Worship Service – July 19, 2020

Lake Superior Sunday . .”But how  She Sings’   .. .

John 21: 1 – 17      Rev. Kathryn nelson

What a blessing to live so nears the shores of this Great Lake,  a lake we celebrate this Lake Superior Sunday . ..   so many songs and poems written about her . . . Pamela’s poem caught me . . But how she sings–   longing and mystery.

Many years ago when Julie Flotten was our youth minister,  she and Linda Lundberg organized a group that would gather the first Monday of every month at Sunrise on the shore of Lake Superior – we would gather with our cups of steaming coffee to watch the sunrise either at Brighton Beach or 21st Ave East before it was developed . . just sit and watch  . . . and then someone would offer a reading or a song.    The time varied with the season and yet we gathered for the dawn on her shores.

This ritual reminded me of Gary Boelhower’s poem Dance at Dawn which is also part of the Amethyst and Agate Collection of Poems of  Lake Superior.  Gary wrote:

Go out as far as you can
to sit alone on a stone throne
where you give up all the straight lines of your mind
in the dark quiet shiver an hour before dawn .
Set your eyes on that seam where water and sky
are stitched together in their great meeting
and when the fierce light tears the world wide
open for another day
dare to say your name
over the buckle and swell of waves
one sweet syllable of imperfect love
dare to say your name
not proud but in full voice
unfastened from any small hopes or pains.
Send it free as a smooth stone
skipping on the hammered blue
its singular dance.
glancing gold in the new light
for a bright brief breath.

  It was dawn by the lake when Jesus called out . . . called out over the waves as the sun burst through the seam where water and sky are stitched together . .  where the sun rose,   literally the son rose – the resurrected one came to them again .. . one more time to say there is more . . .   have you any fish . . try again . . throw your nets to the other side . . .

The son of God. Rising with the dawn ..  the disciples defeated had gone back to what they knew – fishing on the Lake of Galilee . .   gone back to the way things were ,   but this rising son would not let them go back  .I so love this resurrection story . . there are many in scripture but this is my favorite,  dawn the disciples are fishing. Now luck and yet there the risen one is with the dawn . . try again  . throw your nets to the other side . .  try a different way and there are so many fish 153 representing all the known nations at that time . . all are caught up . . .  And when they come ashore. The Risen one has made breakfast . . feeding them again with bread and fish over a charcoal fire . . .You can smell the goodness of this . .  taste it .. .  hear the waves lapping on the shore as they drag their boat onto the sand.

They eat their fill and know they can continue this way of love that he has set them on . .   . no move forward   do  you love me .    then feed my sheep .   3 times he is asked for the 3 betrayals .  .full circle .   forgiveness fully extended and then a command to love.  . share that love I’ve given you . . . all by the shores of a lake. ..

SEE how she sings of hope . . .  – longing and mystery  .. and there is enough in that moment by the water . . hope dawns and they can carry on ..  fed and forgiven,  moving out to do the same for others. . . water such a part of our sacred story . . . waters  crossed at the Red Sea,  waters from rock in the wilderness,  waters of baptism,  waters of justice – let justice roll down like waters says the prophets. And   waters of resurrection here in the Gospel of John  . .sacred waters.   On a beach at the dawn.

Yes we are people of water,   70 percent water and we drink from Lake Superior each day . . .Yes we often sit by her shores and pray or ponder.   Sacred place.  Sacred long before us—  Such a sacred place for the Anishinaabe peoples —  Spirit island,   Madeline Island,   Isle Royale,  all sacred places.

This week I am reminded of Nokomis Josephine ba Mandamin who was an original water walker . . Some of you may have met her . . Sara Thomsen was ;part of the group that joined her on her last walk in 2017 . . .She walked to remind people to protect the waters of the great lakes . . precious for all of life.  Since her first walk in 2003, Grandmother Josephine conducted 13 such Water Walks in all.  Precious water carried by women in a copper pail.

Over the years, Grandmother Josephine’s following increased. By the time her final river walk started in April 2017, she stated there were over a thousand participants all together. She and a group of helpers known as The Walkers left from Spirit Mountain. In 97 days they followed the southern shoreline of Lake Superior, then the North and Eastern shores of Lake Huron. They then followed the northern shore of Lake Erie.  After a stop at Niagara Falls, they followed the northern shore of Lake Ontario to Matane, Quebec Canada, where the Saint Lawrence River connects through the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the Labrador Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. In total, over little more than three months,  they travelled 3,197 miles and over 6,394,000 footsteps for the Water. Grandmother Josephine announced that she was retiring after that walk, and urged the next generation to pick up the copper vessel and carry on what she started.   . . She died on February 22, 2019 . . .

She too calls out from over the waters ..  . carry on,   care . . please care and move on.         Voices calling out over the waters  . . . hear them  in those moments of dawn in your souls . . . set your eyes on that seam where water and sky are stitched together in their great meeting and when the fierce light tears the world wide open for another day . .  dare to say your name.