And so when we went to the beach, a competition of one kind or another would soon develop. Often for us it was about throwing stones out into the water. Who could throw the furthest, who could throw the highest, who could get the smallest splash, who could get the largest splash. Of course skipping stones along the surface of the water entered into it as well. Choosing stones for skipping became very important: fairly flat, not too light, fits snuggly into the hand, all those things and probably more. I remember making quite an art of it sure that I could win the competition and sometimes I did. You can challenge me afterwards if you like.
This image came to my mind because we heard in our reading from First Samuel the story of David and Goliath. Last week we heard of David being the unlikely candidate chosen as the next king. Today we hear of him facing down a giant of a person, Goliath the Philistine. David gives up on the sword and armour of a warrior and instead chooses the weapon of a shepherd, pulling out a slingshot. The Bible tells us that he goes to the wadi and carefully chooses five smooth stones. Five smooth stones about the right size and right consistency to sail through the air with accuracy and intent.
Now this is a passage that many of us might remember as children and it is filled with intrigue, adventure, battle and the underdog coming through. A great story revealing God’s walk with God’s people. The story is somewhat gruesome though if you read it with some care. It doesn’t spare any details about the death of Goliath, does not steer around the horror of war or the violence of this death. But I want to dwell not so much on the viciousness of the story but rather those five stones. Casting aside the traditional weapons and gear of war, David gathered instead those things that he knew and trusted. He sought out five smooth stones that for him signalled his calling in life. They were what he knew, what he lived, part of where God’s presence intersected with his life. His faith was not something he picked up when he had to, much like the uniform and standard equipment of a soldier; no the presence of The Shepherd was constant and clear in his life as he collected the five stones. It was more an act of faith than an act of violence.
Those five stones brought me back to childhood images of competitive stone skipping on the beach. Let them do the same for you. Bring to mind the five smooth stones from the wadi. Picture them on the ground and pick them up and hold them in your hand for a moment. Hold them there for a while and see them as more than mere rocks but a symbol of something holy. Hold them there for a bit and I will come back to them.
Unless you have been living in a cave and no access to radio, television, internet or newspaper, if you live in British Columbia you know that today is International Yoga Day. Our Premier made sure that we all knew about that. Today is also Father’s Day, earlier this week we honoured the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, it is National Aboriginal Day, our Picnic Sunday, it is the summer solstice and so the longest day of the year. It feels like an important day.
Also, at this time of year people are graduating from preschools, elementary schools, high schools, universities, colleges, and a number of other places. People are moving into new roles, some starting a new path, some being ordained, some contemplating where they might turn from here. Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple spoke at George Washington University just a few days ago, giving the commencement speech. This is part of what he said: “Great progress is possible, whatever line of work you choose. There will always be cynics and critics on the sidelines tearing people down, and just as harmful are those people with good intentions who make no contribution at all. In his letter from the Birmingham jail, Dr. King wrote that our society needed to repent not merely for the hateful words of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people. The sidelines are not where you want to live your life. The world needs you in the arena. There are problems that need to be solved. Injustices that need to be ended. People that are still being persecuted. Diseases still in need of cure. No matter what you do next, the world needs your energy. Your passion. Your impatience with progress.”
Commencement, graduation, celebration, a time of marking how we will go forward from this moment. This is an important day and an important time, we too need to do the same.
I asked you to think about five smooth stones in your hand, the five smooth stones of David but more than that your five smooth stones that guide you today. What are the five ingredients inviting you to live the life to which Christ is calling you right now? What are the things that you need to leave behind? What are the things that get in the way of you living your faith? What are the pieces of your jigsaw that are missing that you need in order to step forward in response to Jesus’ invitation? What are the five things, five stones that are inviting you into greater depth on the pilgrimage of following Christ? Let me suggest five stones to pick up and carry with you when you leave this place today.
We have gathered to worship God and a major part of that is to give thanks for God’s gifts, God’s presence, God’s voice in our lives. This the first stone, the stone of thanksgiving to God for the gift of life including the downs but just as much the ups. Know and live thanksgiving it will change who you are.
That thanksgiving is not just for now but for always. Create a spiritual practice where by routine and possibility we claim a faith of our own each and every day. Our calling is not just to respond to the faith of our ancestors or our own faith of a number of years ago. No what is Christ calling you, you, to do on this day and each day in response to living out the resurrection and faith in the love of God? Dailiness is the second stone.
The third stone is about compassion. Our faith is dead if it does not lead us to compassion for others. This often begins with a need to forgive ourselves for mistakes, wrongs, sins we have committed but also accepting God’s forgiveness and passing that along to those in our lives that need to hear that message of mercy and a path forward. The stone of compassion.
The fourth stone is poignant in our country at the moment on this National Aboriginal Day and that is justice. Where do we need to rethink how God is calling us to live out our lives with others? Where is the voice of First Nations men and women needing to be known amongst us? Where are the places that an acknowledgment of abuse is accepted and truth and reconciliation sought to move forward. The Pope has been pushing this message of justice in many places but often in how we treat the poor of the world and its connection to climate change. Our faith is about looking toward a place of God’s kingdom come on earth as is in heaven. The stone of justice.
The fifth stone is mystical. Opening our eyes to God with us around us amongst us. That the Holy Spirit continues to move over the waters and over our hearts and souls. That the Holy Spirit is amongst us now and urging us to a new place where our faith affects every part, every aspect of who we are and how we live and move in this world. The Holy Spirit invites us constantly into conversion and reconversion to deepen our walk and connection with Christ which is not static but constantly changing and growing and deepening. The world is filled with mystery and will not only be solved by microscope or petri dish but also a recognition of the mystical aspect of life, love and a deeper calling in life. The stone of mystical.
Those are my five stones: thanksgiving, dailiness, compassion, justice and mystical. Maybe not the same five stones that David reached down to pick up in the wadi but five stones I offer to you today. Stones of thanksgiving, dailiness, compassion, justice and mystical. Five stones that Jesus summarized as Peace Be still to all the noise and commotion of life in this world. Five stones that St. Paul described as purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of sprit, genuine love, truthful speech and the power of God. Five stones that could simply be cast out in the water in hopes of them skipping five, ten or fifteen times but that is not what God is offering us. Instead see them as God investing in us. What are the five stones God is inviting you to pick up today? Thanksgiving, dailiness, compassion, justice and mystical may just be what you need to face the Goliaths of this world.