In Praise of Living Rivers

 

Then the spirit lifted me up, and as the glory of the Lord rose from its place, I heard behind me the sound of loud rumbling;  it was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against one another and the sound of the wheels beside them that sounded like a loud rumbling. The spirit lifted me up and bore me away; I went in bitterness in the heat of my spirit, the hand of the Lord being strong upon me.  I came to the exiles at Tel-abib, who lived by the River Chebar. And I sat there among them, stunned, for seven days.

Ezekiel 3:12-15 NRSVue Ezekiel at the Chebar River

This past week some of the daily lectionary scripture readings have been from the book of the prophet Ezekiel. This is a wild and wonderful book filled with visions which might lead us to believe that Ezekiel was friends with Timothy Leary. The best of the bunch, in my estimation, is the vivid and dramatic Valley of the Dry Bones. One of the headings in my bible reads Ezekiel at the River Chebar, a reminder that this was set in the time of exile in Babylon and this river is a tributary of the Euphrates. Once again a reminder that rivers run through the biblical narrative from Genesis to Revelation. 

But are rivers alive and are they persons? Yesterday I listened to a BBC podcast featuring Robert Macfarlane, the superb British writer whose latest book is Is a River Alive? The podcast subtitle is "anima" which would be anathema to lots of conservative Christians because it smacks of animism or pantheism or paganism. Yet I have come to believe that healthy rivers are not just conduits, often terribly abused. When they are healthy they teem with life and are essential to the wellbeing of the planet. In my view there is a reason that rivers figure so prominently in scripture because the Creator is the source of all life and the biodiversity of rivers is vital to Creation. 

                                                   Magpie River or Muteshekau-shipu, Quebec

Macfarlane notes that in 2017 the Whanganui river on the North Island is New Zealand was granted legal personhood. For the Māori who have lived along the river for 700 years, the Whanganui is more than just a river. They regard the river as an ancestor from whom humans are descended. It has also been an important source of food through fishing, especially for eel.

Since then Colombia and Ecuador have bestowed legal rights to rivers and in 2021 Quebec granted personhood to the Magpie River or Muteshekau-shipu.

Later today I will paddle on a nearby river with the wonderful mother of our three children. For 50 years we have paddled together and introduced our kids and grandkids to the joys of rivers. We have already been out on a couple of rivers during April and noticed birds and mammals returning. I have commented often (Ruth's eyes roll here) that water means life and together we have so often had a sense of the sacred as we paddle and swim in rivers. 

Here is the BBC link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002bsz8

                                                        The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan 

A Celebration of Palestinian Food

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to [Jesus]. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Luke 15: 1-2 NRSVue 

I just read a Christian Century review of a book that I will never purchase and won't show up in our local library, as good as it is, but it still intrigues me. Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food by Faid Kattan is a cookbook that is also about the importance of community in the West Bank city of Bethlehem and perhaps more broadly about how eating together gives us a sense of belonging. I appreciated these two paragraphs (and many more) from Stephanie Saldana's review: 

At the center of Kattan’s book is the Bethlehem market, only a five-minute walk from the nearby Basilica of the Nativity, where tradition holds that Jesus was born. For locals, the basilica and the market together form the beating heart of Bethlehem’s town center. For generations, butchers, farmers, and spice vendors have sold their meat and produce at the souk, and on Saturday mornings the market swells into the surrounding alleys and it feels as though the entire town shows up to shop for the freshest produce. It is a place of life, magic, and attention, where vendors call out and remember you by name. Often, what they say could almost be poetry: “They’re not tomatoes! They’re apples!” a vendor recently sang out when his tomatoes were especially sweet.

 The cookbook is also a quiet story of faith. Recipes include siyami (fasting) foods for Bethlehem’s Christians, who often refrain from meat, eggs, and dairy during Lent. An outsized portion is dedicated to Christmas. There’s Kattan’s recipe for burbara—the dessert of wheat berries soaked with spices and dried fruits, served to family, friends, and neighbors on the Feast of St. Barbara at the beginning of the Christmas season. One of his most touching vignettes is his nod to the Salesian Bakery, a local Christian bakery that quietly distributes bread to the needy regardless of their religion, demonstrating what Kattan calls the “essence of solidarity and communal responsibility.”

When we were in Israel two years ago it was apparent that our Christian family members who lived there at the time were focussed on the Jews of Israel but they told us that we should eat in Arab restaurants whenever possible because of the hospitality and the culinary experience. They were right, and we enjoyed several meals with them in Arab-owned restaurants. While efforts are made to differentiate Arabs from Palestinians they have many common cultural and culinary elements. And while the majority are Muslim there are also Christians. 

We also had the panicky/comic experience of ordering food in an Arab restaurant on the mountain in Haifa overlooking the Mediterranean when it was just the two of us on a day trip.  We decided to share an order for a modest midday meal but something was lost in translation. Dishes began to arrive at our table in such abundance we laughed out loud. It was delicious and still relatively inexpensive, happy to say.

According to the gospels, Jesus, born in Bethlehem,  loved a meal and a party, to the disapproval of some religious leaders. There are at least seven meals described in Luke, suggesting that breaking bread together was a spiritual experience. I wonder how many stars Jesus would give to  Bethlehem: A Celebration of Palestinian Food? 

                                               Jesus Eats with Tax Collectors & Sinners -- Sieger Koder

Praying for Pope Leo XIV

 

Does it seem a little too predictable that I would offer some thoughts about yesterday's election of Pope Leo XIV? Lots of Vatican watchers wondered if there would be an Asian or African pope. Instead it is an American, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost. I've chuckled about the "first US pope in 2,000 years of the church's history" comments. Given that the United States is only 250 years old this is an over-gush, but sitll a significant moment. Another "first" from a personal standpoint is that this is the first pope I've experienced who is younger than I am!

Far more important is that most of Prevost/Leo's ministry has been away from the States, working amidst the people of Peru, those who were dear to Pope Francis's heart, the poor and marginalized. According to the CBC:

Back in 2017, during Trump's first term as president, he shared a post from a Jesuit priest that was critical of banning Syrian refugees. "What an immoral nation we are becoming. Jesus weeps," the post reads. Prevost addressed immigration in an August 2024 speech Posted on YouTube.

"There's got to be a way both to solve the problem but also to treat people with respect," he said. "Every one of us — whether we were born in the United States of America or on the North Pole — we all are given that gift of being created the image and likeness of God. And the day we forget that is a day we forget who we are. We forget who Christ has called us to be."

I've written often about the deep, nuanced commitment of Francis to Creation and Creator, reflected in his encyclical, Laudato Si" On Care for Our Common Home. Yesterday there was a Bloomberg piece on whether Leo would follow the lead of Francis in terms of honouring Creation:

Pope Leo XIV Might Be the Climate Champion We Need:The new pontiff appears inclined to follow in his predecessor’s green footsteps.

We’ll learn more about the pope’s views in the days to come. But he is on record telling a seminar last November that the world must move “from words to action” on climate change. In the same speech, he warned that humanity’s “dominion over nature” shouldn’t be “tyrannical” but “a relationship of reciprocity.” He also touted the Vatican’s green record, including purchases of solar panels and electric vehicles — a fleet that now includes the first all-electric Popemobile.

Some of you may have heard the interview with Robert Harris, the author of the novel Conclave on CBC Radio's The Current. I went to the transcript and once again the decision was made to edit out an interviewee's comments about a personal spiritual moment -- who decides to do this? He spoke about reading through the four gospels as part of his preparation to write the book and how moved he was by the simplicity and revolutionary nature of Jesus' message and ministry, contrasted with the power of the Roman Catholic Church. He mentioned that he was inspired to write Conclave while watching the live coverage of the conclave to elect Francis in 2013.

 And just before the new pope appears, the windows on either side — high windows — fill with the faces of the cardinal electors, who've come along to watch the new pope show himself. And the camera panned along and showed the faces and there were all these elderly men: crafty, benign, cunning, tired, exultant. And I was writing novels about Cicero and I thought, "That is the Roman Senate."

Fascinating observations. We can pray for Pope Leo, leader for more than a billion Roman Catholic Christians. He could be the supreme pontiff for a couple of decades so the proof will be in the papal pudding in terms of his influence.  

An American pretender to the papacy is probably outraged by this outcome.

Prayers for VE Day

 

O God of truth and justice,

we hold before you those men and women 
who have died in active service, particularly in the Second World War, 
whose sacrifice brought Victory in Europe.
As we honour their courage and cherish their memory, 
may we put our faith in your future;
for you are the source of life and hope, 
now and for ever.
Amen.

Church of England VE Day Prayer

No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

John 15:13 NRSVue

Today there will be remembrance and celebration ceremonies in several Canadian centres to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands by Canadian troops in 1945 along with Victory Europe (VE) Day. We've seen that about two dozen veterans were able to make the trip to the Netherlands despite all of them being roughly a century old. They were greeted in parades by crowds of grateful Dutch citizens who have sustained their appreciation through the decades.  

I don't know whether CFB Trenton, just down the road, will have a public event and I haven't seen any coverage in the local news sources, sad to say. As the years have gone by I've developed a deeper appreciation of those who served selflessly in wars of the 20th century. Both Ruth and I are children of vets of WWII, our fathers and her mother.  At the same time my aversion to war, the sheer folly of this horrendous violence has grown stronger. As I've suggested before, there couldn't be a more convincing argument for the doctrine of original sin than our human propensity to kill one another, often with great zeal and supposedly with God's approval. 

I've noticed that European countries seem to be doing more to acknowledge VE Day than here in Canada even though our armed forces were vital to victory. Approximately 7,600 Canadians soldiers died during the liberation of the Netherlands from German occupation alone with more than 44,000 servicement dying throughout the six years of WWII.

The European events include worship services, some of them interfaith. The Church of England (Anglicans) have provided worship resources for parishes and encouraged them to acknowledge the 80th anniversary.  These include prayers for peace in our world in the present moment. 

Today I'm remembering all the veterans of WWII who took part in November Remembrance Day services in congregations I served until there were virtually none left who could take on roles. I think of our parents who put their aspirations on hold for years in the cause of a greater good. 

As Christians we can live within that tension between gratitude for those who served even as we pray for the peace which Christ represents. We can certainly do so today.

O God, who would fold both heaven and earth 

in a single peace;
that the design of your great love lighten 
upon the waste of our wraths and sorrows
and give peace to your church, peace among nations, 
peace in our dwellings and peace in our hearts; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Church of England VE Day Prayer

The Spiritual Legacy of the Group of Seven

 

                                                              Nellie Lake -- AY Jackson 1933

Today the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, known as the spiritual home to the Group of Seven, has reminded us that this date May 7th, marks the  anniversary of the first exhibition of these painters in 1920 at what is now the Art Gallery of Ontario. Their work offered a shift from the conventions of European painting and celebrated the wild beauty of what we now know as Canada. 

There is a spiritual quality to these paintings that touches me deeply and we were fortunate while living in Northern Ontario to visit, on foot and in canoes, a number of the places where the artists went to sketch and paint together, and we camped at several spots We've also paddled into the lakes of Algonquin Park where the Group's artistic mentor, Tom Thomson, explored until his untimely death. 

While living in Sudbury I made a pitch to the Lands for Life symposium on Crown Land use for more protected area around Killarney Provincial Park that included a signficant stand of old growth red pine, and I did so on behalf of the Friends of Killarney. Each presenter had a striclly timed ten minutes so I used several Group of Seven images painted from within the park as I spoke, including the one above. While the Friends are a secular group, at the time I felt that this involvement was an extension of my role as a minister. Bye the way, we were somewhat successful, although more than a quarter century later there is still uncertainty.

I should note that despite their brilliance the Group of Seven rarely included any evidence of the Indigenous peoples of the land. There are now a host of Indigenous artists who celebrate the land and it's creatures and they are regularly featured at the McMichael. Among them is Christi Belcourt, one of our favourites, and we have one of her prints in our home (below). 

                                                            The Fish are Fasting -- Christi Belcourt

The Group of Seven was also a Boy's Club and while several of the artists admired the work of contemporary  Emily Carr she was never invited to join them, even though their were other male artists who were. Carr expressed a much deeper understanding of the connection between Indigenous peoples and the land. 

I wonder if there is a doctoral thesis or book that looks specifically at the spiritual and religious sensibilities of the Group of Seven artists and others who explored the forest and waters of this land? 

Lawren Harris was a theosophist and while he encouraged Emily Carr to join him in this mystical movement she remained an Anglican through her lifetime. David Milne, another favourite from that era, was brought up in the United Church and read his bible seriously. It's hard to imagine that many of these artists didn't have a deep spiritual connection to the land they depicted.

I've mentioned before that as a tween I met A.Y Jackson at the McMichael where he lived, shortly after it opened in 1965. To this day when we visit the gallery it feels as though we are "going to church", entering holy ground. 

The original Group of Seven Canadian landscape painters consisted of Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J.E.H. MacDonald, and Frederick Varley. 

Additional members, A.J. Casson, Edwin Holgate, and LeMoine FitzGerald, joined later. 

Tom Thomson and Emily Carr were also significantly associated with the group, though they were not official members. 

As-salaam Alaikum Gaza

Tomorrow the gathering of Roman Catholic cardinals from around the world to pick a new pope gets underway. This conclave may take a couple of days or even weeks, although the longest took three years. The event is shrouded in secrecy and security. I love that pies, sweet or savoury, are not allowed in to feed the cardinals lest they contain information. It's the equivalent of the old file in the cake for prison inmates. 

As the church is about to choose a pope more information about the compassion of Pope Francis emerges. Even when he was feeble and very ill during his final days he would phone the lone Roman Catholic parish in Gaza each evening to offer encouragement. He would ask what they had eaten that day and about the bombing. He would offer a blessing "As-salaam Alaikum" or "peace be upon you." On news of his death one of the Gaza Christians observed that they now feel like orphans. 

Francis was outspoken about the terrible loss of life in Gaza on a number of occasions, often drawing criticism for doing so. In his Easter message last month, delivered a few hours before his death, he reiterated this message. According to Vatican News: 

“I appeal once again,” he said, “for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, for the release of the hostages… and for access to humanitarian aid.” His words once again called on the international community to act and “come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace.”

Thank God the pontiff was willing to boldly proclaim the resurrection of Jesus as the Christ  while recognizing suffering and evil for what it is. 

My dismay and outrage deepens at the continuing reports of starvation in Gaza because of the blockade against food and medical aid. Recently an aid ship was bombed and turned away.  Now the Israeli government has announced it will step up its military incursion into Gaza in what has all the marks of ethnic cleansing. Our Canadian government has been pathetic in challenging what has unfolded following the horrendous terrorist attack on innocent Israelis by Hamas in October 2O23. The Americans, both under Biden and Trump, have facilitated the destruction. 

We have yet to hear and see what will happen under the leadership of Prime Minister Carney and heaven knows what will unfold during his visit to Washington. There are countries in Europe, including Spain and France, that have decried the ongoing destruction in Gaza and the West Bank. Perhaps we can find the moral courage to take a bold stand that reflects values of international law and decency. 

The celebrated author, Omar El Akkad, has written a book developed from a tweet where he said: "One day, when it's safe, when there's no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it's too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this. This is Gaza" 

He also wrote, "This is an account of a fracture, a breaking away from the notion that the polite, western liberal ever stood for anything at all."

Amen and As-salaam Alaikum. 

Thank the Creator for a Feast Day of Creation!

                                                       From the Season of Creation website 

We know that religious people too often don't play well with others. Not only do they scrap with folk from other religions, Christians will insist that their doctrine or sacraments or aversion to either of these makes them superior to others "in house." 

So, here's good news that somehow escaped my attention until yesterday. An international seminar has been taking place in Assisi, Italy, to establish a date for an ecumenical Feast Day of Creation. When I look at the list of participating Christian communions and organizations I figure that at least two-thirds of Planet Earth's Christians, probably 1.5 billion or more, are represented. 

The United Church of Canada has been observing what we call Creation Time in September and early October for years now. The RCs call it the Season of Creation and the Anglicans Creationtide (my favourite) and this too is a really hopeful development. To observe a common Feast Day of Creation would be a common celebration to get these weeks underway. Our Christian biblical story begins with the Creation accounts in Genesis and concludes with the "new heaven and new earth" of Revelation. It would be wonderful if we would be able to overcome the things that divide us for the sake of a common good. 

It's also heartening to see that this is happening in the birthplace of St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology. Francis was the namesake of the late Pope Francis whose love for Creation resulted in the environmental encyclical called Laudato Si (Praise Be to You): On Care for Our Common Home. 

It would have been nice if all these Christian entities had just jumped on board a Zoom call to ask "our we all good on this one?" rather than spending years in discussion, but I shouldn't quibble. Here is the description of this conference provided by the Lutheran World Federation. 

2nd Feast of Creation Conference 4 Apr – 8 May 2025

Assisi meeting to promote Feast of Creation Day

This 2nd Feast of Creation meeting is organized by the Roman Catholic Church’s Laudato Sì Research Institute, in partnership with LWF, the World Council of Churches, the World Methodist Council, the Anglican Communion and the World Communion of Reformed Churches.

It brings together church leaders, liturgists, scholars, scientists and other experts to promote the establishment of a Feast of Creation Day, likely to be on 1 September following the Orthodox tradition,  that will be observed ecumenically. The goal is for it to be integrated into the liturgical calendar of the world communions with common lectionary texts for the day and other liturgical resources that will be produced.

The conference will explore the history of Christian engagement with the creation story, described in the book of Genesis, in the context of the growing climate justice movement. The Feast is placed in the context of the Nicene Creed and encourages an intensified study of the role of the Trinity in creation.