WHAT
MEAN THESE STONES?
Joshua
4:6
“What
Mean These Stones?”
A
Sermon preached at
the Mint Methodist Church, Exeter,
by the Minister, Rev Andrew Sails
on 3rd November 2002
GILGAL
For two months now, as the lectionary has progressed, we have followed the Children of Israel from the burning bush across the desert.
According to the old traditions, they travel the desert ways for 40 years, until finally they reach the Jordan. It is the end of the rainy seasons and the tides are full and the traditional crossing places are in spate. But- or so the old tradition has it - as the priests step into the waters, a dry path opens up before them, and the Israelites, as at the Red Sea 40 years before, cross over – this time into the Promised Land.
And God commands them to take 12 great rocks from the mud of the river bed where the people crossed over, and erect a stone circle – or is it a great cairn – at Gilgal. And God says – When your children ask you “What mean these stones?” then you are to say – this is a memorial to the way God was with us and protected us – in the desert trials of life and in the icy waters of death.
And Christians down the ages have found here a rich parable of our earthly pilgrimage and our passage from earth to heaven.
ALL SAINTS
I wonder of you recognize these
names: William Lowrey, Eliza Mary Howe, James and Henry Pearse, Lydia Adams and
Alice Cooke, George Cockeram.
They are in the Mint Church Car Park – members of the Mint Congregation, their names inscribed on old tomb stones now placed along the edge of the car park.
Like the Israelite children in Gilgal, well might we ask: What mean these stones?
And the answer is this: These stones, like the stones of Gilgal, remind us of how God has been at work amongst his people from generation to generation,
And today we celebrate the Sunday after All Saints Day – and Church Anniversary Sunday. It is a day to let these stones speak to us, not just of William and James and Henry, of Lydia, Alice and Eliza Mary, but of the great multitude of witnesses who have kept the faith and who have passed on the flame of the Gospel from generation to generation, that we in our day might hear the word of the Gospel.
What mean these stones? Like the stones of Gilgal, they speak of the saints who have travelled the desert paths and crossed the flood of death before us. And for them - on this Church Anniversary Day – we give thanks.
MHA DEMENTIA CARE
But today is also Methodist Homes Sunday – please give generously to the retiring collection as you leave. After the service you may like to read the Methodist Homes piece in the Notice leaflet. This years’ appeal concentrates particularly on the ground breaking work being done by MHA on dementia care - giving those whose memories are frail a continuing sense of joy, vitality and identity.
When your children ask “What mean these stones?”, you are to say “They are to remind you of the great things God has done in the past.”
But what of those who have no memories left? Who cannot remember the Saints of yesterday, nor indeed their families of today? What of those who can no longer understand the scriptures nor the stones or what they stand for??
The Old Testament story is full of occasions when -stones or no stones – the Children of Israel forget God. But God says – even though Israel forgets me, I will not forget you. ”Can a woman forget a baby at her breast; feel no pity for the child she has borne? (Isa 49.15). Even if these were to forget, I will not forget you” says the Lord.
Thank God that when the Israelites got to the Jordan, God treated them not as an frontier guard, but as a mother – whether they understood or not, God was there in the river with them. – as he is with every one of us whatever our need, our sorrow, our trial or our sickness.
ITALIAN EARTHQUAKE
And as we think of those in suffering need today, we think of the parents of San Guiliano.
And if we were in that Italian village this week, what could we say to those grief stricken parents? Right now we might not say a lot- when you lose a child you need love not words.
But in the long run, what might we say to them, or to our brother James Pearce whose gravestone outside this Church records not only his own death but also that of his eight children in infancy?
Maybe we might say this – that God brings us all to the river of death at some time – and some he brings to that shore sooner than others - but that river is but a part of our journey – and that when we reach it, there is our God awaiting us – going ahead of us, parting the waters ahead of us beckoning us on -
Or in the words of the song Nancy Day sang for us earlier in the service - which could perhaps be God’s words from the riverside:
“Hold on, my child,
I can see your deepest need
Put your trust
in me,
Your hope in me
Your life is in my hands ….
Never fear my child, soon you will be free -
You are a special one to me
You have a place prepared for you
You will be one with me one day.”
CHURCH ANNIVERSARY
So today we celebrate our Church Anniversary.
Jack Priestley and I have had a bit of a correspondence this week over whether it should be the 189th or the 190th – but whichever it is we give thanks for those years and the work and witness they contained as chapels were built and dedicated here.
And now we are planning the next phase of our Church life on this site (Forward is there at the back – you will find all the details there). Here we prepare to erect new stones in Gilgal – well if not stones then bricks and concrete.
And we trust and pray that in years to come, when our children ask what mean these stones, they will say – “These stones were put here by your ancestors to celebrate God’s love in the past and to proclaim God’s love in the future.”
BUT we do something more here than just remember and plan buildings.
In 1 Peter the Church is describes as made up of living stones. On Church Anniversary Day we remember principally not bricks and mortar but the people of God – the living stones which make up God’s people in this place – built, course upon course, generation upon generation –
And what sort of stone are you? A fine dressed marble fit for a cathedral? If so, God be praised.
But if that is not you, remember this - There was no marble at Gilgal. God said to Joshua go down into the mud of the Jordan and heave out twelve rough boulders – they shall be my memorial. And if you feel like a piece of muddy ill finished boulder – well fear not – for it was for such as you that Christ came and makes straight the way in the desert and lays a path in the sea.
And however rough and raw you may be, God can use you –
At the Northcote Theatre shop you can buy small stones – each one has a word chiselled into it – dream, peace, faith, hope – We may be rough hewn stones, but we can stand for Christ and – if we will - allow his words to be written across our lives.
If you have ever been on a pilgrimage to Holy island, you will know that at high tide your destination, Lindisfarne, is an island cut off from the mainland. But as the tide recedes, a causeway is uncovered and the journey to the island can be made on dry land.
Our whole life is a pilgrimage - And for all of us one day will come to that point where our path approaches the waters of death.
Then shall Christ be our causeway, our way, our truth, our life. Then shall we pass over - join the saints around the throne.
Until that glorious day, whilst
we remain a little longer on this side of the flood,
may we be living stones witnessing to the glory of God in this world and in the
world to come.
And so, pray God, when our
children say of you and me “What mean these stones” then may others reply:
“These living stones which are God’s Church are nothing less than constant
reminders of the love and power of our God, who will assuredly one day
see us all safe home over Jordan.”