蜜芽传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with The Reverend Canon Grace Thomas.

Good morning.

Often, as I walk up to the cathedral here in Manchester, I pass children laughing and playing, in the sculptured streams of water that we have in cathedral gardens. There is something about the flow of fresh water, that brings joy. It speaks of life and possibility.

Rivers wind their way throughout scripture, from the four rivers in Genesis that emerge from Eden and flow around various lands, to the river Jordan, to Revelation, where the "river of the water of life" flows from the throne of God, into the city. Rivers are places where people converge, for life-giving properties, they are places of encounter and of transformation, and they mirror the life and flow of the Holy spirit in creation.

The problem we have though, is that our rivers are dying. A recent report stated that just 15% of English rivers, reach good ecological health standards. This is repeated throughout the world. My father鈥檚 home city of Chennai has three rivers, all considered toxic and devoid of most life. If we kill off these life giving entities of creation, we limit all creations ability to flourish, including our own.

This is why my prayer today, is for the rivers that flow in our lands. Rivers that have been places of encounter and transformation since creation began. Rivers that gush through the landscapes, as signs of vitality and freshness.

I pray that I may treasure, and care for the rivers in my midst. That I might be like a child, in my joyful excitement, at the sound and sight of fresh flowing rivers. That rivers may give life, and may live, and that they may continue to be places of joy and hope.

Amen.