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| Ennisclare Park, Toronto, Ontario. Image by Bill Badzo |
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A GREETING
I will sing the wonders of your love, O God,
proclaiming your faithfulness to all generations!
(Psalm 89:1 TIB)
A READING
You have shown mercy to our ancestors by remembering the holy Covenant you made with them, the oath you swore to Sarah and Abraham, granting that we, delivered from the hands of our enemies, might serve you without fear, in holiness and justice, in your presence all our days. Such is the tender mercy of our God, who from on high will bring the Rising Sun to visit us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Luke 1:72-75;78-79 TIB)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Your fidelity is fixed in the heavens.
(Psalm 89:2 TIB)
A POEM
A dash of yellow sand,
Wind-scattered and sun-tanned;
Some waves that curl and cream along the margin of the strand;
And, creeping close to these
Long shores that lounge at ease,
Old Erie rocks and ripples to a fresh sou'-western breeze.
A sky of blue and grey;
Some stormy clouds that play
At scurrying up with ragged edge, then laughing blow away,
Just leaving in their trail
Some snatches of a gale;
To whistling summer winds we lift a single daring sail.
O! wind so sweet and swift,
O! danger-freighted gift
Bestowed on Erie with her waves that foam and fall and lift,
We laugh in your wild face,
And break into a race
With flying clouds and tossing gulls that weave and interlace.
- "Erie Waters," by E. Pauline Johnson
VERSE OF THE DAY
All of your paths, O God, are full of love and faithfulness
for those who keep your Covenant and Testimonies.
(Psalm 25:10 TIB)
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| Lake Erie. Image by Dave Buckle |
Moving past Montreal, the St. Lawrence River flows southwesterly past Québec into Ontario. Near Cornwall, Ontario it starts to become part of the international border between Canada and the United States. The shared waters continue down past Kingston, Ontario (south of Wolfe Island) and into Lake Ontario. The Welland Canal, in the southwest end of the lake, connects Lake Ontario with Lake Erie. The currents of Ontario routinely move in a two-gyre counterclockwise rhythm along the entire shoreline of the lake in a circle.
Canada and the United States therefore not only share the same currents, but also resources generated by the water itself. The story of this relationship is built around two treaties which are critical to its productivity. The Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 was created to resolve more than 100 disputes that had arisen about use of water in the lakes and rights to divert water from its place of origin on one side, to the other. This treaty helped to make sure that Niagara Falls could stay scenic, while also channeling enough of its power to supply hydro-electricity. The Niagara Treaty of 1950 specifies further minimum and maximum amount of water flows.
Recent events in politics have questioned whether the treaties can hold the promise of friendship, neighbourliness and sharing that was in the minds of their creators. As we have seen with settler-Indigenous relations, when one party to a treaty decides that it is a dominant authority, the treaty can become fragile quickly. Treaties are a covenant, in which those involved are not just pledging the promise of goods, but are also drawing a circle around what is sacred to them both. For both countries, that circle included being able to live comfortably with hydro-electric power on both sides and with appropriately scenic views of a much beloved part of the continent for all to enjoy.
In today’s reading, in words that form part of the hymn of Zechariah, the writer of Luke shows us with a great passion and almost an ecstatic zeal what the fulfilment of a covenant can be, when the promises made are held as sacred. More cautiously, Bruce Cockburn sings of noticing the signs that the landscape has shifted, even while the feeling of ecstasy lingers.
No matter where we are headed in the coming days and months, how can all of us work to regain a measure of trust and friendship? How can small actions of friendship and commitment become their own form of covenant?
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A STORY OF BIRDING
Every spring and fall, hundreds of people make their way to Point Pelee National Park on the southwesterly corner of Lake Erie to take in the thousands of migrating birds that stop on the park's elongated sandy point. In this video, one such journey is documented. For many, birding is a spiritual practice, in which being present with birds offers a space for deep connection with Creation.
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Resources in today's devotion:
Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
Full lyrics for Wondering Where the Lions are, can be found here.
Emily Pauline Tekahionwake Johnson was a 19th/20th century writer and actor/singer who was mixed Indigenous and European heritage. She was well-known in her own time. To find out more, go here.
To learn more about the boundary treaties of Lakes Ontario and Erie, go here for the 1909 treaty, and here for the 1950 treaty.
To read an analysis of the current situation, 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!