Living Water and Water Day

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, 
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me,  
and let the one who believes in me drink. 
As the scripture has said, 
‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” 
 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; 
for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

John 7:37-39

Yesterday it was forests. Today it's water. Interesting that these international days are back to back in the yearly calendar. 

Water is essential to life for humans and all living things yet it is perplexing that we treat it in such a cavalier and even reckless manner. We are crazy about oil and a convoy of Albertans recently drove across the country to make a case in Ottawa for the oil industry. We tend to take H2O for granted until we don't have clean water or drought occurs. Here in Ontario we experienced the Walkerton crisis of 2,000 and many First Nations communities have existed for decades without potable water. 
 

The United Nations theme this year is "leaving no one behind" and while we are aware that billions of humans exist without safe drinking water or have to travel considerable distances to procure it,  there are significant issues in this country where we assume that there is abundant water. 

 In December the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, Dianne Sax issued the annual report which told us that an “astonishing amount” of pollution still flows into Ontario’s lakes and rivers and the government must take action, says the province’s environmental watchdog.The main pollutants are raw municipal sewage, agricultural manure or fertilizer runoff, toxic waste and road salt. Remember that millions of Canadians get their drinking water from the Great Lakes. And that the Environmental Commissioner's job is one the current government wanted to eliminate.

 

Jesus described himself as the Bread of Life, and the True Vine and the Good Shepherd in John's Gospel. In an exchange with the Samaritan Woman he promises her that he is Living Water. We can focus there today. 

Oh yes, forests and water have an interwoven relationship, so it makes sense to have their "days" together.