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River Running in
You and Me

Last Sunday we sang about the Spirit of life as a River Running in You and Me. I’m grateful for the Common Cup Company, and in particular, Ian MacDonald and Gordon Light, for offering this hymn for us many years ago (2003).

For my Season of Creation pic this week, I just had to find my way to our own Red Deer River and reconnect with the powerful image that we sang about. Rivers are the lifeblood of many Albertan cities, towns, and villages, nourishing not only our own lives, but a huge eco system of diverse life forms all dependant on each other. Even though rivers are always changing, there is a reassuring constancy there, silently flowing among us, just like the Holy Spirit.

This week we have been chatting about who is seen and who is invisible in our communities. We identified certain folks in every age category that can easily fall in the cracks of our awareness. Most times that translates into some people not getting the help, resources, food . . . that they need. There is the child in a classroom with a learning challenge that goes undetected. There is a youth who comes from a dysfunctional home we know nothing about. There is the person living on the street that we walk around on our way to an important meeting. There is the senior who quietly shows up a food bank. Who is invisible in your neighbourhood?

A river flows along and through our lives, and on the surface we can admire its beauty and give thanks for the privilege of living along its banks. Hidden under the surface though, may be indicators of the cracks in our relationship with our environment. Sometimes we only see what we want to see. Sometimes we can only bare to see what is on the surface. Let’s take some time to think about what is hidden, what is invisible in our communities, and what needs to be brought to light for the health and wellbeing of us all.

River singing in you and me,
Spirit of life – deep mystery,
catch us up in your melody.
River run deep, River run free.
(Ian MacDonald and Gordon Light, 2003)

Peace and joy,

Nancy