From the Rector…
I am in Fish Creek, Wisconsin this week hanging with my seminary friends on our annual retreat. Each year the four of us find some place to gather for a few days, talk church, catch up on life, and share stories. We also try to have a little fun.
This morning we went hiking at Peninsula National Park. As we hiked Eagle’s Trail on the side of Green Bay, I couldn’t help but notice the rock formations and the intricate weave of roots that carpeted our path. The roots and rocks kept us on our toes as we scrambled over them.
At some point, our conversation turned to which was stronger–the roots or the rocks. A tree had fallen in the midst of the path. When it fell, it pulled up a rock that the roots of the tree had captured and now held suspended in the air. The rock was no small thing. it was more like a boulder. Though rock seems heavier and stronger than roots, it was telling that the roots were stronger than this rock…that is until the roots rot and then the rock will fall. The roots might be stronger than the rock while they are living, but once they have died and rotted away, the rock will still remain.
Looking at that tree and stone, I realized that living things can demonstrate strength and durability while things that are impermeable have a resilience that living things will not know. Each demonstrates a certain kind of strength. Who is to say which is better?
Rocks cannot determine where they will go or even what they will do. Roots reach to that which nourishes them and makes them healthy. A rock might last forever, but a root has “free will” so to speak.
Scripture talks about the root of Jesse. As Christians, we trace Jesus’ lineage to King David–the root of Jesse. The imagery is an allusion to how we are connected not only in the present but across time and space through relationships, family lines, nationalities, even religion. Scripture speaks of rock as well, typically as a foundation upon which to build. To build upon rock is to ensure a solid foundation.
As Christians, as humans, we need both living connections and strong foundations. We need roots and rocks.
That is my hope for this retreat–to be rooted in the knowledge and love of God through the friendship I share with these women while trusting in Christ as our rock–the foundation of our relationship.
Light and Life,
Candice+