Passover, Easter, and a Supertanker

The March full moon, or Worm Moon...hmm...was yesterday, Sunday, at three in the afternoon. We were in the midst of a downpour and it was daytime, so we didn't see anything out there, let alone the moon. We were aware of its almost-full clarity on Saturday night. 

This moon is important for Jews and Christians, both with Passover and Easter. Yesterday marked the beginning of Passover and because Easter is on the first Sunday after the full moon of the Spring Equinox it will be this coming Sunday. Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover in the days before his death, and the Last Supper was a Pesach seder. He agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane in the light of the moon. 

                                                                 

                                                              Gethsemane -- Julia Stanvoka 

I figure that us Groundlings need to acknowledge the rhythms and cycles of Earth and Moon which influence the seas as well as the seasons of our faiths. While we can calculate the tides precisely there is also a profound mystery to them which can open us to the Creator. 

Over the past few days one of the most important shipping routes on the planet, the Suez Canal, has been blocked by a supertanker. It was wedged so tightly against both banks that there was speculation it could take weeks to float the ship again. While there were excavation crews and tugboats doing their best to float the ship, it was last night's tide and the moon which probably set it free. 

The sky is clear here today, so we may see the moon tonight. If we can, we can ponder our place in the solar system with a sense of wonder. We can also have a sense of reverence as we make our way through Passover and Holy Week. 

                                                 Supertanker Ever Given floated in Suez Canal 

The Trinity of H2O

45 

Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat;
    sing praise to him and highly exalt God forever.
46 Bless the Lord, dews and falling snow;
    sing praise to him and highly exalt God forever.
47 Bless the Lord, nights and days;
    sing praise to him and highly exalt God forever.
48 Bless the Lord, light and darkness;
    sing praise to him and highly exalt God forever.
49 Bless the Lord, ice and cold;
    sing praise to him and highly exalt God forever.
50 Bless the Lord, frosts and snows;
    sing praise to him and highly exalt God forever.

                                Song of Azariah -- verses 45-50

This morning I cycled along the Bay of Quinte, not far from our home, and for the first time this Spring there was no ice that I could see, not even in the bays. We might get a skiff of ice on our now-full rain barrels overnight but the season of ice and cold is over until late this year and I'm glad. 

Still, three Sunday morning's ago we drove to the village of Battawa, just north of Trenton, Ontario, where there were four outdoor public rinks for skating and hockey. We had awakened early so we got there just after 7:30 AM to find that the Zamboni was just finishing the ice resurfacing. Within minutes Ruth had her skates on and was circling the pristine ice with no one else around. It was magical for her, as was another skate a few weeks ago on a cleared skating path along the Bay of Quinte. That day we skiied down the lake to the path with Ruth's skates in her backpack.

We had four or five weeks of unexpectedly cold weather this year, what we would have considered regular Winter weather in our youth. People here in Belleville embraced it, heading out on the Bay to ski, skate, fish, walk, and play hockey in droves. It was wonderful to see. 

I've already written about what a gift the "trinity" of water is, as solid, liquid and vapour. We can't take water for granted, in whatever form it takes. Ice is one of those miracles of the natural world which Canadians should celebrate. 

This actiivty made me think of a book by Canadian Helen Humphries called The Frozen Thames which explores the 40 recorded times the Thames River in London, England,has frozen through the centuries. In several of those years impromptu carnivals took place on the river. The last time the river was totally frozen was 1963, although a cold snap this Winter froze a portion. 

That early March skate was the last for Ruth and after that day temperatures began to climb and the rinks were closed. We managed to get in one more icy cross-country ski. 

And...on Tuesday I convinced Ruth to go for a paddle on the Moira River, which she conceded was lovely (she is tolerant of my madness.) To everything there is a season...

Birdsong and Mental Health

 1 Birds are singing, woods are ringing,

With thy praises, blessed King;

Lake and mountain, field and fountain,
to thy throne their tributes bring.

Refrain:
We, thy children, join the chorus,
Merrily, gladly praising thee;
Glad hosannas, glad hosannas,
Joyfully we lift to thee.

2 Waters dancing, sunbeams glancing,
Sing thy glory cheerily;
Blossoms breaking, nature waking,
Chant thy praises merrily. [Refrain]

As promised, the rain was teeming down before first light this morning. "No worries!" warbled the robins of the Dawn Chorus. One might assume that it was a sunny start to the day from listening to them. 

As I got going I listened to an interview with a woman who is part of a research team which is looking at scientific reports on the positive effects of birdsong on the mental well-being of humans. Not surprisingly, we cheer up when we hear birds give voice, with up to a 180% increase. I don't mean to chirp these folks, but I did smile when I heard that percentage -- how do you measure something like this effectively?

Whether its science or spirituality, I can give my personal testimony to the positive effects of birdsong, or whatever we might term it. A couple of days ago we got out on the Moira River in a canoe for the first time this year. We saw and heard wood ducks, red-winged blackbirds, a pileated woodpecker, and a huge gathering of Canada geese which were on the last patch of ice on a pond in the river. When they took off it was a startling and impressive cacophony. We were grateful they headed away from us!

I mention these bird species because we might agree that they would benefit from a voice coach. There is nothing melodious about their cries, yet our spirits lifted at the sound. And some birds cheer us despite making no sound at all. Not long ago we scared a snowy owl out of a dead tree on the beach at Sandbanks Provincial Park. We watched its quiet flight along the shore and were thrilled. 

I can understand why the hymn from the old blue Hymnary above didn't make it past the cut for the red Hymn Book of 1971, let alone Voice United. I realize that while the King and throne stuff needed to go, the tone of praise for all creatures and all Creation still moves me.

I'll leave you with the song lyrics of those remarkable theologiians, Lennon and McCartney: 

 Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Happy Birthday David Suzuki...Moses?

Happy birthday Moses! Well, happy birthday of David Suzuki, who achieved 85 years yesterday. It's already been a good run for Suzuki who is revered by some and reviled by others. I don't know whether he would want to be called an environmentalist any more because he has reservations about some aspects of the environmental movement. Still, his life-long commitment to caring for Planet Earth, or Turtle Island is exemplary. He is a scientist who became the host of the CBC program The Nature of Things. He has been a passionate activist along the way, as well as a symbolic, sometimes abrasive figure in the broad picture of the environmental movement. 

When CBC television invited Canadians to participate in ranking the Greatest Canadian back in 2004 he came in at number 5, which was impressive. Thank God he was above Don Cherry. Suzuki has improved over time, while Cherry definitely has not.

 In some respects Suzuki has been a Moses figure, leading Canadians through the years in the wilderness of ignorance and denial regarding the climate crisis. While we were living in Halifax around the turn of the millennium I went to hear Suzuki on the Dalhousie University campus. He was speaking at 9 AM, an ungodly hour for students, so I got there half an hour early with a friend from the congregation. The line snaked around the building and while we got in we had to stand at the back of the balcony. That's a strong draw for someone who was well into his sixties at the time. 

Suzuki is not a fan of organized religion, so the biblical Moses comparison might annoy him. Through the years he has become increasingly spiritual, with admiration for the emphasis on living in balance with Creation demonstrated by Indigenous peoples. 

Our son Isaac was in Victoria a year ago February and while attending a course of the provincial museum he came upon Suzuki with one of his younger grandchildren. Suzuki has not given up hope for the planet, even though he has warned that the outcome of the climate crisis could be far more dire than the COVID pandemic. The book Letters to My Grandchildren includes his thoughts on a wide range of subjects, including his work through the years. 

There were times when the Moses of the exodus was ignored by God's people, with nasty consequences. Hear's hoping and praying that we'll listen to the men and women who are sounding the alarm and calling us to a different path for the sake of the Earth. 

World Water Day & Living Water

This morning I drove north of Belleville to walk at a conservation area along the Moira River, but I would have preferred to paddle. I did stop at a nearby boat launch and to my delight the river is now free of ice, or at least it is along the main channel. Less than two weeks ago we tentatively walked out on the ice to a small island just upstream. In the few minutes I was scoping the river out today I saw wood ducks, and a muskrat, and trumpeter swans. I was elated at the prospect of getting back on the water in a canoe or kayak, activities which saved our sanity through the bleakest days of the pandemic last year. 

This is World Water Day, so what better place to be than by a Canadian river. We are truly blessed in this country with an abundance of fresh and salt water. I do not take this for granted, and continue to give thanks for the beauty and variety, even into my dotage.

                                                                    Moira River this morning 

I've written often enough about the symbolism of water in Judeo/Christian scriptures, including Jesus' promise to provide Living Water to the Samaritan woman he encounters at a well, the longest conversation he has with anyone in the gospels. 

On this day we can be aware of the spiritual gift of water and its sacramental importance within our faith. 

As gospel people, called to justice, we can also be mindful that a shocking number of Indigenous communities within the borders of Canada do not have safe, drinkable water. Five years after Prime Minister Trudeau made a commitment to end this water crisis there are still more than 60 long-term water advisories in place. 

Thank God for Living Water. Please God, motivate leaders to bring about justice. 

Oh yes, I would appreciate your prayers that Ruth's heart will open to getting on the water this early in the season. 

Women and Care for Creation

                                           

                                                                      Wetsuweten Women 

Today is International Women's Day and I'm thinking of the Canadian women who have been fearlessly at the forefront of protecting the environment, of which we are a part as humans. These women often have a connection to Creation through their religious background.

Tzeporah Berman is an environmental activist and author who considers her passion for the Earth as a natural extension of her Jewish values. She said it’s an important part of tikun olam, repairing the world, but also tzedakah, which comes from the Hebrew word for justice. She said her environmentalism is “interwoven” with her Jewish identity.

Dianne Saxe is an environmental lawyer and was the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario until her position was eliminated by the miserable Ford government. Saxe is Jewish as well and also speaks of tikun olam. 

Annamie Paul is now the leader of the Canadian Green Party and as a Jew she is guided by the Jewish concept that if you save one person, you save the world. 

                                                        Green Party of Canada Leader, Annamie Paul

Elizabeth May is a Member of Parliament and former leader of the Green Party of Canada. In the past she would say that after she finished as Prime Minister of Canada she planned to become an Anglican priest. I have spoken with her personally about faith and active response to environmental issues. 

Katharine Hayhoe is a climate scientist who teaches at a university in Texas, but is a proud Canadian. She is an evangelical Christian in a state where many evangelicals deny the climate emergency as a mistaken tenet of faith. I've heard Hayhoe speak in nearby Kingston, and she is a hopeful, prophetic voice for the planet.

Autumn Peltier is a teen from Manitoulin Island, an Indigenous woman who has taken on the mantle of Waterkeeper and taken her message all the the way to the United Nations. She is a remarkable person who understands the spiritual traditions of her people, which we can all take to heart.

While I'm not familiar with the individual women of the Wetseweten First Nation, I admire their collaborative resolve in cherishing and protecting their traditional lands. 

Our Judeo/Christian scriptures invite us to be Groundlings, those who respect and honour Creation. This is certainly a central aspect of Indigenous spirituality.

Thank  the Creator or all these women and so many more who are providing insightful leadership for this crucial time. 

                                                              Autumn Peltier, Waterkeeper

Heavens Above!

Margaret Nazon: Milky Way Starry Night. (Collection of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre; image via Glenbow.)

When I left your house this mornin'

It was a little after nine
It was in Bobcaygeon, I saw the constellations
Reveal themselves one star at a time.

                        Chorus of Bobcaygeon by the Tragically Hip 

The conclusion  of Psalm 19, the lectionary psalm for the day concludes with verse 14:

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart 

be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer. 

Slight variations of this verse were the prayer before many a Sunday morning sermon for my minister father, for me over nearly four decades, and now our son, Isaac. As important as the conclusion of this psalm is, the opening words which speak of the heavens declaring the glory of God are just as meaningful for me. 

I love getting lost in a view of the night sky as well as relishing lengthening daylight hours as we move toward equinox and solstice. These are the everyday miracles of our existence on "the third rock from the sun." 

Here is a poem by British cleric Malcolm Guite which interprets the psalm beautifully: 

XIX Caeli enarrant 

 In that still place where earth and heaven meet

Under mysterious starlight, raise your head

And gaze up at their glory:  ‘the complete

 

Consort dancing’ as a poet said

Of his own words. But these are all God’s words;

A shining poem, waiting to be read

 

Afresh in every heart. Now look towards

The brightening east, and see the splendid sun

Rise and rejoice, the icon of his lord’s

 

True light. Be joyful with him, watch him run

His course, receive the gift and treasure of his light

Pouring like honeyed gold till day is done

 

As sweet and strong as all God’s laws, as right

As all his judgements and as clean and pure,

All given for your growth, and your delight!