Rocks: in your head, under your feet, in your hands, in your heart, between you and the threat. This fall we will be strolling through the wonder of rocks in scripture and faith, and rocks there are a plenty. And don't forget the rock hymns and songs.
What is it about rocks that make for such ready metaphors and descriptors? Is it the fact that they were forged in the earth, the product of time, and pressure? Is it their longevity, their antiquity and staying power? Is it their substantial nature, their solidness? And what about the down side of rocks, the way they have killed us and others?
One of the titles Biblical authors assign to God is rock. God is my rock and fortress, a very present help in time of trouble. And God helps our lives to be substantial. We are to build our houses on rock, not sand. Christ himself is compared to a stone, a cornerstone around which the whole house of faith is built.
Here's a challenge: Go find your rock, or let the right rock choose you. Keep it in your pocket or handbag or backpack. And every time you feel it, run across it, or pick it up mutter a simple prayer to the God who made rocks, is like a rock and sets us upon one. Find your rock theme song to sing at the same time. Let every rock become an altar, a witness, and evidence of the holy in our midst. Rock-a-my-soul in the bosom of Abraham!
