Healing river
Take a moment and see if you can bring to mind one or more bodies of water, which are known for their healing properties. Here are five that came to mind as I was putting together this sermon; maybe after the service you can tell me which ones I’m missing?
1. The Dead Sea, a “hypersaline lake . . . famed for its high mineral content, particularly magnesium, potassium, and calcium, which are believed to alleviate skin conditions, arthritis, and allergies. The . . . mud is also used for therapeutic purposes.” If you’ve been to the Dead Sea, you know that because of the saline, the salt content, you float really easily.
2. Iceland’s Blue Lagoon. Did you know, a nearby geothermal power plant supplies the water and it’s replaced every 2 days? “The warm waters are rich in minerals like silica and sulfur. This is what makes the milky blue hues.”
3. The UK’s Roman Baths, a.k.a. The earliest spa resorts. “Following in the footsteps of their Greek neighbors, Romans made bathing a daily life activity. . . . Public baths took the form of . . . large and luxurious complexes [as well as] smaller and simpler spaces that were scattered throughout Roman neighborhoods.” The baths “embodied the imperial essence of the Roman Empire, grand in scale and embellished with stucco and mosaics.”
4. Harrison Hot Springs, a tourist spot a couple of hours from here. Beautiful place. You may recall, about a year ago, a nearby free spring known to locals as the “Hobo Hot Springs” was mysteriously filled by dirt and boulders. The incident went as far as a Crown investigation and a couple of months ago the BC Government ordered that the public spring be restored.
5. Spotted Lake, just northwest of Osoyoos in British Columbia on Highway 3. “Most of the water in the lake evaporates over the summer, revealing colourful mineral deposits. Large ‘spots’ on the lake appear and are coloured according to the mineral composition and . . . amount of precipitation. Magnesium sulfate, which crystallizes in the summer, is a major contributor to spot colour. In the summer, remaining minerals in the lake harden to form natural ‘walkways’ . . . between the spots.” During the First World War, minerals from Spotted Lake were used to make ammunition. Today, the lake is considered “a cultural and ecologically sensitive area,” in recognition of its origins as a traditional medicine lake for the Okanagan Syilx people.
When I think of healing waters, I tend to think relaxation and peace and quiet. But just by recalling even five bodies of water famous for their healing properties we come to see that these waters are anything but. Jordan, Israel, and Palestine border the 605 square kilometres of the Dead Sea. The healing waters of the Roman Empire were used to demonstrate imperial wealth and power, a reminder of just who held control of your wellbeing. And, we know from our own Province’s history, the waterways and bodies of water which today are used in large part for Canadian industry, tourism, and transportation still belong to the original caretakers of this land, the First Nations who, as our Land Acknowledgement says, were forcibly removed from their homelands, their waters.
So, perhaps it’s no surprise when we read in the Second Book of Kings about the healing of Naaman, that before anything can happen, there is first a whole lot of upset about the water where the healing is to take place. Naaman is a commander in the Aram army, under the Aram King. “Why can’t he be healed at home, in his own waters?” Naaman says. In the Abana or Pharpar or the Damascus river? Why can’t this Elisha, this prophet of Israel simply wave his hand over Namaan’s skin and send him away to bathe in friendlier territory? Why cross over into Israel, to be healed in the Jordan River only to be captured and killed by enemy troops? He might as well remain a leper at home!
The King of Israel is equally despondent. Why has this enemy king sent his commander to come and be healed of this terrible disease, knowing full well that it’s going to take nothing short of a miracle? The King of Israel is literally tearing his clothes thinking that this King of Aram wants an excuse to invade. You can’t heal my commander? Okay, no more peace in the land!
Now, this is the part of the story where the water, which has been at the centre of this debate, this back and forth of where this commander is going to be healed, this is where the water stirs up some real trouble. Because, it’s not the King of Aram who convinces Naaman to get on with it, go into the Jordan River and be healed. It’s not the King of Israel who convinces Naaman to go and be healed. It’s not even the prophet Elisha. It’s Naaman’s servants.
Let’s remember, leprosy is a disease spread through close, prolonged contact with an untreated person. This is the ancient world: the servants are preparing the commander’s meals; feeding him; dressing him; bathing him; travelling with him as he goes from place to place—if this is what they’re doing for him when he’s well, how much closer are they to him in his illness? The chances that these servants have leprosy or will soon have leprosy if their commander goes untreated is pretty high.
“Wash and be clean” they say to him.
Namaan listens to them. He goes and immerses himself seven times in the Jordan, and his skin is restored. And, you better believe his servants are right there with him!
When water is involved, the situation or the story is never “neutral”. God didn’t create water, as much as we love it, as much as I love it, primarily for industry or tourism or recreation or even for war. God created water for healing and transformation, the kind of healing that restores the skin of a leper, the kind of transformation that has a bunch of servants convincing a king to cross a border so that something extraordinary can take place. Amen.
Works referenced:
The Dead Sea
https://alma-k.shop/the-dead-sea-the-science-behind-the-magic/#:~:text=What's%20So%20Special%20About%20The,Sea%20is%20so%20powerfully%20healing.
Iceland’s Blue Lagoon
https://truewindhealingtravel.com/icelands-blue-lagoon-highlights/#:~:text=A%20nearby%20geothermal%20power%20plant%20supplies%20the,99%2D102%20degrees%20F%20or%2037%2D39%20degrees%20C.
The Roman Baths
https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/taking-the-waters-how-natural-springs-can-have-healing-benefits
Hobo Hot Springs
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/hobo-hot-springs-restoration-order-1.7544884
Spotted Lake
https://syilx.org/about-us/syilx-nation/spotted-lake-2/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_Lake