As churches mark the Season of Creation this month, Revd Canon Patrick Gerard, Bishop’s Adviser for the Environment, reflects on the life-giving power of water and what it can teach us about prayer, creation and the choices we make each day.
The drought of summer 2025 was bad for my garden, but this summer has been even worse. Two trees have died and it looks as though I have also lost a rhododendron bush. For weeks, the lawn was completely brown.
At last, the rain has returned and much of the lawn is green again. But there are still large, dark patches where the grass has died completely.
Since I was young, I have heard Bible stories about how the life-giving quality of water symbolises the new life and renewal brought by God.
I used to think this symbolism belonged more naturally to the Middle East than to Britain, where summers were notoriously wet. But in an era of climate change, I only have to look at my garden to be reminded of just how powerful that image can be.
From a stream to a life-giving river
This month, churches across Birmingham and the region are joining with Christians around the world to mark the Season of Creation, known as Creationtide.
This is the period from 1 September to 4 October, dedicated to God as creator and sustainer of all life. This year's Season of Creation resources focus on the theme of Living Water, centred on a bible passage from the book of Ezekiel.
In scripture, the prophet Ezekiel is given a vision of water flowing from the temple. What begins as a stream becomes a life-giving river flowing from God's sanctuary:
"Wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish, once these waters reach there. It will become fresh; and everything will live where the river goes… On the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing."
Ezekiel 47:9, 12 (NRSV)
The vision begins with just a trickle of water flowing from the place of prayer and sacrifice. As it flows, it becomes an unstoppable river.
But the transformation is not only in the river itself. The water brings life wherever it goes, restoring the land around it.
Becoming part of something bigger
There is something powerful in that image for us as disciples of Jesus.
Following Jesus is lived out through the choices we make moment by moment and day by day. One moment might be spent in prayer and the next responding to a message on our phone. We make choices about how we spend our money, how we treat the people around us and how we care for God's creation.
Individually, some of those choices can seem very small.
But when many of us make them together in response to God's love, their impact can grow. Like the small stream in Ezekiel's vision, our prayer and actions can become part of something much bigger.
They can contribute to the renewal of our families, neighbourhoods and communities. They can help peace and justice to grow. And through them, God can work to sustain life and restore creation.
As we continue through the Season of Creation, may we consider the small choices we can make to care for God's creation and one another, trusting that God can use them to bring renewal.
Revd Canon Patrick Gerard is Bishop’s Adviser for the Environment, Rector of Baddesley Clinton and Lapworth and Priest-in-Charge at Packwood.
Want to explore more?
Discover how churches and communities across Birmingham are responding to the call to care for God’s creation through living simply, sharing together and praying sincerely.