We typically think about the Christian calendar as a way of understanding how people on Earth live as followers of Jesus. The premise of Bushâs well-written volume is that the churchâs two central liturgical moments â the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle and the Lent-Easter-Pentecost cycle â need to be reexamined in light of how these movements relate âto the planet and not only the people on the planet.â
Drawing from an ecumenical well of commentaries, theologians and poets â including the 1549 Book of Common Prayer,Pope Francisâs papal encyclicals and Wendell Berry â Bush steps back to look at essential liturgical postures like repentance as a way for the church to enact Godâs steadfast love for the whole world.
For example, Pentecost honors Godâs Spirit, who sustains the church and fills all believers. According to Bush, Godâs Spirit also âenlivens all of creationâ and initiates the renewal of creation. The wind and water motifs that represent the Pentecost moment lead Bush to make connections between what God is doing in disciples, what God is doing in the earth and how Christians participate in Godâs activity.
This is a timely resource for churches of all theological persuasions. Bush skillfully and prophetically calls out the ways in which humanityâs lack of care for the earth is having disastrous consequences, especially on the poor. But this book is not a gloomy recitation of our ecological ills. Instead, this is a refreshingly hopeful text that guides preachers on an environmentally conscious journey through the liturgical year.
