Here we are at the end of this year’s Season of Creation… depending on when you read this article, of course. For those who aren’t familiar, the Season of Creation is an annual worldwide ecumenical time of prayer and action for God’s creation, our common home, celebrated between September 1 and October 4 (the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi). The Anglican Church of Canada adopted the observance into its liturgical calendar at General Synod 2019.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Living Water”, inspired by Ezekiel 47:9,12.
Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live… Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing. (NIV Ezekiel 47:9,12)
What I find interesting about metaphor is how it can speak to people in different ways. At the core of the river metaphor of Ezekiel is a message about the transformative power of God’s love: the fresh water from the sanctuary transforms the arid and salty landscape of the Holy Land into one that is teeming with life. Yet, each of us approaches this metaphor with distinct life experiences, causing different elements of the metaphor to resonate more strongly than others.
In my case, I see the riverbank as a thriving “ecosystem.” This ecosystem is thriving because of the fresh water, but also because of healthy relationships that are underpinned by the life-giving nature of the fresh water. The water percolates through the riverbank where it sustains the fruit trees. The fruit and leaves – which, of course, also contain the water – provide food and healing, not just for humankind, but for every living thing.
And in my contemporary extension of Ezekiel’s vision, this food and healing also extend to the ants, beetles, worms, bacterial colonies, and mycelial networks living on and in the soil, helping to break down whatever falls on the ground. Even with parasites, viruses, and carnivores in the mix, the riverbank is a place of nourishing harmony and balance, blessed by the presence of fresh water.
We too are blessed by God’s love. In the same way that the fresh water courses through the riverbank of Ezekiel’s vision to create a place of harmony and mutual wellbeing, the Living Water of God’s love can flow through us to transform the world through the “ecosystems” we inhabit – especially those that are in desperate need of the comforting and empowering message of God’s love. Whether it be the neighbourhood in which we live, our worship community, our family and friends, our workplace, our social clubs, our sports teams, or our online communities and networks, each of these “ecosystems” represents an opportunity to let God’s love transform the world, even if we simply lead by example.
Life-giving Creator, God
we thank you for the gift of Living Water
and ask that you embolden us
to transform the world
by bringing your love
to the ecosystems we inhabit.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ
who has shown us the way.
Amen.
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For other Creation Care & Stewardship resources, visit the AnglicanENL Creation Care & Stewardship webpage at:
https://anglicanenl.net/creation-care-stewardship/