The Return of Waterwalker

 

[Verse 1]

Accept the gift of circumstance
No more careful stepping plans
Everything holds out its hand

[Chorus]
Gonna hold you up and love you
Gonna hold you up and love you
Gonna hold you up and love you
Waterwalker

[Verse 2]
Water under, sky above
Creation as metaphor for love
Shed resistance like a worn out glove

[Chorus]

[Verse 3]
Got no power, got no fear
Anyone can do it, can't you hear
River crying loud and clear

 Peter answered [Jesus], “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.  But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  When they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

                             Matthew 14: 28-33 NRSVue

In 1986 the film Waterwalker was released nation-wide by the National Film Board,  a wonderful institution that gets insufficient credit. The film turned out to be the last made by Bill Mason who worked with the NFB for years. In 1966 he made Paddle to the Sea nominated for an  Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. Mason even carved the multiple canoes used for filming. 

Waterwalker has just been re-released after a 4K restoration and the introduction of surround-sound. The original film was 20 years in the making along the shore of Lake Superior, often with Mason's family in tow. Bill was in a canoe on capricious Lake Superior much of the time, a traditional Prospector cedar-strip rather than lighter modern materials. He is also shown painting and simply enjoying the shoreline in gentle contemplation.

Mason worked in evangelical summer camps in his early years and he remained a Christian. The film is significant in that he reflects on the harm we are doing to the natural world and draws upon Indigenous spirituality even as he refers to the gospel story of the disciple Peter walking on water as an act of faith in Jesus. It really is his "testimony" about appreciating Creator and Creation.

It sounds as though Mason was a stubborn cuss who insisted on the religious content despite resistance from the NFB powers-that-be, His daughter Becky remembers watching the sometimes derring-do filming as a child. She's thrilled that the film may appeal to a new audience in this release.

I have watched Waterwalker several times, first of all on DVD and now on streaming services for free. I've watched it with our children and one of our grandchildren. We bandied about getting together for the screening today in Toronto but it wasn't to be. It will be screened in Kingston at some point and we'll attempt to catch it then.

The bonus with the film is the soundtrack created by Canadian musician Bruce Cockburn, also a Christian, and Hugh Marsh.

Creation as a metaphor for love....

Here are links to the NFB trailer and a recent CBC Radio interview with Becky Mason

https://www.traversing.ca/blog/2026/10/26/nfb-celebrates-the-40th-anniversary-of-waterwalker

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-193-fresh-air/clip/16247951-iconic-canadian-documentary-waterwalker-returns-big-screen

Paying Attention to the Future of the Wind

                                                       Moses Crossing the Red Sea -- Marc Chagall 

 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.  What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

John 3: 5-8 NRSVue

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T'was the witch of November come stealin'.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the Gales of November came slashin'.
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind.

from The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald -- Gordon Lightfoot 

Back in April I wrote about a fascinating new book called The Breath of the Gods: The History and  Future of the Wind. I commented on the prodigious output of author Simon Winchester over the decades. Well, Winchester will put out no more, having died at the age having died earlier this month at the age of 82. The Breath of the Gods turned out to be his last gasp as an author and an impressive one at that. 

This is not a religious book by any stretch but he was thorough enough to note that there are plenty of references to wind and windy in the bible, 83 according to a 17th century Scottish cleric who obviously had a lot of time on his hands. Winchester is disparaging of the "somewhat overwrought" third chapter of John's gospel where Nicodemus visit Jesus by night. There are conservative Christians who insist that we must be "born again" to be true Christians but why not "wind-borne", given Jesus' words? I am partial to this passage myself. 

We live in an unsettling time of intensified winds around the planet, leading to catastrophic destruction due to supercharged wildfires and coastal waves. In our community we experienced a derecho a few years ago, as many others have. I had never heard of such a phenomenon until relatively recently. Even the jet stream is being affected by human-changed climate. Global Weirding, as climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe terms it. 

Maybe we need to be mindful of the once predictable zephyrs, breezes, and gales we can no longer take for granted. The metaphors abound but how humanity affects the wind and vice versa but attending to the wind is a practical spiritual matter as well. 

As it happens, this year marks the 50th anniversary of Gordon Lightfoot's hit song about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in a fierce November storm. 

In scripture wind can be both destructive and enlivening, sometimes in the same story. Think about the Red Sea exodus by the people of Israel and the mountain-shattering power of the Creator as the prophet Elijah stood before Yahweh. 

Simon Winchester may now have entered the eternal doldrums but I'm grateful for the breath of fresh air his book represented. Here is the link to my previous blog about The Breath of the Gods https://lionlamb-bowmanville.blogspot.com/2026/04/the-way-of-wind.html

The King James Version Bible...Play?

 

There are probably still a lot of homes, maybe mostly those of elderly people, with a King James Version bible gathering dust somewhere. I have my grandfather's KJV which he delved into daily for devotional reading and preparation for Sundays as a Salvation Army officer. The King James Version was the English bible for generations, well into the 20th century,  until the Revised Standard Version was developed in the 1940s and into the 1950s. A virtual tsunami of translations and paraphrases ensued. 

Lots of people have erroneously referred to it as the Saint James Bible but British King James I was no saint. He did want a standardized English language bible with minimal references to tyrants so he commissioned six committees of scholars and theologians to get to work creating a version which was both readable and speak-able in places of worship. The result changed the English language and opened the way to literacy for the masses -- always dangerous. 

I've written about the KJV a number of times through the years but I just found out that a Canadian playwright, Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman has written The King James Version Bible Play. Corbeil-Coleman grew up in a decidedly non-religious family but she was given her grandmother's KJV. Then a friend of her late mother gave her a copy of God's Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible by Adam Nicholson and the notion for a play was sparked. Yes, I have noted this 2003 book along the way. 

No one would go to a play about a 400-year-old version of Holy Scripture, would they?  It turns out that they already have with a sold-out run at Stratford in August. Another run is underway in Ottawa at the moment. The National Arts Centre describes the two-acts this way:  

A sacred story, a secular reckoning 

A gripping and humorous portrait of the men behind the monumental translation of the King James Bible and a group of modern women creating a play about that process, this world première is a fascinating interrogation of translation in all its forms.

Gripping? Humorous? Well done, Charlotte. Here is a link to an interview on CBC Radio Q with Corbeil-Coleman. 

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-50-q/clip/16247929-translating-god-who-actually-wrote-king-james-bible

Practical Hope for the Homeless

                                      Homeless Jesus Sculpture -- Timothy Schmalz 

Faith without Works Is Dead 

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Surely that faith cannot save, can it?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?  So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

James 2: 14-17 NRSVue

A week ago Prime Minister Carney announced a commitment of $11 billion over four years as the first phase of ending homelessness in Canada in ten years. 

Yesterday the CBC Radio program The Current interviewed several people who are involved in addressing homelessness in their jurisdictions to ask whether the federal commitment is doable. One was Joe Preston. the mayor of St. Thomas, Ontario, population 47,000. The community has taken a proactive and determined approach to homelessness, beginning with enumerating the homeless population and figuring out who they are, by name and contact, never an easy task with those who have no fixed address. While there are shelter beds in St Thomas the bigger goal is to house this group of people, which they are doing with great success. hey are several years into a ten-year plan. 

 I was greatly encouraged by the whole segment so here is the link  https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/budget-homelessness-canada-decade-9.7411226

Mayor Preston described well what they are doing although he didn't mention the faith-based program called Indwell. This group has been very involved in creating affordable housing in St Thomas, including there-purposing of a former school. A blog reader, Judy, suggested that many communities have redundant school properties which could become housing, so this is an example. 

The Station at 16 Queen Street in St. Thomas is a 45-unit highly supportive housing building constructed by charity developers Indwell. The city's mayor says two more similar projects will be completed by early next year to house more individuals (Indwell)

The name Indwell suggests providing dwelling space for those who are marginalized and unhoused. It also brings to mind the biblical notion of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, of being imbued and enlivened by the Spirit of the Living God. 

Here is the statement of faith for Indwell, grounded in scripture and one of the great creeds of our Christian faith. All of the biblical references are thought-provoking and convicting. The one from the New Testament book of James is one I find particularly meaningful: 

We affirm the faith expressed in the Apostles’ Creed and build on the following core convictions as the theological foundation for our work:

1. Honouring Human Dignity

We believe that every person is created in the image of God and carries inherent dignity and worth regardless of housing status, wealth, gender, ability, ethnicity, or belief. From the earliest days of the church, followers of Jesus have affirmed that all people are equal before God (Genesis 1:27; Galatians 3:28).

2. Modeling the Love of God

Jesus’ life and mission brought good news to the poor and marginalized. He called his followers to care for “the least of these,” and he taught us to pray that God’s reign of justice, peace, and love would come on earth as it is in heaven. Through his words and actions, Jesus showed that love and compassion for our neighbors are essential signs of God’s kingdom. Justice and mercy are fundamental to who God is, and they are central to who we are called to be. The Scriptures urge us to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” and to stand up for the poor and vulnerable. Living this out means responding to injustice with compassion and courage (Luke 4:18–19; Matthew 25:35–40; Matthew 6:9–13; Matthew 22:37–40; Luke 10:25–37; Micah 6:8; Jeremiah 22:16; Psalm 11:7; 145:8).

3. Embodying Hope

We hold to the hope of the Gospel that God is at work, healing lives, renewing communities, and bringing justice to the oppressed. We seek to live out this mission in practical, faithful ways: welcoming those who have been marginalized, restoring community, and nurturing spaces of joy, belonging, and healing. We would insist that faith without works is dead (Isaiah 58:6–12; Revelation 21:3–5; James 2:17).

Our Quarrel with the Foe?

 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

In Flanders Fields -- John McCrae, WW1 Canadian solider & physician 

Our excellent local library is home to an art gallery as well and this year there is a cabinet full of ceramic poppies created by Perry Poupore. They were made as part of a project for the 75th anniversary of D-Day during WW2 in collaboration with Eastminster United Church here in Belleville. The poppy as an improbable symbol of remembrance of those who served and died in world conflicts has endured for more than a century. 

On Remembrance Sunday this moving poem was read or sung in different congregations where I was the pastor. I was always willing to include a time of solemn reflection in the service but I struggled with the phrase "take up our quarrel with the foe." and the notion that if we didn't we would have broken faith with those who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

I suppose, though, we can interpret it not just as a call to arms but as a reminder that even though some conflicts are necessary and even just, wasting the potential of those who go off to war is folly.

We live in an alarming time, one of the most unstable moments since World War Two. Important alliances seem tenuous. Russia's despicable aggression against Ukraine and America's senseless war with Iran are destabilizing the world order. Israel seems to have adopted a warrior mentality against everyone around them. The conflict in Sudan is the forgotten civil war that has killed at least 150,000 and displaced 14.5 million with foreign powers vying for influence. 

Our Canadian government seems intent on greatly expanded military spending and speaks of being prepared for war while reducing international aid for those who need it most. 

How do we absorb and make sense of this ominous global turmoil? Taking up the quarrel with the foe may mean that we respect those who served courageously and still do, while choosing not to engage in hatred. We can acknowledge as well that the world has and will continue to change. Foes of the past become allies, Quarrels end and new alliances are forged. This perspective allows us to be hopeful even though it seems that the storm clouds are gathering. 

As an old man I'm convinced that it is not God's intention for us to be gladiators and warriors, glorifying brutality 

 I hope that the symbol of the poppy and the words of the poem will continue to be meaningful reminders for decades to come of the sacrifices of others while strengthening our resolve to be peace-mongers, in Christ's name.  

Butterflies, Owls and the Glory of Creation

                           Barred Owl -- David McKnight photographer (gift from reader Judy McKnight)

 In September we visited friends who live an hour away, not far from the Lake Ontario shore. I wrote about their involvement in a group which helps maintain the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area a small gem tucked in alongside the growing community of Newcastle.

We were there on a beautiful day two months ago to participate in a tagging event for Monarch butterflies with nearly 500 swooped up in nets and carefully registered as they embarked on the journey to Mexico. I wrote a blog entry about the intergenerational crowd on hand that day amidst the wildflowers, looking out to Lake Ontario, and the sense of delight amongst the earnest participants. People were open and friendly even as they were purpose-driven. 

Last weekend we spent time with our friends again and because it was another glorious day we returned to Samuel Wilmot for a walk along with many others. We strolled through a section of towering older growth trees and shared stories of seeing Barred owls there in the past -- we lived in the area for a decade. 

We came around a corner to find a family with two children stock still on the trail and the boy carefully held up a finger to his lips and pointed. Sure enough, there was an owl sitting surprising low in a crook of tree, camouflaged almost to invisibility. We all watched as it seemed to examine us before taking flight directly beside the startled family. Ruth had begun filming with her phone camera and caught the owl swooping past the young teen girl's head, She was ecstatic when Ruth showed her the video clip and an airdrop was soon completed. Going on family walks is a hard sell for most teenagers but she was happy.

Again, there was an openness between total strangers that wouldn't occur in other settings. I am convinced that as humans we are made to have a sense of wellbeing in the presence of other creatures which allows us to be more fulfilled humans, our true selves. Of course, many people experience this without any specific religious convictions yet I feel that these moments are spiritual and they might agree.

 I figure we are all children of the Creator, whatever our age may be. My faith is rooted in the Incarnation, the earthly, earthy presence of God in Christ who was aware of birds and flowers, water and trees and spoke of them as he taught. 

Who knows what our next experience at Samuel Wilmot will  bring.  

                                                   Ruth Mundy, successful Monarch butterfly hunter