You will follow the river at first.

The Beginning

A river flows to its destination. It follows a trajectory. The source can initially be insignificant. It may start at the top of a mountain as a tiny spring. As it begins to flow down a steep gradient it builds volume as it traverses down the mountain. It is shallow and narrow. It is typically cold and fast moving. Its channel is usually rocky and uneven. Other water sources known as tributaries start to feed into the source flow. There are waterfalls, gorges, rapids, v-shaped valleys and large rocks and boulders. The water is cutting its way through the landscape. By the time the water reaches the bottom of the mountain it has become a full stream. It continues towards its destination.   

Think: energy, speed, obstacles and carving.

The Journey

As the stream leaves the mountains and enters gentler terrain, it has now collected enough water from tributaries and has become a river. It becomes wider and deeper. The gradient becomes less steep and the flow of water slows down. The river cuts wider rather than deeper. It meanders through the landscape. The river goes on for miles and miles. It sometimes appears endless. The river is wandering rather than descending. It’s following the landscape. It’s leading the way to its destination. 

Think: Growth, movement, relationships, and changing direction.

The Destination

The gradient is more flat. The water flow is even slower. The channel is wide and deep. There is a very large body of water flowing. The river has now entered its lower course. It’s broader, deeper and increasingly depositing sediment along its course. Flood plains become broad. Meanders become larger, the river may form oxbow lakes, sediment can form a delta at the mouth of the river.

Think: maturity, accumulation, influence and destination. 

Here is what is compelling about a river. Even though the river changed its characteristics throughout its journey, it’s still the same river. 

The beginning of the river did not look like the upper course. Building volume to fast moving and cutting . The middle course changed trajectory to a slower pace widening and meandering. The lower course slowed even more, depositing sediment and losing energy as it reached the mouth of the destination. The river becomes part of the sea or ocean. 

A river makes a powerful metaphor for life.

A river doesn’t simply end. A river changes bodies. 

A river’s journey doesn’t necessarily end at its mouth. The water from the river becomes a part of another body.  Our Life’s Like A River. We have this same opportunity of LIFE. The River of the Christian Life. Our lives are like the water flowing in a river At its destination it becomes part of something BIGGER. 

We begin somewhere. We encounter obstacles. We are fed by others. We grow and change direction, we mature and eventually we become part of something BIGGER.

Christianity doesn’t end with our physical life. A river that seemed as though it was headed towards an end, never really ends. It finds a new life in a new body. It’s a transformation. Just as we transform through the life of JESUS.

The River of Life

Birth.
Movement.
Growth.
Obstacles.
Relationships.
Changing direction.
Maturity.
Destination.

Rebirth – #JESUSFIRST.