Memorial Day ~ What do these stones mean?

As the people of Israel finally entered into the Promised Land, God told Joshua to have one man from each of the 12 tribes of Israel enter into the middle of the Jordan River, right where the people crossed over, and pick up a stone to carry with them into the Promised Land. Those stones were then set up as an altar to remind the people of all that God had done to bring them safely to their new home, and when future generations saw that altar and asked what do these stones mean – the stories of God’s faithfulness would be told. The stones reminded the people how God stopped the flow of water in the Jordan River so that the people could cross over on dry ground and enter into the land God had promised them, but the stones said so much more. Those stones gave the people the opportunity to share with their children and grandchildren the stories about how God provided manna and quail for the people as they wandered in the wilderness. The stones told how God made water come forth from a rock, and they stood as a reminder of how God parted the Red Sea and rescued the people of Israel from the advancing armies of Pharaoh. The stones were a reminder of how God forgave his people and how God guided them faithfully through 40 years of wandering in the wilderness until the finally entered into the land God had promised them.

The stones reminded people of God’s faithfulness and God’s commitment to his people and his promise, but they also stood as a reminder to the people that they were being called to be faithful and committed to the work of God themselves. While crossing the Jordan River and entering into the promised land was the end of a long journey for the people of Israel, it was not the end of the story, in many ways it was only the beginning, the beginning of a new day. Now that they were in the land God had promised them they had to establish themselves as a nation. There were already people living in the land so they would have to drive out nations. They were going to have to build homes and communities and they had to learn how to work the land and raise crops. They had been a wandering people for over a generation and now they had to learn what it would mean for them to settle down and establish a new community. There was a lot of work that still needed to be done and while the stones told them that God had been faithful in the past and would be faithful to them in the future – those stones also told the people that they needed to remain faithful themselves and that they needed to once again commit themselves to the work God had for them.

This weekend we will also take some time to look at stones, stones that have a lot to say to us. Memorial Day is not just a time for cook-outs and camping, and it’s not just a time to plant flowers and put out the patio furniture, it’s also a day to remember and it’s a day to ask ourselves, what do these stones mean? These stones reflect lives of faithful service. These stones tell the story of sacrifice and commitment made by so many men and women who were willing to give themselves to a cause greater than themselves. Each of these stones tells the story of a person who gave their life to help someone else. They reflect men and women who were willing to help fight for freedom and justice both here and around the world. The stones that we will reflect upon and decorate with flowers and flags this weekend help us remember and give thanks for those who have sacrificed for us and served us, but these stones need to do so much more. These stones need to call us to greater faithfulness and deeper service.

These stones need to remind us that as followers of Jesus, each and every one of us is called to give ourselves away in service for others. In Matthew 16:24 Jesus says, If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. In other words we have to stop thinking about ourselves first and what’s best for us and we need to be willing to lay down our lives so that others can experience freedom, spiritual freedom and life. We are called to look not to our own interests but to the interest and the well being of others. We are called to have the same mind as Jesus, who didn’t think about himself first and foremost, and did not think about what was good for him, but what was in the best interest of others. Look at Philippians 2:5-8.
We are being called here to have the same mind, or the same attitude as Christ himself who never thought about himself first. While Jesus was God himself, he did not hold on to his rights and privileges as God, he didn’t hold tightly to all that he was entitled to in heaven; instead he gave it all up because he was thinking about us. Jesus humbled himself when he put our needs first and came into this world in the form or a servant – someone who would spend his life helping others. And when that life of service became difficult and dangerous, Jesus didn’t turn away, he remained faithful and committed, he was obedient to death – even death on a cross. Jesus gave himself fully so that others might fully live – so that we might live. Jesus committed himself to the will of God and he sacrificed himself so that we might be free, spiritually and emotionally and some day physically freed. Paul is saying here in Phil. 2 that it is not enough to just remember all of this, it’s not enough to just give thanks for Jesus and all he did for us – we have to be willing to embrace this attitude and this way of life.

So Memorial Day shouldn’t just be a day to look back and remember, it also needs to be a day for us to look forward and commit ourselves again to faithful service to God and to the work of God and the people of God and to God’s people here and around the world. I love what Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address: It is for us the living rather to be dedicated to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us. For Lincoln, it wasn’t just about looking to the past to remember and honor the sacrifice of those who had given so much; it was also about picking up their hopes and dreams and following their example of dedication and service in order to make the world a better place. Reflecting and giving thanks for those who fought for our freedom and died so that we might experience the fullness of life is important – but it’s really not enough. These stones tell us that we need to keep giving ourselves to others. As we reflect on those who have gone before us this weekend, are we willing to remain faithful to God and commit ourselves anew to the work of God here and around in the world? Will we dedicate ourselves to the great task that remains before us? That task is the unfinished work of God. It’s to continue to share the love of God and the forgiveness and grace of Jesus Christ with others. It’s to invite people to experience the salvation that is ours through Christ alone and to draw people closer to God.

We are all here today because someone in our lives was willing to give them themselves to this great task. We are here because there were people who dreamed big dreams about what the power of God could do in their community and they were willing to give themselves to God and sacrifice their time and energy and even their lives for us. There are those who have fought to help establish our freedom, but there are also those men and women who have worked hard to establish us in faith. As a church, we are here today because men and women of vision and passion and commitment were willing to step out and dream big dreams for God. There were people who willing to take a great risk and buy this piece of land and build this building. We are here in worship today because men and women: parents, grandparents, teachers, leaders, friends and neighbors took the time to pray for us and they told us about Jesus. They shared with us the love of God and they taught us about Jesus. More importantly they showed us what it means to love and follow Jesus. We are here today because there have been countless numbers of people who have given themselves to the work of God and while it’s important to remember them and give thanks for their faithful lives of service, remembering and giving thanks is not enough – we have to be willing to commit ourselves again to carrying on the work of God.

What will it mean for us to dedicate ourselves to the great task before us? Let’s go back to Joshua 4 and see what we can learn. The first thing we see here is that when God speaks to Joshua – Joshua is listening. When God asks Joshua to choose 12 men who will go and take stones out of the river – Joshua is listening – his ears and mind and heart are attentive to the word of God. If we are going to commit ourselves to the great tasks God has for us, then we have to know what those tasks are. There are many ways we could build the kingdom of God in this world. There are many causes for justice we could fight for and many ministries we can pursue, so how do we know what God specifically wants us to do? There is only one way we can know and that is to listen to God.

Are our ears and our hearts attentive to the word of God? Are we personally listening for God to give us a sense of purpose and direction? The question isn’t whether or not God is still speaking today – he is, the question is, are we listening? There are so many ways we can listen for God today. We can listen for God as we read the word of God written in the Bible. We can listen for God as we reflect on the life of Jesus – remember Jesus was the word of God in the flesh. In John 1 it says that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the Word was God. And this word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. So as we listen to what Jesus says and more importantly as we watch what Jesus does we can hear the word of God. We can also listen to God speak directly to our hearts and minds through the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Through the convictions of our heart, God can speak to us, through the thoughts and directions of our minds, God can speak to us, and sometimes if we are open enough and quiet enough we can hear the word of God speak. So the question is, are we listening? Are we eager and anxious to listen?

One of the hardest things for us is to do as we enter into worship each week is to enter with the expectation that God is here to speak to us. The last 2 weeks I attended different churches and while I was excited to be able to worship in new places, I have to tell you that I’m not sure I went into worship expecting or anticipating God to speak to me. I’m not sure we gather each week expecting God to speak to our lives, and yet if we want to dedicate ourselves to the great task that lies before us, if we want to commit ourselves to the work God has for us then we need to enter into this time with ears and hearts that are open and ready and eager to hear what God has to say. Joshua was listening when God spoke and we need to constantly listen because God is still speaking today.

But let’s also be clear that listening isn’t enough, we must also be willing to act on what we hear – that’s what Joshua did. Without asking why they had to pick up stones, Joshua chose the men and then set them out to work. They were obedient in what God called them to do and we also need to be obedient to the work God has for us. Again it is Jesus who talks about the importance of acting on the word of God. In Matthew 7:24-27we find Jesus finishing up his sermon on the mount. After teaching the crowds about how they needed to practically live their lives in this world, after giving careful instruction on how to live in relationship with God and in community with the people of God – Jesus says this:

Notice that Jesus says here that it’s not enough to listen to the word of God – we have to act on it, we have to live it out in our lives and when we do we will not only have a strong and solid faith for ourselves, but we will be establishing a foundation of faith for those around us. When we act on the word of God, when we follow through on all the big and little things God asks of us, we will be helping pave the way of faith for all of those who will follow us, and that’s part of what the stones mean. Whether it’s the stones out of the Jordan River, or the grave stones we will reflect on this weekend, the stones are a call to faithful service. The stones call us to commit ourselves to the work of God so that future generations can live in spiritual freedom and come to know the love and grace of Jesus Christ. So let us commit ourselves to the great task that still lies before us, let us dedicate ourselves to the unfinished work of building God’s kingdom as listen for the word of God and then faithfully act upon what we hear.