Boundary Waters
John 19:28-30
“I am thirsty.” v. 28
Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink.
As an associate pastor with youth in my portfolio, I twice took a group of adults and youth on expeditions to the Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. This mostly pristine area of lakes and rivers is set aside for a few people at a time to enjoy. Motorboats aren’t allowed only people-powered crafts.
The campsites in the Boundary Waters remain crude and undeveloped with no wells or plumbing of any kind. The need to portage canoes and supplies from one place to another means that it is entirely impractical to carry gallons of drinking water. Instead outfitters in the area provide purification tablets to use with the lake water. Our other option was to boil water before using it for drinking or cooking.
However, on a long and hot summer day of paddling for several hours, people get thirsty. Surrounded by water and dying of thirst, most of us eventually gave in and simply dipped a cup into the lake or the river. Thankfully the water was clean enough, and no one got sick.
Many years ago, attending a National Boy Scout Jamboree near Colorado Springs we camped far from water. The summer grass was already brown and dormant. It never rained the week we were there. Once when I was at a distance from our campsite, I was watching a demonstration of some scouting skill. In the hot sun, I got thirsty. In front of me lay a canteen of water—someone else’s canteen. I gave in to the temptation, picked up the canteen, and took a big swallow of water. It tasted good until the adult who owned the canteen saw me and confronted my stealing his water. Thirst is a powerful motivator. What would a person do for a drink of water? How far would a person walk for a cold drink of water?
PRAY: God of all creation, we pray for all those who live far from a source of clean water and who carry water great distances. We give thanks for those who seek to provide wells and clean water to thirsty people. We pray for developers and well drillers. Amen.
FAST: By considering a low flow toilet.
ACT: Set aside large bottle of water
OR set aside $1 to give to the ELCA World Hunger Appeal.
...the least of these... 