My 8th-grade earth science teacher was wild about rocks. Igneous rocks, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, you name it. We characterized them in every way possible including hardness, texture, mineral content, early formation, and density (just to name a few). Who knew something so constant could be so complicated?
In the spring that year, we were asked to collect rock samples for a report. Growing up on the shores of Lake Michigan, varieties of rock samples were easy to come by. I remember my dad and I set out on a Saturday morning to collect as many samples as we could find. In Carhartts and winter jackets (springtime in Michigan is still very cold), we walked the mile from our house down to the shoreline and carefully picked our way down the bluff to the beach grasping tree branches to keep us steady. Armed with a beat up five-gallon construction bucket, we sifted through the rocks in the sand. Basalt and granite, pumice and quartzite, sandstone and slate…each one unique, but all of them cold. Our bucket was full and boy was it heavy! We dragged the bucket up the bluff and dad fashioned a makeshift carrying pole between the two of us to finish the seemingly endless mile home along the quiet country road. Fifty-two pounds of rock and two pounds of stick…but our bounty was beautiful.
I remember this experience while reflecting on the recent sermon series during the generosity campaign: ‘Built on the Rock’. Psalm 18:2 reads: “My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.” A rock by all practical definitions is solid and consistent, much like God. We like to define and characterize God by our subjective definitions, but does it really matter if He is more like granite or more like slate?
Much like each rock on the beach, God just exists; He is solid and consistent. The world around us changes constantly – especially during the pandemic. However, much like the fingers of the 8th grade girl, Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church dusted away the sand and pushed back the weeds to see the rock that is the message of God’s love. I am so thankful for all the uphill efforts our church has made to ensure that this beautiful message is seen and heard, and I hope we can continue these efforts through our generosity.
-Anne Newman
Our faith is built upon the Rock who is our God. Our annual giving to the life and ministry of the Church builds upon this foundation. Please be carefully considering your financial commitment to the life of Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church for the upcoming year. Remember that Celebration Sunday is October 16 when we will turn in our pledge cards and celebrate God's faithfulness among us.