Change & Continuity

March 25, 2020

The creek that flows behind our house rushes around the bend on its way to Sunnnyside, the local swimming hole. The hole itself is a naturally-occurring hollow scoured out by the action of the water tumbling over a small waterfall. In summertime, the flow lessens to almost a trickle, never stopping completely, but with the spring thaw or in the aftermath of a storm, it rages, washing downstream branches, rocks, and debris. 

After a couple hours’ yard work this afternoon, we walked down to Sunnyside and were surprised to see how the winter’s cycle of freezing and thawing had changed the face of the falls. What last summer had been a five-foot nearly vertical drop is now well on its way to becoming a rapids. The rock had broken off in huge slabs. The froth from the falls prevent us from seeing to the bottom, so we don’t know if the slabs are still there or if they’ve washed downstream. 

Change. And Continuity. The ebb and flow of the creek constantly move tons of gravel into and through the gravel bank at the bend behind our house, and even the large slabs of rock are not impervious to the power of the water. And yet, the creek remains the same, flowing from source to sea, and in our little corner of the world, from bridge to bridge. It is a life lesson often hard to accept. 

In the past two weeks, we’ve experienced massive change in our society. “Non-essential” businesses are closed, our health care system is being taxed as never before. Many of the sick are recovering, but sadly, some are not. People are scared, doing what frightened people do when unsure of tomorrow. Like those slabs of shale that disappeared from Sunnyside, everything looks different. The ordinary changes, like the seasonal variations in our gravel bank, we can handle, but when huge rocks start moving, we get nervous.

It’s in times like this we need to remember that though even huge rocks are washed away, the creek still flows within its bounds. And will continue to do so. “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). He is a Rock that shall never be moved, for which we give thanks tonight.