Waters that are not so life-giving

As I was reading the story in today’s reading from Ezekiel 47:1-9,12, about the angel making the prophet wade across the river and how he measured off a section which came to the prophet’s ankles and then his knees and then his waist and then to the point where the prophet could go no further, I couldn’t help but think of people in the Esk Valley near my hometown of Napier, New Zealand, where people had to climb up on the roofs of their houses to escape the devastating floods that came in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle that hit the northern parts of New Zealand in February last year (2023). Far from being the waters of life that flowed out from the temple and brought about the growth of all kinds of fruit trees on both banks, the floods that hit the Esk Valley and other parts of the province of Hawkes Bay destroyed many homes, vineyards and orchards. There have been some remarkable stories of revival and new growth and there are stories of people still struggling. The gospel story from John 3:1-3,5-16 is about the healing of the paralysed man who had been waiting for 38 years for someone to help him reach the waters when they began to stir. Jesus simply told him to take up his sleeping-mat and walk. Because it was the Lord’s sabbath, he wasn’t supposed to carry his sleeping-mat! Some of the more legalistic-minded were saying, “Forget about his healing; the healer should not have advised him to carry his mat!” Straightforward solutions can often be found for the most devastating of disasters. Unfortunately, the finer points of the law or policies can leave people waiting for far too long. Let us remember in our prayers those people here and in many other parts of our world who are struggling to recover from the impact of natural disasters.