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“When your children ask their parents in time to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’
then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.’
For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over,
so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty,
and so that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua 4:21-24).
During the week of Memorial Day, we remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives throughout the history of our country. We remember in prayer the families who have lost loved ones in the present Middle East conflict and elsewhere. I also encourage you to go beyond the traditions of Memorial Day and reflect on the memories of your faith journey.
Memories are important. They are the soil of our present experience into which our roots sink deep and from which we receive nourishment. Memories provide a foundation on which the superstructure of life is built. Memories instruct us as to the most creative way to live in the present, and they help equip us with a positive hope for the future.
God indeed understands our tendencies and created memorials for us which help keep our focus on our spiritual roots. Joshua 4:1-24 reveals the importance of memories. The people had finally passed over the Jordan River. The priests held the ark of the covenant high so all passing over could see it. God held back the flow of the river, enabling the people to cross on dry ground.
Then God told Joshua to create a memorial. Twelve men, one from each of the 12 tribes, were to take a stone from the riverbed and carry them on their shoulders to Gilgal, where they were camped on the west bank. The stones were to be arranged as a memorial of how God had led the people across the Jordan River. The stones became an enduring sermon, directed not to the ears, but rather to the eyes and the mind. They were to stand as a reminder to future generations that Israel crossed the Jordan through God’s power.
Through the centuries, God has given us signs, symbols, and memorials.
• The rainbow was a reminder of God’s love.
• The poetry of Miriam commemorated the crossing of the Red Sea.
• The ark held symbols of God’s continuing provision for the Israelites.
• The cross and the empty tomb are statements of God’s love, forgiveness, and grace.
• Baptism is a symbol of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
• The Lord’s Supper enables us to look back to the cross and forward to the marriage supper of the Lamb as we handle the bread and the cup.
What stones of memory grace your life? No doubt you have memories of sacred places that are every bit as spiritually significant as that pile of stone at Gilgal. For me, there’s a church in Houston, TX, where I accepted Jesus as Lord of my life and was baptized when I was 10 years of age. Then there’s Thousand Pines Baptist Camp in California where God called me to full-time ministry when I was a junior in high school. I remember Christian parents, church school teachers, pastors, and a university president who nurtured me.
As I look around our home, I see books and commentaries that were given to me by the pastor who served our church during my high school years. There is a love seat and dining room set that my parents used 50 years ago. We have living room furniture that friends gave us during our first pastorate 44 years ago. On the wall hang pictures, plaques, and my ordination certificate reminding me of God’s call to ministry.
What a powerful privilege is ours to expose ourselves to the stones–the memory stones of life. Take some time this week to look at your stones. Let the memories flow as a reminder of who God is, who you are, from where you have come, why you are here, and where you are going.
Prayer: Eternal God, we remember the men and women who sacrificed their lives so that we have freedom to live, worship, and serve You with confidence and joy. We also remember those who nurtured our faith. May we continue to place spiritual stones in places that point to Your Good News. Amen.
Herb Dominguez
Retired American Baptist Pastor
Pagosa Springs, CO
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