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| The rivière Richelieu at Île-aux-Noix, Québec. Image by Marcel Lemieux |
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A GREETING
When I am anxious and worried, you comfort me and bring me joy.
(Psalm 94:19 TIB)
A READING
Then they went on to Jerusalem. Jesus entered the Temple and began driving out those engaged in selling and buying. He overturned the money changers’ tables and the stalls of those selling doves; moreover, he would not permit anyone to carry goods through the Temple area.
(Mark 11:15-17 TIB)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Let the sea and all within it thunder;
Let the rivers clap their hands.
(Psalm 98:7a;8a TIB)
A POEM
Where is the thatch-roofed village, the home of Acadian farmers,
Men whose lives glided on like rivers that water the woodlands,
Darkened by shadows of earth, but reflecting an image of heaven?
Waste are those pleasant farms, and the farmers forever departed!
Scattered like dust and leaves, when the mighty blasts of October
Seize them, and whirl them aloft, and sprinkle them far o'er the ocean
Naught but tradition remains of the beautiful village of Grand-Pré.
Ye who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient,
Ye who believe in the beauty and strength of woman's devotion,
List to the mournful tradition still sung by the pines of the forest;
List to a Tale of Love in Acadie, home of the happy.
- from Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
VERSE OF THE DAY
Just ask—I’ll give you the nations as your inheritance!
I’ll give you the ends of the earth as your possession!
(Psalm 2:8 TIB)
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| The Canadian/US border on the Richelieu, near Highgate Springs, VT and Phillipsburg, Québec. Image by Jean-François Renaud. |
Canadians hold many layers of identity, depending on how long they have been on the land. In the Eastern part of the country, clans, races, and nations of origin hold the stories of living in peace and also living with violence and oppression. Among the many Indigenous communities and the French people of Eastern Canadian provinces, there are overlapping narratives of danger and loss.
As French settlers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the 17th century, those who called themselves Acadian formed relationships of trust and alliance with the Mi’qmaq people who welcomed them and helped them adjust to environment and climate. Mutual respect, inter-marriage and trade allowed for peaceful co-existence. However, France and England were the dominant colonizing nations in the 17th through 19th centuries in Lower Canada and wars over territory often broke out among them. The Seven Years War between the French and the English ended in 1763 with the British victorious. Between 1755 and 1764, more than 10,000 Acadians were forcibly expelled. Both the Acadians and the Mi’qmaq were persecuted by the English and their way of life and partnership vanished. As the video below demonstrates, Acadians were sent all over North America, including Louisiana where 'Acadian' in the Chiac French language became 'cajun'. Some also managed to make their way north and west into Québec (represented by the upward yellow arrow in the video). The northward flowing currents of the Richelieu River brought them to the edge of the St. Lawrence River, east of Montreal. St. Jean-sur-Richelieu holds a memorial to remember them.
Today, the Richelieu River also flows through the border of Canada and the United States, as it moves toward the St. Lawrence from Lake Chaplain. The image above captures the ephemerel nature of boundaries. A tree with its roots in one country may have branches that extend into the air space of another. Rivers and lakes are often used for boundary lines in treaties, as we will soon be exploring. But the trees and the rivers do not know these borders. Neither do the northern pike, bowfin, and largemouth bass that swim in the Richelieu across the international border.
In today's reading, Jesus makes a different kind of expulsion: he drives out of the temple all those who are operating out of corruption and exploitation. He is upending the tables in order to restore justice. His act of resistance is unexpected and provocative, causing uproar. Justice is sometimes loud. With Jesus, however, we know that his love is louder.
In the Hebrew Bible, the non-Jewish people are referred to as 'the Nations (or Gentiles)'. Jesus wanted them in his midst, and encouraged interactions with them. Paul made this a priority of his mission. In our own time in North America, what does it mean to be a ‘nation’? How much does it matter to us which way our water flows and for whom?
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A STORY OF ENDURANCE
This short video from Historica Canada offers a helpful overview of the story of the expulsion of the Acadians.
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Resources in today's devotion:
Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
Full lyrics for Farewell Acadia can be found here.
Adam Ruzzo is a Canadian classical guitarist and singer/songwriter. Learn more about him here.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet. Although not Acadian himself, he grew up in Maine near Acadian communities.
Learn more about the poem Evangeline's relationship with Acadia.
For more on the history of Acadia, go here.
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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!