A meditation on rivers and soil and economies of gift and abundance. (Listen here.) For the record, I preached this, said Amen, then there was a great long rumble of rolling thunder followed by beautiful, softening rain. We at MUC took this as the earth’s Amen; you can draw your own conclusions.

Back in the 1800’s, a vast swamp and river basin in Toronto were covered over. The wetlands were buried eight metres deep in dirt and gravel so that the city could expand. In the 1920’s, the river itself was re-routed into a concrete channel, so its path could be fixed and the area even more heavily industrialised. Factories poured their waste into the river; raw sewage was also directed there. The river became so polluted that it was declared dead. On several occasions, it caught on fire.