Theological Overview

THEOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF THE FEAST OF CREATION

Celebrating a Foundational Tenet of the Christian Faith

The Feast of Creation, also known in ecumenical circles as Creation Day, is observed on September 1 or the subsequent Sunday. Rooted in an ancient liturgical tradition, the feast has gained much popularity across Christian traditions since 1989 (also alongside the larger Season of Creation), when the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople Dimitrios I invited “the entire Christian world to offer every year on this day prayers and supplications to the Maker of all, both as thanksgiving for the great gift of Creation and as petitions for its protection and salvation.” An ecumenical process chaired by the World Council of Churches in collaboration with thirteen world communions is now proposing to establish this day as a liturgical feast in churches beyond the Byzantine tradition. The shared hope is to celebrate more intentionally God’s act of Creation as a foundational mystery of faith.

This briefing note offers a preliminary synthesis of theological themes contained in the new Feast, collecting insights emerging from the Assisi conferences of 2024–2025. It is not comprehensive, since some perspectives were not yet fully represented in the Assisi consultations and churches are only beginning to explore the depth of this Feast. Much more reflection is needed at all levels and from all perspectives in the years ahead. This document is therefore offered humbly in response to requests from liturgy commissions seeking support as they implement the Feast in their churches. As with the development of other feasts, liturgical praxis will itself become a vital source for deepening and refining the theology of this celebration.

In short, Creation is a multi-faceted mystery. Thus, the Feast of Creation is a multi-faceted feast. Just as the feasts of the liturgical year reveal the mystery of Christ in its various aspects, this feast invites us to contemplate the great mystery of Creation first and foremost through a Christological lens. Moreover, complementary perspectives are important to savor the broader richness of this foundational tenet of the Christian faith.

The document is organized along four interrelated themes celebrated on this Feast day:

The Feast’s formal title might vary slightly across traditions, highlighting one particular theme as the entry point into the overall Creation motif. Yet, whatever the point of departure, this holy day is ultimately a holistic celebration of the many facets of the mystery at hand. 

I. THE FEAST’S CORE: GOD’S ACT OF CREATION 

At its core, the Feast commemorates God’s act of creation of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. This is the ancient symbolism associated with the observance in the Byzantine liturgical tradition, marking the creation of the world. Since the 5th century, September 1 has symbolized the expression “In the beginning” (Gen 1:1, Jn 1:1); thus, it is a liturgical feast at the beginning of the Eastern Orthodox calendar, its very first day. It was this symbolism that, in 1989, prompted the Ecumenical Patriarchate to invite all Christians to join in prayer on that day. This symbolic density opens up several theological themes, building upon its Byzantine foundations.

1. The divine act of creation is classically articulated as creatio ex nihilo – creation “out of nothing”. The Feast celebrates the mystery that all things were brought into existence not from pre-existent matter but solely through the free and sovereign act of God (cf. 2 Macc 7:28, Rom 4:17, Heb 11:3). All created reality is therefore radically contingent upon the eternal God, the absolute source of being. Yet the notion of creation ex nihilo must not be reduced to a temporal event; its theological significance is deeper, as the following clarifications indicate.

• (A) God’s creative activity is an ontological notion, not a temporal one at the beginning of cosmic history. In other words, creatio ex nihilo happened “in the beginning before time,” transcending temporal categories. On this Feast day, we celebrate the creation of time itself.
  
  

• (B) God’s creative activity is not a one-off action, but a creatio continua – “continuous creation”. Creation is ongoing – still today. Moreover, the triune God continually sustains the whole universe, holding it in being at every moment (cf. Acts 17:28, Col 1:17, Heb 1:3). Unlike the sculpting of a statue that ends with the sculptor’s departure, God’s creative causality is akin to the continuous act of a singer whose song exists only as long as the singing endures. On this Feast day, we celebrate the existence of the created order as a continuous gift.
  
  

• God’s creative activity is a creatio ex amore – “creation out of love”. God does not create out of necessity. Because “God is love” (1 Jn 4:16, NRSVUE), the world exists as the fruit of divine freedom and generosity. On this Feast day, we celebrate Creation as a revelation of God’s loving will, the foundation of the plan of salvation and of the love-driven “New Creation” to follow.
  
  

2. The Feast of Creation is a liturgical commemoration – anamnesis – of God’s creative activity. The feasts of the Christian year are anamnetic celebrations of aspects of the mystery of Christ, not only “remembering” but also making those salvific events a present reality for us now. In analogous fashion, this Feast of Creation “remembers” and renders present the cornerstone of salvation history and a foundational pillar of the mystery of Christ: the creation of the universe, currently neglected in most liturgical calendars.

A constitutive dimension of anamnesis is thanksgiving and praise for God’s mighty deeds. Accordingly, a central element of the Feast of Creation is the offering of thanksgiving and praise for the gift of creation. The commemoration of the creative endeavor evokes awe and wonder, leading the worshipping community to gratitude and adoration of the Creator for bringing the world into being. It also invites thanksgiving for our very own creation, our very own creaturehood – an acknowledgment of the gift of life itself.

In sum, the anamnetic commemoration of God’s creative activity stands at the heart of this holy day, particularly fitting for a Sunday celebration. And, in line with the logic of the liturgical year, this commemoration begins by contemplating the role of Christ in that divine occurrence.

II. CELEBRATING CREATION AS A CHRISTOLOGICAL MYSTERY

Within the liturgical traditions of most churches shaped by the classical Christian calendar, the cycle of feasts constitutes a fundamentally Christological unity. Anchored in Easter and the Paschal Mystery, the liturgical year unfolds as a contemplation of the manifold dimensions of the mystery of Christ. This same interpretative key applies also to the Feast of Creation. The Feast draws attention to a dimension of Christology that has often remained underdeveloped in liturgical consciousness and is missing from most liturgical calendars: namely, that all things were created through the eternal Word.

Following the Christ-centered lens of the liturgical year, a central feature of this Feast is therefore its explicit Christological orientation. The Feast of Creation commemorates Christ’s role in the act of Creation, proclaiming that “In the beginning was the Word [and] all things came into being through him” (Jn 1:1,3). Everything in heaven and on earth was created in him, through him, and for him (Col 1:16). The Feast thus invites the Church to contemplate not only the primordial agency of Christ in the creative act but also the ongoing dimension of that agency: the Logos continues to contribute to the ongoing maintenance and flourishing of creation (creatio continua), sustaining the whole universe (cf. Heb 1:3) and holding it in being (cf. Col 1:17).

Celebrating the mystery of creation also entails considering its eschatological horizon. The one through whom all things were made (the Alpha) is the same one through whom all things are redeemed and consummated (the Omega). Creation in Christ and New Creation in Christ are two aspects of a single Christological arc, even if the primary focus of this Feast is the former – the original creation. By proclaiming the Logos through whom all things were made, new light is shed on the mystery of Christ, the cosmic scope of the Incarnation, and the unity of Creation and Redemption. 

In summary, the theology of the liturgical year and the Christocentric nature of our Christian faith – as distinct from any reduction to Christomonism – requires that reflection during this holy day begins with the often-neglected role of Christ in the creative act. Yet this Christological dimension is only one facet of the mystery, and further theological perspectives must also be considered.

III. CELEBRATING CREATION AS A TRINITARIAN MYSTERY

The Christological focus of the Feast of Creation does not delimit the Trinitarian scope of the mystery being celebrated. The Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, while devoted mostly to Christ’s divinity, is situated within the context of Trinitarian doctrine and it presents the doctrine of Creation as a unifying thread in which the three divine persons act inseparably in the creative work. We proclaim our faith in “the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth”, in Christ “through [whom] all things were made”, and in the Holy Spirit, “the giver of life”. This is grounded in the biblical corpus: besides the better known roles of the Father and the Son in the act of creation, Scripture likewise attributes creative agency to the Spirit, the breath of life (cf. Gen 1:2, 2:7, Ps 33:6, 104:30). Later doctrinal development, as the principle opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa (the Trinity’s external works are indivisible), elaborated the inseparability of creative action.

Thus, the Feast of Creation offers an occasion to commemorate Creation as both a Christological and Trinitarian mystery. What is authentically Christological is, by its very nature, Trinitarian. The Christological nature of the feast therefore encourages the articulation of a robust Trinitarian theology of Creation in its prayers, readings, and preaching. The dynamic of exitus and reditus (origin and return) – all creatures proceeding from the Father and returning to the Father through Christ in the power of the Spirit – further illuminates the Trinitarian structure of creation. Relatedly, the relational communion of the divine persons is reflected in the interdependence of all beings. In short, the Feast of Creation uplifts the Trinitarian breadth of the mystery of Creation, pondering and celebrating the three persons of the Holy Trinity for making heaven and earth. 

To invoke the Triune God as Creator is to be drawn into doxology. Even if the Feast of Creation is not sharply focused on God alone, it actually is a time to praise the Triune God as Creator. Via doxologies, hymns, and liturgical prayers, here is an opportunity to rebalance our understanding and worship of the Holy Trinity – not only as Redeemer but also as Creator. Contemplation of the wonders of God’s handicraft prompts us to burst into praise (cf. Ps 8, 104). Such songs of praise are to be offered in communion with our fellow creatures, echoing the Psalmist’s summons for all creation to join in worship of its Maker (Ps 96:11-13, 145:10-11, 148:1-14, 150:6, cf. 1 Chron 16:31-33, Is 55:12). 

IV. CELEBRATING CREATION AS A SACRAMENTAL AND COVENANTED GIFT 

A further dimension of the Feast of Creation is the recognition of the created order itself as a sacramental reality that reveals and mediates the presence of its Creator. Commemorating God’s creative activity (la creazione) entails acknowledging the created cosmos that flows from it (il creato) as a sacred gift bound to God by covenant. Perspectives from the Global South and indigenous traditions emphasize that the created world is a primary locus in which the mystery of God’s creative love is encountered, calling for a holistic celebration of Creation and thus avoiding a sharp binary distinction between creative act and created outcome. As creatures embedded in time and space, we enter the mystery of creation through the materiality of the world around us, even if God is transcendent and distinct. Attention to what was created does not come at the expense of its Maker (cf. Wis 13:1-9, Rom 1:25); rather, it reveals God and enriches our appreciation of the mystery of Creation. Moreover, deep concern for the desecration of this gift was the driver of the Eastern Orthodox invitation to all churches in 1989; this is an important part of the Feast’s contemporary history and theological significance. Several interrelated themes flow from this liturgical attention.

• The created order as sacramental and revelatory of God. As an artwork reveals something about the artist who made it, “the greatness and beauty of created things” are revelatory of their Creator (Wis 13:5, cf. Ps 19:1-4, Rom 1:19-20). The world is a locus where we can “taste” the mystery of creation and perceive the face of the Creator. The Feast of Creation is an opportunity to rediscover the created world as a sacramental reality, analogous to a “book” offering knowledge about the One who created everything. The Feast is a time to “consider the wondrous works of God” in creation (Job 37:14, cf. Ps 8:4, 65:9, Is 40:26), leading our gaze to the Artist.
  
  

• The created order as filled with God’s presence. There is a profound intimacy between Creator and creatures. God is present in all creation. Despite the transcendent nature of the Almighty, everything and everywhere is full of God’s immanent and repletive presence, which “fills the world, is all-embracing” (Wis 1:7, cf. Jer 23:24, Ps 139:7-10, Eph 1:23, 4:6, 4:10). This radiant presence has a glorious quality, as expressed in the Isaiah-inspired Sanctus sung by many in their worship services: “Heaven and earth are full of your glory!”
  
  

• The created order as sacramental foundation and medium of liturgy. Matter and time – realities intrinsic to creation – form the basic grammar of Christian worship. On one hand, liturgical celebration is embodied and the sacraments make use of elements and fruits of creation, such as water, bread, wine, oil, beeswax, or fire. On the other hand, worship is marked by temporal cycles – daily, weekly, annual. As Easter underscores a premise of all Sunday liturgies (Christ’s resurrection) and Corpus Christi in some traditions underscores a liturgical premise (Eucharist), the Feast of Creation also underscores a liturgical premise: creation’s sacramentality.
  
  

• The created order as covenanted with and beloved by God. This love is not mere appreciation of an Artist pleased by a “very good” artwork (Gen 1:31), but that of a Lover who is affectionately bound to the “otherness” of created beings. The world was created out of love and continues to be loved intensely by God, caring and providing for it (cf. Ps 65:10-14, 104:10-16, 147:8-9, Mt 6:25-33). In fact, the Noahic Covenant extends to the rest of creation – an “everlasting covenant between God and every living creature” (Gen 9:16, cf. Hos 2:20). Analogously, the Book of Wisdom states: “You love all things that exist” (11:24). This love is so profound, “God so loved the world” (Jn 3:16), that the Creator became a creature to establish the New Covenant.
  
  

• The created order as a gift to be cherished. In Scripture we hear repeatedly that creation belongs to its Creator – “all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours” (1 Chron 29:11, cf. Deut 10:14, Ps 24:1, 89:12, 95:3-5, Jth 9:12, Wis 11:26). Therefore, we experience creation as a gift that is not ours. As Saint Paul put it, “The God who made the world... gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.” (Acts 17:24-25). Indeed, this theme of God’s benevolent giving is a recurring theme, whether it is the gift of life to all living creatures (Neh 9:6), all things (1 Tim 6:17), plants (Gen 1:29), weather (Mt 5:45, Acts 14:17), food (Job 36:31, Eccl 3:13, Ps 104:27-28, 136:25, 145:15-16), or beyond. All creation is a sacred gift to be cherished and to be grateful for.
  
  

• The created order as desecrated gift, distorted and disfigured by sin. Our embodied experience of creation in the third millennium is obscured by the reality of sin at “industrial proportions”. In many regions, rather than experiencing creation as a sacred gift saturated with God’s presence, we experience creation as a desecrated wasteland scared by human sin. Biblical prophecies about the Earth's pollution and destruction are being fulfilled, because we have “transgressed laws” (Isa 24:4-6, cf. Num 35:33-34) and shown “no faithfulness” to the Creator (Hos 4:1-3). The covenant was broken, so the Earth and the poor now cry out. In this context, the Feast is a time to repent for our sinful behaviours and to lament the ecological crisis, especially its devastating impacts in communities of the Global South. Relatedly, it is a time to uplift care for the earth (cf. Gen 2:15) and for the most vulnerable (cf. Mt 25:40) as a Christian imperative.
  
  

• The created order as marked by the Cross and the New Creation. Creation is “very good”, but not “perfect”. Mysteriously, God’s creative design has death and suffering embedded in creaturely experience, being a pre-condition for life to flourish and grow in complexity – “the whole creation has been groaning” in labor pains (Rom 8:22). That groaning-birthing interplay is mirrored by a fruitful interplay between life and death itself (cf. Jn 12:24). Anticipating the pains of the Cross, all creatures are recipients of the redemptive grace of Christ’s crucifixion (cf. Col 1:20, Rev 21:5). All creatures are redeemed in the New Creation, fulfilling God’s covenantal plan. 

V. CONCLUSION

This holy day brings into liturgical focus a foundation of the Christian faith. The Feast of Creation commemorates God’s act of creation of all things through Christ, also leading to praise the Holy Trinity as Creator and to cherish the created order as sacramental and covenantal. 

In other words, while noting again that further reflection is needed, we could say that the Feast is:

• Anamnetic, commemorating and making present the divine act of creation;  

• Christological, revealing the Logos as the one through whom everything was created;  

• Trinitarian, celebrating the inseparable creative work of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;  

• Sacramental, recognizing the created world as revelatory of and covenanted with God.

By integrating these dimensions, the Feast invites the Church to recover a more balanced theological vision in which creation is not merely the backdrop for redemption but an integral part of the mystery of God’s self-communication. Importantly, this vision extends beyond the Earth itself to encompass the entire cosmos—visible and invisible, vast and unfolding—as the arena of God’s creative and redemptive activity in Christ. The Feast thus calls the faithful to praise, wonder, thanksgiving, repentance, lament, and care of this sacred gift, situated within the broader horizon of the whole created order destined for renewal and transfiguration in Christ. On this holy day, we celebrate the various facets of the great mystery of Creation.