Looking Back and Giving Thanks

Intro:

I love traditions! My family had certain traditions growing up like going to look at Christmas lights with Santa hats, or eating at Red Lobster of all place on Christmas Eve, but one of my favorites is based off a story in the Bible.

Background:

In the OT, there’s a story about Joshua and the Israelites crossing over the Jordan River on dry ground.

God does it again! He dries up the water and allows them to pass on dry ground.

In this instance, God gives Joshua instructions.

Take 12 stones from the river, and create an altar.

Joshua 4:19-24

19 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month.[a] Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. 20 It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River.

21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and he kept it dry until you were all across, just as he did at the Red Sea[b] when he dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.”

New Traditions:

Something that we are going to start doing each year at Thanksgiving, is thanking God for what he’s done this year, and remembering how faithful He is!

Now I asked your leaders to help me recount the ways that we can celebrate the Lord’s goodness in our student ministry this year, and here’s what we have:

Authentic community

Joining the HS & MS together

New Salvations

Lots of Baptisms

Consistency in HS Groups/New students

Students Seeking God

Reading their Bible more

Attending a discipleship group on a weekday to grow deeper in their walk with God

New Leaders who Serve Faithfully

Let’s pray and thank God together just like Joshua and the Israelites did when they crossed over the Jordan River