Trinity 14 Year A – Season of Creation Ezekiel 47:9-12; John 7:37-39

A couple of days ago, I received an email from the diocesan finance department, asking why I had used 64% more water than expected in the last quarter.

The email frustrated me, because of course, like everyone else, we have been doing everything we can to keep our water usage to an absolute minimum.

Our paddling pool which was full before the hosepipe ban came in, we painstakingly emptied into our three water butts, so that we could continue to water the garden, with the salvaged water.

I made the decision to only water the tomatoes, and one other pot, in the garden and only ever from the water butts or grey water from the kitchen.

So I was frustrated, when I felt accused of consuming way more than my fair share of water … and no doubt the diocese is frustrated because they have got to pay for it.

What made it all the more annoying, was that this is not the first time it has been suggested our water usage is more than expected. This has been going on for the last 18 months, every time a bill comes in.

We have been asked to look for leaks, when we couldn’t find any, a plumber was sent.

Then nothing happened until the next bill and we did the same, checked for leaks and confirmed we couldn’t find anything a miss …

And so the cycle has continued, until this final bill.

After a quick email to the property and finance department, at 8.30am the next morning, I had a builder on my doorstep, and the leak has been located, somewhere in the pipe leading from the mains to the house … sadly, unlike here at St. Johns, it has not turned our grass green and revealed itself to us over the recent dry months.

And so hopefully in the next week or so the problem will be resolved.

This summer we have been visibly reminded of the importance of water!

We have been asked to do what we can to conserve water, with most of the country having hosepipe bans.

We have seen the devasting effects of wild fires ripping through parched lands.

We have been reminded how important water is to us.

This morning, we begin the season of creation, this years theme is ‘living water’ which was picked up on in our bible readings.

Ezekiels vision reframes water – the most basic element of life – as a divine agent of renewal, justice and hope, a life-giving force flowing from God’s sanctuary.

The vision begins with a small trickle – droplets of water flowing from the place of prayer and sacrifice. From a tiny stream it grows to an unstoppable river – the first marvel. The river grows as it flows from the temple, nourished by the worship and prayers of God’s people.

But the second marvel is greater still. The river does not merely sustain life, it restores entire ecosystems. The prophet saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on one side and on the other.

But we face a water crisis.

According to the united nations, 1.7 billion people lack basic hygiene services at home, and 2.1 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, that is 1 in 4 people on the globe.

As climate change intensifies, and groundwater extraction increases, several countries are now reaching a so-called ‘point of water bankruptcy’ that is a condition marked by irreversible losses of natural water capital.

Although access to drinking water is a human right for all, the multifaceted water crisis disproportionately affects vulnerable communities, future generations, and non-human life that has no voice in political or economic systems.

The impact on ecosystems and biodiversity is devastating: according to the world wide fund for nature, we are facing catastrophic declines in aquatic wildlife, with freshwater populations dropping by a staggering 85% and marine populations by 56% in the last 50 years.

From a theological perspective, this crisis reflects broken relationships – between humankind and God, within the human family itself and between human beings and other living beings.

Ezekiels vision however is ultimately one of hope. As co-workers with the creator, our relationship with non-human creation should be grounded in the biblical vision of creation as an interconnected community of life. This relationship is one of sacred partnership and mutual custodianship rather than domination.

Pope Francis described it as ‘A relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature.’

We are called to confront the aforementioned injustices and to reject a worldview that treats water as a disposable resource. On every continent, inspired by our faith, Christians are acting: rivers are being restored, water sources are being protected from pollution and extractive industries – and arid lands are becoming green again. Wells are being dug and water provided for parishes, villages and health care centres.

Scripture repeatedly associates water with divine healing and renewal. Think of Naaman dipping himself in the Jordan river, and the healing of the paralysed man sitting by the pool. Ezekiel himself is immersed progressively deeper into the river, echoing baptismal imagery and symbolising transformation.

Earlier in the book of Ezekiel, God promises cleansing, a new heart and a new spirit precisely through water. We are reminded of the water and blood that flowed for healing from Jesus’ side.

As believers we are promised that if we receive and accept the water from the temple – that is, God’s healing – then ‘rivers of living water’ will also flow from our hearts.

As we are healed and renewed – living water will also flow from us for the healing of others and of creation.

This years symbol for the season of Creation, immersion in Living water – is a symbol of renewal and birth: water flowing from the temple as a sign of God’s caring and healing for us.

We are called to step into the water, until we are so deep that we must depend on God’s grace to sustain us. Those who receive this water are invited to become sources of life for others, allowing God’s love to flow through them into the world. And thus the water of God will become in us ‘a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’

And so as we reflect on this image, how might we as individuals and as a community be springs of life? What small or bigger actions can we take to protect and preserve our precious water supplies?

We have been reminded of the living power of water in the last few days, when just a little water falling from the sky, has begun to transform our hedges and grasses … with a fresh green colour once more.

There is always hope – there is always something we can do.

So we are going to have a moment to reflect and perhaps chat together if that is helpful, but think about what actions you might take as individuals and what we might be able to do as a church, and as you do you might colour in a fish to go on our ‘Season of Creation’ display, making that your pledge, your prayer, your response