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| Batangas Beach, Philippines. Image by Jose Nicdao |
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A GREETING
I cry to you, please, God of my ancestors,
Creator of the seas,
Ruler of all creation— hear my prayer.
(Judith 9:12 TIB)
A READING
Then the eagle carried off a seedling vine and planted it in rich soil;
like a willow planted by abundant water, it sprouted and became a vine,
speading out low to the ground with branches turned back to the stem,
its roots deep in the rich loam. And it became a vine with branches and rich foliage.
Along came a second great eagle with broad wings and full plumage.
And now the vine twisted its roots toward the eagle; and reached its branches toward it
so that eagle might water it. From the soil where it was planted
it was transplanted to rich soil near abundant water,
so that it might grow branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine.’
(Ezekiel 17:5-8 TIB)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Love is stronger than death, and as unrelenting.
No water could ever put out this love; no flood could wash it away.
(Song of Songs 8:7 TIB)
A POEM
Note: a derecho is a windstorm that precedes hurricanes and floods
And the high winds bore down, and the sky
built up that grey wall: derecho.
The taverns by the sea closed their shutters,
and the stands selling battered fries, derecho.
On the boardwalk, pieces of salt-water taffy, half-
eaten funnel cakes oozing grease and cream: derecho.
And the people on every highway, panicked, sought
a clear route for their exodus: derecho
What’s in your emergency backpack? Beef jerky, mineral
water, flashlight, solar cells? Snap in the sound of derecho.
Yesterday, white and blue sails pretty on the water;
sharp glint of skyscraper glass. Then this derecho.
- "Derecho Ghazal" by Luisa A. Igloria
VERSE OF THE DAY
When you pass through the seas, I will be with you;
when you pass over the rivers, you will not drown.
(Isaiah 43:2 TIB)
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| Philippines beach. Image by Jose Nicdao |
From Yakushima Island, the flow of waters moves south through the Philippine Sea which comes along the east coast of that country. On its western side, the islands of the Philippines are met by the South China Sea, the Sulu Sea and the Celebes Sea to the south. Like Japan, the Philippines have had too much tragic story unfolding from climate change. In November of 2013, two and a half years after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Super Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, impacting more than 14 million people and killing eight thousand.
In today’s reading, the prophet Ezekiel is relaying a promise from God that where a seed is planted near abundant waters, it will be transplanted to good soil and bear fruit. This is an agricultural practice we all can relate to when we bring out our seedlings that we have carefully watered in the winter and plant them in our spring gardens. But what happens when the “abundant waters” are more than human life can sustain, or when extraordinary weather produces catastrophic water as in the typhoons and tsunamis of the past decades? Like those living in the northern part of Japan, the people of The Philippines have a close familiarity with extreme weather-related raging seas. (This New York Times article from 2020, provided without a paywall, compares Manila and San Francisco and their rising sea levels.)
Today’s music was written by Filipino composer Ryan Cayabyab. Making a play on the word, ‘paraiso’ meaning ‘paradise’ in Spanish, is also the name of a community where he grew up. The lyrics the opposite of a paradise — a ghetto where the largest garbage dump in Manila (known as Smokey Mountain) is a place of work and play for many children. The song tells us that as hard as their lives are, they also find ways to be emboldened and creative.
In the artist video below, we hear Filipino street artist A.G. Saño describe how he walked from Rome to Paris in 2015 with colleagues and friends to draw attention to the climate vulnerability of The Philippines while the United Nations Climate Change Summit was taking place in Paris. Walking, for him is a form of prayer, in which he holds close those he prays for with every step. His murals give voice to the hundreds of thousands of people in his country who are vulnerable to loss of home, means of living and even their lives. Acclaimed Filipina poet Luisa Igloria gives us a sense of how suddenly and rapidly life can change. Artists like Saño and Igloria have become the “vine” promised by God with Ezekiel, growing the message of climate emergency.
When you are walking through the events of your day today, how can you use that time to pray for those affected by rising sea levels in island nations?
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MURALS OF RESISTANCE
Filipino street artist AG Saño lost three loved ones to the Super-Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. In 2014, he co-created a mural depicting a lost friend, to draw attention to the immediacy of climate impacts. Eight years later in December of 2022, he completed a goal of 1000 murals in and around the Philippines that draw attention to climate impacts and those lost to climate-related disasters.
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Resources in today's devotion:
Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
The full lyrics for Paraiso by composer Ryan Cayabyab can be found here, along with background on the song.
For more on Filipino poet Louisa Igloria, go here.
Find out more about mural artist AG Saño here and here.
The next devotional day is Monday, March 24.
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LC† Streams of Living Justice is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!