One of the books I read to prepare for this Season of Creation is Daniel Macfarlane’s “The Lives of Lake Ontario: An Environmental History”. For clarity, the name Lake Ontario is an anglicised version of the Iroquoian name oniatari:io meaning “lake of shining waters”.
Lake Ontario is the lowest of the Great Lakes. All of the other lakes drain into Lake Ontario and then the waters make their way through the St. Lawrence seaway into the Atlantic Ocean. This means that Lake Ontario is vulnerable to all of the pollution that accumulates in all of the other lakes and vulnerable to any foreign species that migrate up the St. Lawrence through shipping. Niagara Falls and the Welland Canal help control some of this movement upstream into the other Great Lakes.
Approximately one quarter of Canada’s population lives within the Lake Ontario watershed – close to 9 million people, most in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region from Toronto through Hamilton and Niagara. While there are those who happily pay for waterfront condominium views, few would actually want to taste the water directly from the lake. They are acutely aware of times when local beaches are closed due to run off, sewage, and pollutants. This is one of the reasons many prefer to vacation in Muskoka or other smaller lake areas deemed safer for water sports. This speaks volumes about our relationship with the lake!
How many of us would be willing to taste the water we have collected? Why not?
Then the Lord said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you…and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.
The Bible uses water language – rain, dew, frost – to describe the gift of manna in the wilderness. The Israelites don’t know what it is at first. Still, they trust Moses. More than that, they trust God and so they gather and they eat. God is good, giving humanity all that we need to survive and thrive in this world.
Of course, some fear there won’t be enough and so they try to horde, keeping more than they need. Humans can be greedy that way. Do we know what happens when people get greedy? There are consequences. The manna given by God becomes foul and breeds worms. God provides enough for everyone’s need but not everyone’s greed. There are consequences when humans become greedy. The Israelites discovered this in the wilderness. We discover this when we can no longer freely taste the freshness of the waters around us.
Macfarlane’s book reminds us that we are learning and unlearning from our relationship with Lake Ontario and all of the Great Lakes. We have made some serious mistakes with some serious consequences. We are working to do better. We have a lot more work to do.
God’s gifts continue to be abundant, enough for everyone’s need. May we taste and see the goodness of the Lord and seek to safeguard the integrity of God’s gifts for today and for the future. This we pray as we sing: (VT) 467 Taste and See
