Most of this summer, we have been treated to the glorious artistry of blossoming gardens, bright days by the ocean, and bold sunsets. We have been lucky in Maine to have cooler temperatures than most of America, but record temperatures caused 2300 deaths in the U.S. in 2023, and this year will probably be higher.

But visible signs of climate change are present. Walking through the School House Pond Land Trust resembles a tree burial ground. Due to more intense storms that battered us with record winds and storm surges, the trails are altered by fallen trunks of great uprooted pine and oaks. The shallow and tenacious roots that clung to the Earth for decades could no longer grip the rocky Earth and now lie exposed like a dead beetle with feet up in the air. Historic landmarks like Three Trees at Ocean Point have disappeared into the waves of change.

Climate change's impact is not only financially costly; it also affects us emotionally. Therapists are finding more people experiencing grief and anxiety, mainly because they are living through harsh weather events that threaten their homes and livelihoods. Experts at Yale University define climate grief as: 

[A] distress about climate change and its impacts on the landscape and human existence. It can manifest as intrusive thoughts or troubled feelings about the world's future. Also called "eco-anxiety," it can take the form of "eco-guilt," a sense of not doing enough personally, or even "eco-rage," an elevated anger that everybody else isn't doing enough to deal with looming threats.  

As a spiritual person and church pastor, I believe it is vital to acknowledge the anxiety and be a source of hope for the future of our world. This year, our church joins many Christians worldwide to celebrate prayer and action to protect our common home. "Seasons of Creation" is a special season, much like Easter time, where we celebrate Creation and acknowledge the divine continuing act that summons us as collaborators to love and care for the gift of all Creation and creatures. As followers of Christ from around the globe, we share a joint call to care for Creation. We are co-creators and part of all that God has made. Our well-being interweaves with the well-being of the Earth.   

We rejoice in this opportunity to safeguard our common home and all who share it. This year, the theme for the season is "To Hope and Act with Creation." Amid the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, many are beginning to despair and suffer from eco-anxiety. As people of faith, we are called to lift the hope inspired by our faith, the hope of the resurrection. Together, we embody this hope in concrete actions of prayer and preaching, service and solidarity.   

As our environment changes, so must we. This Season of Creation, we're called to move beyond worry and into action. We will offer daily ideas for reflection on our Congregational Church of Boothbay Harbor, UCC Facebook page, and in our Sunday Church Services at 10 a.m. each Sunday from Sept. 8 through Oct. 4.