Just a Minute
Southern Europe, Africa, occupied Palestine, and the Pacific suffer a water crunch.
Water is a font of conflict.
As churches we have a tradition of respect for water. Jesus promised 'living water'. He appointed Peter as leader at the source of the living Jordan. Water flowed from his open side on the cross. We enter the Jesus movement through the life-giving water of Baptism. Baptism makes us water people.
We should conserve and cherish water, harvesting it in butts at our homes, chapels, and churches. Our ancestors baptized in 'living water' from rivers as in the ancient chapel at Poitiers. We can use harvested rain as living water for baptisms, we can plant baptismal trees. We can return baptism and communion water to a tree in our churchyard. Water still flows from the church which is Jesus as community today.