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RSSIn the Midst of a Flood, A Spring
by The Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton
5/6/2007
Easter V, Year C
Acts 11:1-18
Psalm 148
Revelation 21:1-6
John 13:31-35
To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life." -- Revelation 21:6
"The spring of the water of life" is strong but gentle, life-giving: a spring, not a flood. All living things need water, but they need it to come gently. One of the great paradoxes of a terrible flood is that there is water everywhere, torrents of it -- but people will sicken and even die if they drink it. And the same water that a plant needs in order to grow will kill the plant if there is too much of it too fast.
Major flooding occurred in Southern Africa during an unusually severe rainy season. Many people lost their homes, and roads and bridges were destroyed by the floods as well, making it difficult to get needed supplies to remote villages. Zambian farmers raise ground nuts, maize, cotton, and soya beans; many of them have lost entire crops, and must quickly re-seed in order to have any harvest at all.
The Zambian Anglican Council is coordinating the Church's disaster relief in the communities of Luapula and Lusaka, with assistance from Episcopal Relief and Development. Replacing lost farming equipment, seeds, food and emergency medical supplies, we continue a working relationship already established in other ongoing efforts, like the perennial fight against malaria, which kills 20% of pregnant women in Zambia and 40% of Zambian children under the age of five.
The worldwide Anglican communion is a great gift: within the bonds of mutual affection it affords us all, we can know one another, even though miles of ocean and oceans of cultural difference separate us. We can move quickly when a member of the family needs help. We're as thirsty for these chances to show forth the love of God as those who need our help are to receive it. The spring of the water of life pours its goodness on giver and recipient alike.
