Dear Friends,
The Reverend Dr. Gordon Crouch, the pastor of the church of which I am a member, once shared with us that he had attended a retreat at the Holy Cross Monastery in New York. At that retreat, he heard one of the monks compare Christian community to rock polishing, a hobby with which Gordon was not familiar with, nor was I.
This is how it goes: a person places a bunch of rocks with their dull, rough surfaces into what is called a “rock tumbler”, and this tumbler turns around and around. Over a period of many days, the rocks bump up against each other, slowly but surely smoothing out each other’s rough surfaces. At the end of the process, when the tumbler is opened, the rocks are smooth, shiny and gem-like.
Like the rock tumbler, our faith communities offer opportunities to smooth one another’s rough surfaces. This process can be difficult to notice while it is occurring, but eventually, over time, our rough surfaces are being polished smooth as we interact and bump up against one another. It can be uncomfortable, even painful, while at other times it can be exciting.
I believe that in God’s eyes each one of us is a gem, but sometimes we need others to help bring out the shine that is within us. This is where Christian community comes into the picture. Rather than to walk this spiritual path alone, we need each other, and although we may not think that we have rough edges, the truth is, we all do. And God provides a means for them to become smoother, through working together as a team – Christ’s team. We do that remembering and putting into practice His commandment of Love. I am grateful for having the opportunity to be on Christ’s team with all of you. Happy Tumbling!
With peace and love,
Pastor Betty