2026 Earth Day Message from Bishop Russell

Today is Earth Day. If you forgot, that’s all right. I nearly did too. It can be one of those annual observances that gets buried by headlines, calendars, and the pace of ordinary life. And yet, perhaps this year more than many years, a moment to pause and remember the gift of creation might be exactly what we need. After all, this is where the story begins.

“In the beginning…”  Let there be light. Let there be sky. Let there be land and sea. Let there be plants and creatures of every kind. Let there be humanity. And God saw it all, not merely as satisfactory, not merely as useful, but as very good. How often we forget that.

We live in a world that trains us to notice what is broken, what is missing, what is urgent. Earth Day invites us to notice again what is good. The air we breathe. The water that sustains us. The soil that grows food. The beauty of trees, birdsong, sunlight, and rain. The sheer wonder that there is anything at all, and our responsibility to tend to it.

I’m reminded of the old film Shenandoah, starring Jimmy Stewart. There is a scene in which the family is at the table, ready to eat, and his daughter reminds him to say grace. He bows his head and offers a prayer that is half sincere and half stubborn. He recounts all the family’s hard work—the plowing, planting, hauling water, harvesting—and then says, in effect, “We’re not quite sure what part you played in this, Lord, but whatever it was, we thank you.”

It rings true. We work hard. We strive. We plan. We build. We should take honest satisfaction in labor well done. But Earth Day reminds us not to confuse our effort with ultimate ownership. There is a difference between what we achieve and what we receive.

Once upon a time a group of scientists got together and decided that humanity had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist named Adam to go and tell God of their decision. Adam walked up to God and said,  “God, we have decided that we no longer need you.  We are to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things.  We appreciate all you have done, but from now on we can handle it.”

God listened very patiently and said  “Adam, how about we have a man-making contest.”   To which Adam pridefully replied, “OK, great idea.” God said, “Now we are going to do this just like I did it back in the old days.” So the scientists set up their laboratory in a field and God met them there.  God reached down picked up some dirt, breathed into it, and boom, there was a man. The scientists took their turn, one of them bent down and grabbed some dirt to place into a test tube. God stopped them and said,  ”No, go get your own dirt.”

None of us made the soil. None of us invented sunlight. None of us designed the miracle of seeds. None of us created the oceans, forests, rivers, or the breath in our lungs. These are gifts.

When I think of these gifts, I also think of Dr. Jim McClintock, who spoke at our diocesan convention. He told us about a small marine organism he studies in the waters of Antarctica called Synoicum adareanum, a sea squirt. It cannot run or hide, so it protects itself chemically. Researchers have studied compounds from it for possible anti-cancer properties. Imagine that: a tiny creature, hidden in the cold waters at the far end of the earth, may hold insights that could heal.  Creation still has mysteries to teach us.

On this Sunday in our diocese there are two events that celebrate the gift of creation. On Sunday afternoon there is Worship in the Woods, a time of liturgy and fellowship at the 2200 acre tree farm that Salem and Dianne Saloom steward and love. Their stewardship of creation is a remarkable and inspiring witness. 

And too there is Beckwith Sunday that was first established near Earth Day  in order to do more than celebrate our beloved camp. It was also meant to remind us of our deep connection to creation and of our calling to be faithful stewards of the gifts God has entrusted to us.  That calling is beautifully visible at Beckwith.  It is located beside Weeks Bay, a remarkable estuary and protected reserve of more than 9,300 acres of marshes, forests, wetlands, and waters that nurture countless forms of life and bless our region.  We are not separate from such places. We belong to them, and they to us.

So here is my invitation on this Earth Day: Practice your gratitude by stepping outside and pay attention. Dig your hands in the dirt. Take a walk in the woods. Sit quietly near water. Read the creation stories in Genesis. Plant something. Pick up litter. Reduce waste. Join us this Sunday for Beckwith Sunday or Worship in the Woods. Support a local conservation effort. Offer thanks before your next meal.

And perhaps most of all, recover the gift of wonder. Because to care for creation begins not with guilt, but with gratitude. Not with fear, but with love. The world still speaks of God’s goodness. May we have ears to hear it and hearts to receive it.

RESOURCES FOR CREATION CARE AND STEWARDSHIP

More about Beckwith Sunday - an annual celebration across our diocese honoring our beloved camp and conference center.

More about Worship in the Woods - an annual gathering in God's creation, walking the Stations of the Resurrection, followed by a shared meal and Eucharist.

More about the Commission on the Integrity of Creation - our diocesan commission, whose mission is committed to recognizing that humans, being an embodiment of the divine image, are interconnected with all of creation

More about Walking the Way of Creation - a special liturgy created for our last diocesan convention that invites participants into a mindful journey through Genesis - in reverse.