Pacific Island Travel says that Point Reyes National Seashore is, “a rogue piece of the earth’s crust that has been drifting slowly…northward along the San Andreas Fault, having started some six million years ago as a suburb of Los Angeles.”

It’s an interesting image – a piece of land that is hundreds of miles north of its first home. If you visit Point Reyes’ Interpretation Center you can see rocks that originated hundreds of miles south of where they now live.

Point Reyes’ location in Northern California, as well as the position of the earth’s seven continents, are currently explained by the theory of plate tectonics. Underneath the earth’s crust are large plates on which the continents sit. These plates are in constant motion. Geologists believe that there used to be one land mass that has split and drifted into our seven continents.

Slowly, by degrees, imperceptibly the earth has changed.

Continental drift also occurs in organizations, although at a much faster pace than Point Reyes National Seashore. Ask Jesus’ disciples.

In the short period from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem until his burial, the movement he began was faltering, and the zeal of his disciples faded. Judas sold out Jesus and eventually committed suicide.

Peter, one of Jesus’ inner-core disciples, loudly and profanely denied that he knew Jesus or had ever had any truck with him. Thomas is now known by his doubt more than his faith. And at the crucifixion, only one of the 12 apostles, John, had the courage to be present.

Continental drift had occurred and the once unified, bold, and courageous apostles were polarized and looking out for number one. If the drift had continued, the movement that Jesus started would have died. Like Point Reyes, the apostles would have moved far away from their Beginning.

How do you account for their reunification? What kept them from becoming separate, ideological continents? Why did the Apostles become willing to give their lives in martyrdom for the grand idea given to them by Jesus? Such as Thomas who died by being pierced with spears, according to history. Or Peter who was reportedly crucified upside down.

It can only be explained by what they experienced after what we call the Resurrection. Seeing the resurrected Jesus, eating with him, and hearing him teach, post resurrection, turned them into bold and confident individuals.

After all, Thomases do not give their lives for a hoax. And disciples do not drift if they are anchored to an immovable point.