The earth “was a formless voice and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
Water was before all else. Water is the source of all life. We would die without it. Water’s sacredness and transforming power is named throughout the Bible. Even as our sacred text comes to a close, the image of water is used to remind us of the life-sustaining power of both water and our God: “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift” (Revelation 22:17).
The water that nourishes us, cleanses us, baptizes us, and restores us does not come from an endless faucet. Water comes from a loving and merciful God – a God who has instructed us to be caretakers of this life-giving resource. We are called to honor it, to respect it and to teach our grandchildren, children and even our peers to have reverence for it by the habits we model each day.
This message is excerpted from “Our sacred waters” by Venice R. Williams in the May 2018 Gather magazine. Today we commemorate Helena, mother of Constantine, c. 330.
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