Pastor's Corner: Making memories

As summer fades away many of us may be thinking, “where did the time go?”

For us who live in Northern Michigan, summer means family get togethers; hiking, boating, and wonderful times spent on our lakes and forests. This past week we had our daughter’s family here for a week. We fished, swam, had bonfires, went boating and played games. And even though the summer fades, the memories don’t.

One of the activities we shared with our grandson is to wade in the shallow waters and beaches of our lake and look for special rocks. The rocks have so many shapes and colors. Before the family leaves to go back home we have a special tradition where they each have to select a few special rocks that they found and place them in our specially designed living room lamp. The lamp has a large glass base that can hold objects. It is fun to peer into the glass jar and remember where each of the stones came from. Just looking at these stones in the other seasons of the year brings back fond memories.

I am reminded of a Bible story about Joshua and the nation of Israel. Joshua was a courageous leader who led the Israelites into the Promised Land. In the book of Joshua the story is told of how God miraculously stopped the flow of the Jordan River so the nation could cross over. Joshua 3:12-16

12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing … So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

Later in Joshua chapter 4 we learn that Joshua commanded 12 leaders, one from each tribe to go to the middle of the dried up Jordan River and collect 12 stones and stack them on the other side of the river,

4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

There are a couple of timeless lessons from this story. When we tend to forget what God has done in our lives, we need reminders ... things and places that bring our memory back to what God has done. We also need to celebrate often so that the memories don’t fade away. Our desire is that when our grandson visits year after year he will look at the stones in the lamp and remember the good times he had at the lake with those who love him. What stone markers are you leaving? Pick up your stone today, put it on your shoulder and carry to the other side of the Jordan. And remember God’s faithfulness to you. Show it, share it, and celebrate it.

Rev Daniel Whiting

Retired executive pastor of Clarkston Community Church (Church of God Anderson)

danielwhiting@comcast.net