Rivers and Streams and all God's Creatures

 

                                                                                    Lake Mead

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
    God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice; the earth melts.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge.

                                          Psalm 46: 4-7 NRSVue

I've mentioned along the way that the United Church of Canada General Council was held in Frederiction New Brunswick in 1992 and I participated, in part because a key discussion was what we termed Same-Gender Unions at the time. I was a member of the working group which presented to the gathering of commissioners from across the country.

The theme for this GC was "there is a river", taken from Psalm 46 and we were a reasonable walk from the mighty St. John, one of Canada's many magnificant waterways. It struck me that while the theme was repeated every day we were together there was no planned event by the river, nor were we given information about what makes it unique. At the time I felt it was a mistake not to experience the river, even as we talked about it and the impression has never left me. I appreciate that more and more countries and jurisdictions are giving rivers status and protection as living entities. 

A couple of evenings ago I watched a repeat of the Sixty Minutes segment about the Colorado River, an almost mythical waterway which is more than 2,300 kilometres in length and passes through the Grand Canyon. It also supplies water to 40 million Americans and irrigates crops which feed the nation. The grim reality is that the Colorado is drying up because of a drought which began at the turn of the millenium and so are Lake Mead and Lake Powell, huge reservoirs which were created to ensure a reliable supply of water. Those reservoirs are now at about one quarter capacity, the lowest since their creation. Farmers are being informed that their water allotments will be considerably reduced. States, cities, and other communities are facing shortages which can't be addressed by conservation measures. Utah is considering a billion dollar pipeline to one of the reservoirs even though the water just isn't there. Isn't this the definition of a pipe dream? We're "circling the bowl" and just not getting it. 

                                                Thames River Great Britain source marker 

This isn't just a crisis in the American Southwest. The Thames in Britain, the Loire in France, the Rhine in Germany, and the Po in Italy are all greatly diminished or drying up. This affects drinking water, agricultural water, and even tourism -- you can't have a river cruise without a navigable river. The source of the Thames has now shifted eight kilometres downstream and the traditional marker for the source now looks ominously like a gravestone for a deceased entity which was once living.  

Water is life. Physically and spiritually we can't survive without it and it's far more valuable than any fossil fuel. Jesus, baptised in the Jordan, offered living water to the Samaritan woman at the well, fully understanding the double meaning. 

Every time we paddle on a river or stream, which we do often, we give thanks to the Creator for the gift of water. We can't take this blessing of abundant water for granted. 

                                                           Baptism of Christ -- Vladimir Zagitov