The fruit of righteousness will be peace,
    and the outcome of righteousness,
    calm and security forever.
 Then my people will live in a peaceful dwelling,
    in secure homes, in carefree resting places. – Isaiah 32:17-18 (CEB)

This coming Sunday we will begin the Season of Creation. This year we are following the international theme for the Season of Creation: Peace with Creation. Peace is found through reconciliation. This includes reconciling humans at conflict with one another, but also requires healing the rift between humanity and the broader creation. When we are separated from God’s intention from the whole world, symbolized as the garden, we are separated from the harmony of life that God desires in the world, and the result is conflict. For there to be peace, we must be aligned with the movement of the Holy Spirit in the world. We find this through our renewal and forgiveness in Christ, the Prince of Peace.

I am including below the official World Council of Churches description of this year’s Season of Creation theme, as well as a statement from Rev. Dr. Anne Burghardt, the General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation. 

As we enter this season, I invite you to see the interconnection of the natural world and the human world, as we seek to experience God’s peace through that interconnection. 

Our Biblical text for this year is Isaiah 32:14-18. The prophet Isaiah pictured the desolated Creation without peace because of the lack of justice and the broken relationship between God and humankind. This description of devastated cities and wastelands eloquently stresses the fact that human destructive behaviours have a negative impact on the Earth.

Our hope: Creation will find peace when justice is restored.
There is still hope and the expectation for a peaceful Earth.

To hope in a biblical context does not mean to stand still and quiet, but to act, pray, change, and reconcile with Creation and the Creator in unity, metanoia (repentance), and solidarity.

The Symbol for 2025 is the Garden of Peace

The symbol is characterized by a dove carrying an olive branch bringing life to the Garden of Peace. 

In the Biblical story of the flood, the dove plays the role of the blessed messenger: The dove sent out by Noah returns to the ark with a fresh olive branch in its beak, signaling that the flood is receding. 

As the flood story begins with a situation where “the earth is filled with violence” (Genesis 6:13), the return of the dove with the olive branch came to be known as a sign of new peace.

Delve deeper into the theological reflection that guides the 2025 theme and symbol.

“Creation cries out in suffering. We acknowledge the urgent call to action, and we acknowledge that we can only respond to it on the basis of faith. The Season of Creation is a source of strength and communion, encouraging us truly ‘to hope and act with creation.’” 

Rev. Dr Anne Burghardt,
Lutheran World Federation General Secretary