days on both trips. We named our mountain home in Sierra City — “Dara na Bridget” which mean Bridget of the Oaks.

All this is stay that like the fire burning in Kildare that could be seen for miles and miles and the candles burning at Candlemas we want to feel connected to you at this time of the year and hope you will feel connected to us likewise. Our candle burns sending out light to you as we wish you many blessings.

Candlemas Bells Flowers
Snowdrops (galanthas nivalis) are known as Candlemas Bells because they often bloom early in the year, even before Candlemas. According to folklore, an angel helped these Candlemas bells to bloom and gave them as a sign of hope to Eve, who wept in despair over the cold and death that had entered the world. Many Christians see the flower as a symbol of Jesus Christ being the hope for the world.

23/12/2020

A story of a very special trip to Bethlehem.

Patreon Link: https://www.patreon.com/user?=37102035www.Ecospirit.org In this video EcoChaplain Roger Wharton relives a very special pilgrimage to Bethlehem ...

01/11/2020

A Nature Reflection on Autumn Leaves

EcoChaplain Roger Wharton shares an inspiration from the beautiful death of tree leaves and how it can be a reminder to us of what it means to "die to self a...

06/10/2020

Nature Wisdom Reflections on Psalm 23

Revised Common Lectionary Year A Proper 23

In this Spiritual Meditation on Psalm 23. EcoChaplain Roger Wharton explores this famous psalm by digging deeper into the nature metaphors used by the psalmist. He also explains some of the knowledge about sheep and shepherding that the writer and his audience understood.

Questions for Discussion and/or Reflection

Do you think that the image of God and Jesus as shepherds is an image that works in our society today? Why? Or Why not?

Explain why you like, if you do, Psalm 23.

Who are the “despised” in our culture and how might you reach out to them?

In this Spiritual Meditation on Psalm 23 EcoChaplain Roger Wharton explores this famous psalm by digging deeper into the nature metaphors used by the psalmis...

28/09/2020

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, October 4th-- (Galatians 6:14–18 Psalm 121 Matthew 11:25–30)

In this video EcoChaplain Roger Wharton summarizes the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, Friar, and Deacon who Pope John Paul II announced to be the patron saint of ecology in 1980. He shares Francis's meditation on the "Our Father" or the "Lord's Prayer". This is what is written in the Episcopal Lesser Feasts and Fasts about St. Francis:

In this video EcoChaplain Roger Wharton summarizes the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, Friar and Deacon who Pope John Paul II announced to be th...

21/09/2020

4 Wk of the Season of Creation -Called to be God’s Partners in the Care of the Planet (Care of Creation)

Bountiful God, you call us to labor with you intending the earth: Where we lack love, open our hearts to the world;
where we waste, give us discipline to conserve;
where we neglect, awaken our minds and wills to insight and care. May we with all your creatures honor and serve you in all things, for you live and reign with Christ, Redeemer of all, and with your Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Ezekiel 47:6–12
Psalm 33:3–9, 13–15
Romans 8:18–23
Mark 16:14–15

Ezekiel 47:6–12 Psalm 33:3–9, 13–15 Romans 8:18–23 Mark 16:14–15 In this video sermon EcoChaplain Roger Wharton explores from a creation-centered theological...

14/09/2020

The Kinship & Unity of All Creation in Christ

Genesis 9:8–16 Psalm 36:5–10 Colossians 1:15–20 John 1:1–5 In this video EcoChaplain Roger Wharton explores the creation centered aspects of the Caring for C...