The World's Oceans, the Creator's Oceans

Haida Gwaii

On World Oceans Day yesterday there were many posting on social media recognizing the degradation of oceans, their economic importance to humanity, the threat of rising sea levels to coastal areas and island nations. 

There were also reminders of the sheer beauty and wonder of our beleaguered seas and oceans. We call our planet Earth but it could be Ocean, given that salt water makes up more than two thirds of the surface. 

Earlier this year it was likely that we would visit oceans on three occasions during 2020. We were hoping to take up the kind offer of cousins to spend time at their summer place on Chesapeake Bay and in the Fall we wanted to return to the outport Newfoundland community where I first served in ministry to see a dear friend who's had a debilitating stroke. 

We had also planned a trip to Haida Gwaii, the archipelago off the British Columbia coast which is sometimes called the Northern Galapagos. Our time there was to include a five-day kayak excursion in Gwaii Haanas, the National Park co-managed with the Haida First Nation. This trip has been cancelled, or at least deferred to next year. We doubt either of the other two will occur this year meaning that for the first time in a couple of decades we won't experience the sea. I'll admit that seeing that Haida Gwaii/Gwaii Haanas photos resulted in pangs of loss. We always feel so enlivened by proximity to the sea and feel the presence of the Creator. 

The oceans and seas are celebrated in scripture as places of terror and delight. Genesis and the psalms invite us to consider the diverse creatures of the sea. The story of Jonah involves a sea voyage.The apostle Paul spread the Good News of Jesus Christ in a variety of ways, including voyages on the Mediterranean. 

We know beyond doubt that the diversity and abundance of the oceans in biblical times was far greater than it is today. So I'll try not to mourn our loss. Perhaps the pandemic which keeps us and millions of others at home this year will be a meaningful Sabbath for the seas.