The Creator and World Rivers Day

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,
 though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.

Psalm 46:1-4 NRSVue

Yesterday we headed to a section of the Moira River north of Belleville with two of our grandchildren and a canoe on the roof. We spent about an enjoyable hour on the water with sightings of blue herons and kingfishers. When we first paddled with these two they were three and five years old and the younger was small enough to fit in front of Ruth in the bow. They take up a lot more room at nine and eleven and the older enjoys paddling rather than being a passenger. On our return to the launch spot I went out with him in the bow for a few minutes and he was a proficient paddler. 

It is wonderful that there are so many waterways. large and small, in this province and across the country. In days past our streams and rivers have been the highways for Indigenous peoples as well as trade routes for the voyageurs. 

This is World Rivers Day and according to the website:

World Rivers Day is a global celebration of the world’s waterways. It emphasizes the importance of rivers, aims to increase public awareness, and encourages better stewardship of rivers everywhere. Rivers in virtually every country face numerous threats, and only through our active involvement can we ensure their health and vitality for generations to come.

Canada has some of the longest and broadest rivers in the world including the Mackenzie in the west and the St. Lawrence in the east. We also share rivers such as the Columbia with our American neighbours, which is a little scary. During a recent rally the demented Donald Trump claimed “So you have millions of gallons of water pouring down from the north with the snow caps in Canada and all pouring down. And they have essentially a very large faucet. And you turn the faucet and it takes one day to turn it. It’s massive.”

While this is a bizarre claim the United States has coveted Canadian water for years. Speaking of bizarre, Robert Kennedy Jr, the conspiracy theorist presidential candidate who has now thrown in his lot with Trump was the co-founder of the excellent North American organization called Riverkeepers. A few years ago I invited the head of Waterkeepers Canada, originally an offshoot of Riverkeepers, to speak at Bridge St. Church during Creation Time.

Let's include in our prayers the northern Indigenous community of Grassy Narrows whose river, the English-Wabigoon, is still dangerously polluted by mercury after decades of posonous effluent by industry.

Today I do want to celebrate rather than lament our rivers, despite all the threats. Perhaps we could all recall times on or near rivers that brought us pleasure and a sense of the holy. There are plenty of references to rivers in scripture and we can uphold the joy of living, flowing water.