Holy Trinity’s Monthly Creation Video Devotions
A monthly video devotion series from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Port Angeles — nature, medieval saints, and climate news.
Wildnerness Ordination
We are so blessed by the work of Rev. Kaylie H. Ines. Please use this free “Wilderness Ordination” for any ordination you find appropriate. Download Wilderness Ordination here!
Let’s Talk! video interview with Lisa Dahill
Paul Santmire talks with Lisa Dahill, the Miriam Therese Winter Chair for Transformative Leadership and Spirituality, Director of the Center for Transformative Spirituality at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace. Among many other things, they discuss the vulnerability of getting barefoot in the Eucharist, poetic gifts in the paw prints of bears, and viewing […]
Eco-Justice Criticism of the New Testament
Who Will Speak for the Sparrow? by David Rhoads Giving Voice to Nature in Biblical Interpretation. In recent decades, there has been a revolution in biblical studies due in part to the many new voices that have entered the academic arena of interpretation—Jewish scholars, European-American women, women of color, diverse cultural groups within the USA, […]
Earth Day Worship Service, 2021 — sermon video and bulletin
This service was first used for Earth Day in 2021. The sermon video and bulletin are free to use or adapt for your own congregation. The amazing Lutherans Restoring Creation Production Team, lay members, and rostered leaders (all volunteers) created a joyful online worship service to thank God for this good creation for Earth Day […]
H. Paul Santmire videos
On Paul Santmire‘s website hpaulsantmire.net you will find videos about this octogenarian ecotheologian, including “My Life’s Work,” “Toward a Cosmic Christology,” and “Why should anyone listen to this old, white guy?” If you are interested in hearing more from younger ecojustice activists, and from Paul Santmire, he also has a youtube channel (click here to […]
Creation-Focused Worship Service, 2020 — video and bulletin
This service was first used in September 2020. The video and bulletin are free to use or adapt for your own congregation. Thank you to all who made our first-ever Creation Focused Online Worship Service a huge success! In addition to the thousands who watched the premiere via our social media outlets, we had over […]
American Lutherans Engage Ecological Theology
American Lutherans Engage Ecological Theology: The First Chapter, 1962-2012, And Its Legacy1 by Paul Santmire Ecological theology is a relatively new movement in the world of christian thought and practice and therefore is neither widely understood nor easily defined, even by those who are variously involved in the movement.2 But however one might understand this […]
Stewarding your Church “Property” as an Earth Community
by David Rhoads I recently participated in the spring convocation at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg (April, 2012). The convocation centered on the theme of “Getting Green Faithfully,” and it included such notable speakers as Gil Waldkoenig (Professor of Church in Society at Gettysburg), Cynthia Moe-Lobeda (Professor of Environmental Studies, Theology, and Religious Studies […]
Why do Lutherans Believe in the Resurrection of the Body?
by Cameron Harder at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Saskatoon Well, let’s back up and ask “Should they?” Each Sunday we confess belief in “Jesus Christ who…rose again from the dead” and “in the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting.” But we live in a pragmatic, science-focused world where resurrection can seem like a superstitious […]
Johan Bergh: Luther as Environmentalist
Download, read, and share widely this brief reflection from active disciple, Dr. Johan Bergh. In his piece, published in the Trinity Review (2013), Bergh relates the framework of grace and neighbor love with how we are to understand the role of public action in our church. Read more recent reflections on his blog: www.greengracepostings.blogspot.com “God […]
Creation reorientation: Liturgy to Reconcile People and Planet
(Click here to download this document.) For updated Worship Materials explore our Season of Creation post – click here. Created by Bridget Jones in 2018 as part of her Masters of Divinity program at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (Environmental Emphasis) Introduction As the climate warms, sea levels rise, forests are decimated, and numerous species […]
Awakening to God’s Call to Earthkeeping
Download this free resource for a non-politicized, easy to follow path to help connect faith, eco-theology and the community we find at church. Awakening_To_Gods_Call_To_Earthkeeping A four-session small group study to encourage, empower, and equip Lutherans in their calling to care for creation; includes a leader guide. Compiled by ELCA Deacon Kim Winchell, who was instrumental […]
Water: “Living Water” Bible Study
•Opening Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for your many gifts, and especially for the gift of water that sustains all of life. Bless us as we hear your word, like a spring to our lives of faith. Amen. •Reading: Psalm 104:10-15. Read aloud three times, hearing from different voices. •Discussion: -How are God, water, and life interrelated? […]
Articles by Panu Pihkala, University of Helsinki
“Rediscovery of Early Twentieth-Century Ecotheology”, Open Theology. An open access article about the early history of eco-theology, 1900-1954, leading up to Lutheran theologian Joseph Sittler’s early ecotheological writing. The Pastoral Challenge of the Environmental Crisis: Environmental Anxiety and Lutheran ‘Eco-Reformation’, Dialog, Summer 2016 (subscription or purchase required). Psychological and Spiritual Impacts of Climate Change, slide presentation at the […]
“On Earth As In Heaven: Biblical Ecology for an Eco-Reformation,” Dr. Barbara R. Rossing
Dr. Barbara R. Rossing’s April 26, 2018 lecture from Garrett Seminary, “On Earth as In Heaven: Biblical Ecology for an Eco-Reformation.”
The Stewardship of Creation: A Theological Reflection
by David Rhoads Steward is a biblical term that refers to a manager who is responsible for the goods and property of another. A steward is not therefore an owner, but one who has a responsibility to an owner to treat property with care and respect. Stewardship is a term that refers to the responsibility of a steward […]
Bible verses on nature and care for creation
Bible and Nature The following is a listing of bible verses on creation, our relationship with the earth, and our Creator. There are fifty-two verses listed here from the New Revised Standard Version. You may want to use them as personal devotion. They may be used weekly within your congregation’s bulletin. They are listed in order. Genesis 1:1-2 In […]