Smooth Stones from a Dry Creek

I’m working on a gardener’s tool carrier, and preparing to build a small ‘mini-greenhouse’ in the workshop. This entails several types of wood joints, which requires careful lay-out and sharp tools. Sharpening steel chisels happens on a set of stones. There are different coarseness or fineness of stone, and other material for each step in the sharpening. The variety can be a bit confusing. And there are differenet types of stone used. These are synthetic waterstones, and a person soaks them in water before working tools on them. Yesterday, I reshaped an old chisel I bought from a bin of old tools, and will use it here in cutting the mortise and tenon joints.

I’ve also been pondering the scriptures for this Sunday. I was invited to preach, and as if often the case, my attention goes to natural objects and elements of the landscape. Fresh from sharpening on smooth stones, the smooth stones in one reading came to my awareness freshly. The story is about David and Goliath. It can be depicted in a cartoonish or goofy way, or made to serve our respective underdog-triumphant stories. David defeats Goliath by divine aid, using the unlikely weapon of a sling and smooth stones.

So, what about those stones?

Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in his shepherd’s bag or wallet; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.  

וַיִּקַּ֨ח מַקְל֜וֹ בְּיָד֗וֹ וַיִּבְחַר־ל֣וֹ חֲמִשָּׁ֣ה חַלֻּקֵֽי־אֲבָנִ֣ים׀ מִן־הַנַּ֡חַל וַיָּ֣שֶׂם אֹ֠תָם בִּכְלִ֨י הָרֹעִ֧ים אֲשֶׁר־ל֛וֹ וּבַיַּלְק֖וּט וְקַלְּע֣וֹ בְיָד֑וֹ וַיִּגַּ֖שׁ אֶל־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּֽי׃
1 Samuel 17:40

Five of them. I wonder why five? One stone suffices for the struggle.

And from a dry creek, min-ha nahal. The stones come from a seasonal creek bed. At that moment David can reach down and pick up stones smoothed by time, erosion, tumbling in water, stones and grit. The creeks are likely full beyond their banks at other times of year. Tremendous power. If you traced the trail of the word for ‘stream’ through the hebrew scriptures, you will find an abundance of them, a rich and complex watershed of rivers, streams and creekbeds, sometimes apparently dry. I won’t even try to map them here. And if you turn to the new testament writings, you find Jesus saying

and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ John 7:38

May those rivers flow, opening our hearts to currents of graciousness, honesty and compassion.

May they dry, yielding symbols that carry us with greater trust into life.

Peace to you.

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(I’ll post my sermon here after Sunday worship.)