Festival of Creation in Christ and Commemoration of the Twenty-One Martyrs of Libya
Sunday afternoon, 12 July 2026
Opening Speech
Chair, members of Synod,
I move the motion standing in my name which will give final approval to this liturgical business: the provision of a Festival of Creation in Christ, and the addition to the Calendar of a Commemoration of the Twenty-One Martyrs of Libya.
These will be momentous acts for the Church of England, and both of them have come to fruition in solidarity and partnership with our friends in Christ across the ecumenical spectrum and indeed in the Anglican Communion – I understand that a motion was passed at ACC-19 to encourage member churches to adopt a Festival of Creation in Christ. The Festival invites us to consider the Christological and Trinitarian dimension of creation and the Church’s mission to preserve the integrity of creation. We are also called to mark with deep respect, in the Commemoration, the witness of martyrs whose final words confessed the most holy name of Jesus.
It is worth saying once again that liturgical business requires formal process and requires time, scrutiny, and patience. I was heartened in February to hear that the Archbishop of York wanted to do more of it! Members of Synod will know that questions about when and how such a process is used can carry a significance beyond any single item of business.
The first limb of our business is the provision of a new Festival of Creation in Christ. Synod has already considered this material and its general shape will therefore be familiar. The substantial theological and liturgical instincts behind it remain the same as when Synod last saw it. There are, however, two changes which I should draw to your attention.
The first is that some explanatory material has been removed. In the previous presentation of the material, short summaries of the lections and footnotes were included to assist Synod in understanding the shape of the provision. Those summaries attracted a certain amount of attention in debate, understandably so, because explanatory words can sometimes appear to carry more formal weight than they are intended to bear. For the avoidance of doubt, they were never part of the liturgical business to be authorised, and will not form part of the final authorised provision. What Synod is asked to approve is the liturgical and calendar material itself, as detailed in paper GS 2408B.
As paper 2408Z explains, a second change concerns the title of the Festival. Synod previously saw the title in the form ‘Festival of God the Creator also known as the Feast of Creation in Christ’. Since then, ecumenical conversations have continued to develop. Those conversations have involved representatives from the World Council of Churches, the Anglican Communion, the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox churches, and other partners, and have been enriched by the continuing work of the Assisi process. The Consultation on Common Texts has also introduced this observance into the Revised Common Lectionary under the title ‘Creation in Christ’ and it was also described as such in the resolution passed very recently at the Anglican Consultative Council.
It is for that reason that the Festival now comes before Synod with its title simplified to: ‘The Festival of Creation in Christ’.
That change is best understood as an act of listening by the House of Bishops when we prepared this material for final approval. We are recognising here the wisdom of placing Christ’s role in creation at the centre, in keeping with the readings, prayers, and theological substance of the provision. The new title also honours the concerns expressed in the process so far, because the language of God in Trinity as Creator remains deeply and unmistakably embedded in the texts themselves.
‘Creation in Christ’ says that the created order is made through Christ, held together in Christ, and destined for renewal in Christ. This draws us into the mystery proclaimed in John 1.3, that all things came into being through the Word, and in Colossians 1.16, that all things have been created through Christ and for Christ.[1]
This work also sits alongside the Faith and Order Commission’s report, Hope for All Creation, now an official teaching document of the House of Bishops. The report and this liturgical provision are distinct pieces of work, with different purposes, yet they are plainly intertwined. Together they remind us that our response to climate and environmental crises must be drawn from the faith, life, and worship of the Church.[2]
To enable the Festival of Creation in Christ to take place, the Calendar and the Rules to Order the Christian Year will be amended in the simplest possible way, so that this observance has its normal place while allowing the ordinary flexibility given to Festivals.[3] The Festival should be kept in a way that works within the actual liturgical life of our churches.
The second limb of our liturgical business is insertion into the Calendar, on 15 February, of the Commemoration of the Twenty-One Martyrs of Libya.
At the last group of sessions, Synod was greatly moved by the speeches of the Bishop of Chelmsford and Archbishop Angaelos. I want to thank them both. The Bishop of Chelmsford reminded us that martyrdom is a present reality in the life of the Church, and that the contemplation of such sacrifice interrupts our own priorities and causes us to ponder the extent of our own faithfulness. Archbishop Angaelos spoke with the authority of a pastor whose Church knows this witness from within. His words helped Synod to see these martyrs with greater tenderness, greater accuracy, and greater reverence.[4]
With gratitude for the warmth and enthusiasm with which this liturgical business has been received since its introduction this time last year, I commend it to you once more time for your prayerful consideration.
footnotes
[1] At the same time, the liturgical texts before us are deeply Trinitarian. They teach us to praise the Father, maker of heaven and earth; the Son, the Word through whom all things were made; and the Holy Spirit, the giver of life. The Festival is therefore an occasion for worship, thanksgiving, repentance, and hope. It gives the Church a yearly moment in which to praise God for the gift of creation, to lament the harm done to that gift, and to renew our calling as those who have received the world from the hands of God.
[2] Our care for creation is not merely a moral objective; it is part of our confession of God as Creator, our discipleship in Christ, and our life in the Spirit. The Collect addresses God as Maker, Word, and Spirit. The readings take us from Genesis, Isaiah, Job, and the Psalms, to the Gospels, Colossiansand Revelation. The Eucharistic provision gathers creation, redemption, and new creation into the praise of God. The blessing sends God’s people out with delight and wonder, risen life, and renewal in the likeness of Christ.
[3] So, for example, where a Patronal or Dedication Festival is kept as a Principal Feast, or where the usual Sunday provision is used, the Festival of Creation in Christ may be transferred to another suitable day.
[4] The wording associated with their story has therefore been refined in consultation with Archbishop Angaelos, so that their Coptic Orthodox identity and the presence of their Ghanaian companion are properly named. Their commemoration is an act of ecumenical solidarity, as well as an act of Christian memory.
Closing speech
The inclusion of the new Festival and of the new Commemoration in the Common Worship Calendar says something important about the Calendar itself. The Calendar is a school of contemporary faithfulness, as well as a treasury of ancient memory. It teaches us whom the Church remembers, what the Church honours, and what kind of life the Gospel creates. Although I shall no longer be the Chair of the Liturgical Commission in the new quinquennium, I know I join with many when I say that we are looking forward to a wider renewal of the Common Worship Calendar in the next five years. In remembering the Twenty-One Martyrs of Libya, the Church of England acknowledges that martyrdom belongs to the present as well as the past. It honours Christians from another ecclesial tradition. It remembers poor and migrant workers. It recognises that the holy name of Jesus is still confessed at great cost.
I want to record thanks to the Liturgical Commission, to the members of the Revision Committee, and especially to the Bishop of Norwich for his counsel and support, and for his careful chairing of the Revision Committee. This process has required theological judgement, detailed study of the liturgical texts, and as always and above all, a willingness to listen.
Members of Synod, The Festival of Creation in Christ teaches us that all things are created through Christ and for Christ. The Commemoration of the Twenty-One Martyrs shows us human lives finally offered in Christ and to Christ. One observance opens our eyes to the vastness of God’s creative and redemptive purpose. The other fixes our gaze on a beach in Libya, where that same Lord was confessed by men whose worldly power was small and whose witness has become immense.
I invite Synod to give this business final approval.
The motion passed can be read here in Sunday afternoon's business
Speaking on Monday 13 July, in the second session of the Carlisle Diocesan Synod motion on Palestine:
Item 14: Carlisle Diocesan Synod Motion, ‘Kairos Palestine’
I am a former Chair of the Council of Christians and Jews, and it is from that perspective in particular that I speak now. I am glad that yesterday we accepted amendment 48, changing the word ‘receive’ to ‘hear’; but I hope that we can be clear about the meaning of that change. If it is to be more than cosmetic, it must mean that, while we recognise the Kairos II document as springing from the trauma of the Palestinian people, we are not recognising all its language as language that we as a Church accept to be used by ourselves. Kairos II does speak about Zionism and Israel in ways which are in marked contradiction to how most Jewish people understand themselves, their history and their identity. As a range of voices from across the Jewish community in this country has evidenced in the last few days, if we were to categorise Zionism as inherently a racist, colonialist or genocidal movement, that would be to question the historical, spiritual and living connection of the Jewish people as a whole with the land of Israel, and it would be to tell the vast majority of our Jewish neighbours in the country that their own view of their identity is mistaken.
The motion as amended now speaks of our ‘hearing’ the Kairos II text, but is important that we hear how we are heard to be hearing. At a time when antisemitism is growing, and growing increasingly virulent, in our society, we need to take especial care of the language we use. Whether this motion in its amended form is passed or not, this debate in itself will have increased the challenge we face in making real our commitment to Christian-Jewish dialogue and inter faith understanding – commitments which we also endorsed in accepting amendment 46. I pray that we may listen carefully to our Jewish brothers and sisters so that we can make a credible and constructive contribution to this most difficult situation.
The motion passed can be read here in Monday morning's business.