What sound does water make? Onomatopoeias associated with water include: drip, plop, blip (a single drop hitting a surface); pitter-patter (of rain); splash, splosh, splatter (larger amounts of water being hit or disturbed – splish splash I was taking a bath); gurgle, burble, glub (uneven flow of a stream or from a container); whoosh or crash (waves); trickle (thin slow stream); slosh (moving back and forth); roar, rush, churn (waterfalls, fast moving waters).
We have lots of words associated with the sounds of water because there are lots of ways in which we encounter water. Some evoke a sense of peace and calm. Many meditation apps use water sounds to help people relax – a gentle rain, a babbling brook, the sounds of waves lapping along a beach. Water sounds can be relaxing, comforting, these can even help us sleep.
Simultaneously, we know that water is powerful. A single drop of water, repeatedly falling for years will carve a hole through a rock. The Great Lakes and our landscape are very much a product of glacial ice. When that ice collapses, the flash floods can destroy entire towns.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.
What do we think it sounded like when the Red Sea was divided? Was it a loud and boisterous sound? Do we think it revealed some clear metaphor for the power of God? Or was it something gentler and quieter, almost unassuming? What about when the water returns? What does that sound like? How does the sound make the Israelites feel? How do the Egyptians feel? How do we think God feels? What does our response say about our understanding of God?
The Red Sea story is an important one for us to hear. This moment is a triumph for the Israelites, and it is a loss for the Egyptians. We often gloss over the loss part because we are so focused on the triumph. We ignore the fear of those who heard the water crash over them in their final moments. We forget that these too are children created in the image and likeness of God. We imagine God celebrating with the Israelites ignoring the possibility that God may actually be weeping for the loss of life.
How many other lives are impacted because humans are focused on the benefits of one group to the disadvantage of another? We are blessed to live in a context where we are among those who are advantaged. We have access to more resources and opportunities than most in the world. The Great Lakes contain approximately 20% of the fresh water available IN THE WORLD! What we do with that resource, our relationship to that resource matters not only for ourselves, but for many who are vulnerable and down through the generations. What are we doing to safeguard the integrity of the Great Lakes for today and beyond?
As we listen to the sounds of water this week, may we be reminded that our relationship to that water has implications and make choices that care for water and the more-than-human world for today and the future. This we pray as we sing: 408 Wind Upon the Waters
