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| Image by Coronaviking |
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A GREETING
Lead me in your truth, and teach me.
(Psalm 25:2a)
A READING
God created
the heavens
and the earth.
But the earth became chaos and emptiness, and darkness came over the face of the Deep—yet the Spirit of God was brooding over the surface of the waters.
(Genesis 1:1-2 TIB)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
‘Be still, and know that I am God!'
(Psalm 46:10)
A POEM
Quiet friend who has come so far,
feel how your breathing makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell. As you ring,
what batters you becomes your strength.
Move back and forth into the change.
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.
In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.
And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am.
- “Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower” by Rainer Maria Rilke
Translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows
found on the website for On Being
VERSE OF THE DAY
Listen to me in silence, O coastlands.
(Isaiah 41:1a)
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| Image by Coronaviking |
In Genesis, we hear how God created the earth and the heavens and the waters that separate them. The very first words of scripture create an eternal bond between bodies of water and bodies of land. And yet, immediately we hear also that this same place was a waste place, an emptiness. Somehow, within the story of the creativity of God, there has already been ruination. And yet God has been able to reform that desolate place.
In our contemporary world, however, ruination does not exist as a part of God's creative energy, but as the direct result of the hubris of humankind. Genesis chapter 1 reveals that long before humans arrive, God creates ecosystems and vegetation, flourishing abundant fauna and teeming waters. Then humankind is created to become the stewards of Creation. As time unfolds, we humans have separated ourselves out from the created world, to control and exploit it.
Now we are standing on a threshold of complete devastation of what was once created. The chaos and emptiness are making a return.
In Celtic spirituality, thresholds, the places of passage from one time or place to another, can be places of transformation. Thresholds remind us that we still have the capacity to transform our relationship to the created world, if we are prepared to make the sacrifices and do the work of dramatic change. Threshold spirituality reminds us that we have the power to transform the 'waste places' of our own making.
Coastal regions of rivers, lakes, streams and seas are transformational places, where some of the most important ecosystems and geological histories live. They are also where environmental destruction is most evident. Over the next two weeks, we will explore the remarkable life that exists at the edge places between water and land, while also hearing about how we are losing these precious places.
How much are we willing to make transformational change as we reach and pass climate thresholds? How can we listen to the wisdom of Creation and hear its cries?
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CREATION IN THE EDGE PLACES
The common loon is a species of bird who nest along the shorelines of lakes. As lakes become over-populated with people and sound, boats and traffic, these habitats are increasingly at risk, diminished, or gone. In 2021, Birds Canada wrote: "our analysis suggests that a complex interplay between damage from acid rain, mercury pollution, and ongoing climate heating may be at least partly to blame for the loon productivity declines across the country." (Source) The cry of the loon is one of the most plaintiff, beautiful sounds that nature makes. How long will we have it?
Video source: Ray Yeager Photography on Instagram.
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LC† On the Threshold is a project 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, and on Twitter. 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!