Reflections on River Sunday, September 28, 2014

Rivers connect us. I remember as a small child being absolutely fascinated when I learned that the tiny little creek running through my grandparent’s farm in rural northwest Iowa—in which my cousins and I swam and tried to avoid the snapping turtles—was a feeder into the terrifying Missouri River with its undertows and racing currents that ran near my own home in Sioux City. Learning this prompted my sister and I to drop bottles with messages into the creek. Our little imaginations raced, imagining our bottles flowing for miles, as the creek joined with others like it, growing bigger and faster, and finally dumping out into the Missouri, and from there into the Mississippi, the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, the Atlantic Ocean, and to the ends of the earth!It was an early glimpse for me of the enormity of the earth and its connectedness. It was a glimpse filled not only with fascination and wonder, but love and joy. Our bottles were not only about connecting to a far off place, but to far off people who might be on a little creek of their own somewhere.When I think about these experiences and the season of creation, it strikes me that we need not only responsible policies and accountability in our care for the earth, but also wonder, imagination, and love for those with whom we share it. We need these things to help connect us and inspire us in our work as a people of faith.--Will Storm