Miracle Becomes Legacy: Remember, Teach, Secure.

Getting On The Dirt

Dad jokes: 1. Why did the cemetery get so popular? **Because people were just dying to get in!** 2. What kind of music do mummies listen to in a cemetery? **Wrap music.** 3. Why do cemeteries have gates around them? **Because people are always trying to *grave* crash!** 4. What did the headstone say to the impatient visitor? **“Don’t worry, I’ll be here for eternity!”** 5. I told my kids I wanted to be buried in a cemetery when I die. **They said, "Over our dead bodies!"** 6. Why are cemeteries so peaceful? **Because everyone is on eternal leave.** 7. Did you hear about the cemetery with great customer service? **People are really digging it!**

Monday August 26th, the doorbell rang. Belinda was there with Todd and she said the most mysterious statement. We are going to give you some information and then we are going to put your feet on some dirt...

Set the stage: I was whisked away on a journey I could never have expected. I received the most heartfelt and priceless gift I could have ever imagined. I got a chance to walk through some of the stories of my family. Who knew moving to York County PA from my home in Centre County to be an outsider of the community would have ended with a long history of returning to the roots of my father's family tree.

The pictures below detail the cemetery plots and stones of my 3rd grandfather William Henry Christine (b. Jan 22, 1821) whose wife was Catherine (Cookes), and my 4th grandfather Jacob Christine (b. July 7, 1798) whose wife was Sarah (Baumgartner). The Christine name traveled from York Pa to Tyrone by the way of the railroad as they both were locomotive operators. How amazing is that!!! William is buried at Prospect Cemetery NW in York

Jacob is in the Lutheran cemetery in Maytown. Turns out this pastor outsider who moved to York County isn't as much of an outsider as previously thought. How God directs our steps is astounding.

While I was standing in this field of headstones looking at one stone in particular, Todd Maxwell posed a question to me that I can honestly say has made me different: “Do you realize how many people had to live for you to be alive today?”

These stones are a marker that ties history together. They tell a story. John Shenk says it this way “It is truly an act of respect to stand at the grave site of a distant relative, who was born 200 yrs earlier. That person’s legacy is rewarded by your silent presence.”—John Shenk

Raising A Witness

What does it mean to have a mark of remembering? "Just as headstones mark the stories of lives that have come before us, serving as a testament to their legacy, so too do we find in Scripture a powerful reminder of role of remembrance.

Context: 40 years is now over. The wandering has ended. The shame is no more. God has honed His people and they are finally ready to enter the Promised Land. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was now making good on the covenant with their descendants. Moses has lead them but now his time had passed. Now the next generation prepares to inherit what their ancestors bore witness to. Joshua and the Israelites have been commanded by God to cross the Jordan. This generation has not seen the plagues of Egypt nor the parting of the Red Sea. They were not at Sinai but they were about to experience Divine provision they never imagined. The literal “God makes the way”

For forty years they have dreamed and thought of this moment when they would step into the covenant land promised by God to their ancestor Abraham. There were as numerous as the stars, even in slavery, and wilderness wandering they multiplied because of God’s blessing.

God commanded this moment to be celebrated in a peculiar way. Twelve men were to bring twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan River and carry them to their campsite where they would be set. These stones were to be from the very place the priests “set their heals on solid footing”

In Joshua 4, the Israelites raise witness stones—cairns of remembrance—not to mark a life that has ended, but to declare God’s enduring faithfulness, a legacy to be carried forward. These stones, placed as they crossed the Jordan River, were meant to tell a story for generations to come, inviting them to remember, teach, and secure the faith for the future."

Stones as a: witness, educator, and future promise!

God commands the Israelites to raise these cairns stones. These witness stones to remind them of what took place here, as to how they experienced the power of God in their midst. No longer would they be a people who did not witness the miraculous but bear witness and charged with remembering that as they entered into the Promised Land.

They have moved from waiting to receiving and God declares the need to remember. It is an anchor point. It ties the present to the past and sets the course of a faithful future. Place has purpose.

That is the power of a place. A place is built because an experience has taken place. The brick and stone remind us of what already has been. God moved in the heart of people long before us who are gathered here to step out and declare God’s faithfulness by building a witness stone that is this church.

Josh 1 recounts and reaffirms the commitment of the Israelites to God’s covenant.

Place witnesses to legacy

Subpoint 1a: Tangible Reminders of God’s Actions Just as the Israelites set up stones as a physical witness to God’s power, we also need tangible reminders in our lives. These serve as markers of God's faithfulness and help us recount His mighty acts to future generations.

Subpoint 1b: Personal and Communal Testimony The witness stones were not just symbols; they were a story in stone. Each time someone saw them, they prompted the question, “What do these stones mean?” This reminds us to create both personal and communal practices that bear witness to God’s work, sharing testimonies in our families and churches.

Subpoint 1c: Celebrating God’s Presence in Our Lives The stones were meant to inspire worship and gratitude. Celebrating and remembering what God has done keeps our faith alive and real, especially when we face new challenges.

Genesis 28:18–22 “After Jacob got up early in the morning, he took the stone that he had put near his head, set it up as a sacred pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. He named that sacred place Bethel, though Luz was the city’s original name. Jacob made a solemn promise: “If God is with me and protects me on this trip I’m taking, and gives me bread to eat and clothes to wear, and I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God. This stone that I’ve set up as a sacred pillar will be God’s house, and of everything you give me I will give a tenth back to you.””

Augustine of Hippo (Early Church Father, 4th century): “Trust the past to God’s mercy, the present to God’s love, and the future to God’s providence.” Augustine’s words encourage us to view our lives through the lens of God’s faithfulness, trusting that the past is held in His mercy. The witness stones were physical markers of God’s mercy and love in the lives of the Israelites, reminding them and future generations to keep God at the center.

Place educates

Subpoint 2a: Intentional Teaching Moments Joshua’s command to set up the stones had a dual purpose: to honor God and to teach the next generation. Similarly, we need to create moments in life that provide opportunities to instruct our children and communities about God’s character and works in our past and for present.

Subpoint 2b: Passing Down the Meaning of Faith The Israelites were commanded to tell their children about the stones. Instruction here is active, not passive; it’s about explaining the meaning behind our faith. We’re called to pass down not just the facts but also the heart of faith.

Subpoint 2c: Cultivating Curiosity and Questions The stones invited questions, prompting children to ask their parents, “What do these stones mean?” Creating a space where questions are welcomed can be powerful, as it opens doors for deeper understanding and connection with God.

The Jewish people used numerous symbols (e.g., the mezuzah on doorposts, phylacteries, fringes on garments) as visual and tactile reminders of their covenant with God. These symbols, like the stones, were intended to reinforce the teaching and remembrance of God’s laws and deeds, particularly for younger generations. The stones at the Jordan can be seen as part of this broader practice of embedding faith into daily life through physical reminders.

Moses Maimonides (Jewish Philosopher and Scholar, 12th century): “Teach thy tongue to say, ‘I do not know,’ and thou shalt progress.” Maimonides underscores the importance of questions in learning. In the tradition of the Israelites, questions like, “What do these stones mean?” allowed faith to be transmitted through inquiry and dialogue. This reminds us of the value of guiding others to understand faith deeply, not just through facts but through exploration and meaningful questions.

Place challenges us to secure a future.

Subpoint 3a: Building a Legacy of Faith By establishing the stones as a memorial, the Israelites ensured that future generations would know where they came from and Who delivered them. This serves as a model for us to think long-term about how we can establish lasting faith legacies.

Subpoint 3b: Envisioning a Life Centered on God’s Power The stones symbolized God’s mighty act of parting the Jordan River. As we set up our “witness stones,” we are envisioning a life that’s marked by God’s power and presence, inspiring others to rely on Him.

Subpoint 3c: Instilling Faith for Future Challenges The witness stones prepared the Israelites for the battles ahead in the Promised Land by reminding them of God’s faithfulness. Similarly, our own faith stories give vision and courage to face future trials, knowing we’re held by the same God who has worked powerfully before.

Deuteronomy 6:1–2“Now these are the commandments, the regulations, and the case laws that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you to follow in the land you are entering to possess, so that you will fear the Lord your God by keeping all his regulations and his commandments that I am commanding you—both you and your sons and daughters—all the days of your life and so that you will lengthen your life.”

Martin Luther King Jr. (Civil Rights Leader): “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Dr. King’s words align with the vision the Israelites needed to enter the Promised Land. The stones set up by Joshua were a reminder that God had led them thus far and would continue to guide them. This kind of vision is faith in action, trusting in God’s promises even when the path forward is uncertain.

Stones of Faith and the Cornerstone of Christ

The story of Joshua and the witness stones at the Jordan River calls us to remember God’s faithfulness, to teach His ways, and to envision a future grounded in His promises. Yet, in the Gospel, we see these themes reach their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of our faith. While the Israelites’ stones pointed back to God’s deliverance from the Jordan, Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection stand as the ultimate witness to God’s love and saving power, a foundation we build our lives upon.

Just as Joshua’s stones reminded the Israelites of God’s intervention, the cross and empty tomb remind us of the ultimate act of salvation. Through Jesus, we have not only a memorial of God’s past faithfulness but the living reality of His presence with us today through the Holy Spirit. In Christ, we find not only the greatest teacher but also the One who empowers us to live out our faith, sharing His love with others as we tell the story of the Gospel.

As we set our eyes on the future, Jesus gives us a vision of eternal hope. He has promised to be with us to the very end of the age (Matthew 28:20), guiding us as we create a legacy of faith that will endure for generations. Let us, then, live as “living stones” (1 Peter 2:5), built upon the foundation of Christ, the cornerstone, testifying to the God who has saved us, instructing others in His ways, and holding fast to the vision of His kingdom come.

In the same spirit that Joshua’s stones bore witness to God’s deliverance, let our lives be a testimony of God’s unchanging faithfulness, revealed fully in Jesus, our Savior and our hope.