Joshua 4:1-9 (NIV)
1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan,
the LORD said to Joshua, 2 "Choose twelve men from
among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them
to take
up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right
where the priests stood and to carry them over with you
and put them down at the place where you stay tonight."
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."
8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from
the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites,
as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their
camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had
been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried
the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.
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A story is told of Ulysses in his mythical wanderings,
preparing to leave the home of his good friend Calypso. As
Ulysses cast off in his ship, Calypso called out:
"Say goodbye to me but not to the thought of me."
Calypso spoke a truth we all recognize—we have a
need to remember.
Each person who walks this earth lives only once.
Each event that takes place occurs only once.
Each moment that we encounter passes by, never to be relived
again.
Such is the nature of life and its circumstances. They are fleeting.
Yet we recognize the need to have links with the past—
to past generations
to past circumstances
to past events.
And so we remember.
We hold on to memories.
We cherish thoughts from the past.
Sometimes to enjoy.
Sometimes to learn from.
Sometimes to dwell on the bittersweet.
This week we remember again wars and the losses due to
those wars. The two World Wars seem distant now for those
who weren’t alive then, but many
people still have vivid memories of comradeship, patriotism, hard times
and horror.
This year is a particularly poignant time as we recognize
the 60th anniversary of the end of WW2. More and more of
those who fought in WW2 are gone. More and more of us who
remain have never been at war. But the majority needs to
be informed by the minority.
And so we remember—not just those who experienced
war but all of us who have never fired a weapon in anger.
We remember because we must never forget!
The same theme is found in our Scripture lesson.
This portion of Joshua tells of an event that, ironically,
many of us may not have heard of or have forgotten.
Joshua and the people of Israel were about to cross into
the Promised Land. They had wandered in the desert for forty
years. Now their triumphant entry was to commence. At the
other side of the valley lay Canaan. All they had to do was
cross the Jordan River.
But such a crossing wouldn’t be easy.
The river was wide and deep.
The Lord provided the answer. God told the priests to take
the Ark of the Covenant—that most holy chest containing
the Ten Commandments—and step into the waters of
the Jordan. As they did so the water stopped flowing. It
was
dammed up by the power of God. The river parted. The priests
took the Ark to the middle of the river and stayed there
as the people crossed the dry river bed.
Just as God had parted the Red Sea for Moses at the beginning
of the Exodus out of Egypt, the Lord parted the Jordan
for Joshua and God’s people as they entered the Promised
Land.
Such a miraculous event could not go unmarked. In Ch. 4
we find the Lord instructing Joshua to select 12 men—one
from each tribe of Israel—to take up twelve stones
from the river bed and bring them to the shore. These stones
were placed together as a reminder of the event that had
just taken place. They would be a memorial, forever, of
what God had done for them.
The Lord put it this way in verses 6-7:
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."
From this explanation we find important truths that apply
to all memorials.
We find that a memorial is a sign. It’s something
that stands out and provides an opportunity for people
to see it and talk about it.
We also find the truth that a memorial is for generations
to come. It’s there so the event can be rehearsed
over and over again in order for it to become a part
of each generation's
history.
And finally we find the truth that a memorial is to remind
people of God's involvement in the event.
The memorial at the Jordan is very much like other Biblical memorials in what
it attempts to do. We think of the historical events of Scripture that remain
in our memories:
The Passover, the Exodus, the Last Supper, the Cross and
the Empty Tomb, Pentecost.
Each incident remains significant because we make a conscious
effort to remember it and pass on what it means to us, generation
after generation.
Remembrance Day is a memorial as well!
We find it, too, shares the elements that are common to
the memorials we have in Scripture.
Remembrance Day is a sign.
The day and its events stand out as a beacon to remind us
of the sacrifices of war.
As years pass there has been talk of downplaying Remembrance
Day or doing away with it entirely. There has been a natural
buildup for this year being the 60th anniversary but what
about after that? After all, each year brings fewer and fewer
veterans out to the ceremonies. Eventually all but the memories
they have shared will be gone.
It would be a very great mistake, though, to do away with
the sign that is Remembrance Day. It would be a mistake because,
as a sign, it points to past history that must never be forgotten.
Wars are the greatest man-made tragedy. A war's destruction
goes beyond the loss of life and property. It includes the
effects on the survivors and their families. The losses and
the continued influences on people years later must never
be pushed aside.
We must never grow desensitized to war. It isn’t
something to be ignored or taken lightly. The conflicts
that still rage thousands of miles from our shore consist
of the
same tragedy and loss that people here have felt directly
or indirectly through the World Wars, Korea and Viet
Nam.
Years may pass and veterans may die but those who remain
must rehearse what took place and the cost that has been
so great.
The Cenotaph, the graves, the uniforms, the poppy, the
Day—all these are signs—concrete expressions
of the need to remember—not just for the sake of the
past but for our future’s sake, as well.
The second truth from our Scripture lesson is related to the first. The Lord
said to tell the children when they ask about the sign.
I was born seven years after the end of WW2. The experience of war isn’t
a direct part of my life. But I do remember my father telling me stories of
the war at our kitchen table at lunch time on Saturdays. He told me of his
experiences—some cherished, some bitter, some tragic.
He told me of marching through Holland to the cheers of the people. He
told me of marching through Italy—the sun warm and bright. He told
me of the siege of Monte Casino and the countless lives lost to gain that
mountain monastery.
My Father didn't glorify war. He just told it like it was.
And so, I know something of what war must have been like
but I have that knowledge only indirectly.
There is a six year portion of my Father's life I can never
completely understand. I know what it’s like to be
a teenager. I know what it’s like to marry and have
a family. I know what it’s like to work for a living.
But I don’t know what it’s like to join the
army at the age of 19 and travel to Europe to see death,
to cause death and to fear death.
I don’t know what it’s like to experience the
comradeship that is special because you depend on your
friends for your life.
I don’t know what it’s like to have someone die
beside you and wonder why it wasn’t you.
There is a part of my Father's life I have a hard time
relating to. But it’s something I must relate to—something
I must hold out for my children to try to understand.
As the children ask, we must tell them!
The third truth from Scripture we want to apply to Remembrance
Day is the truth of God's involvement.
Some say war is an example of the fact that there is no
God.
I suggest war is an example of the fact that we need to recognize
God.
God doesn’t cause war. Human beings do!
Our pride, our greed, our jealousy, our lust for power and
possessions, our bigotry. These are the causes of war—they
are human causes.
God was involved in WW2.
God was involved before the war.
God spoke prophetically through Winston Churchill warning
Britain about the arms build up in Germany.
God was with the British air aces who miraculously won the
Battle of Britain.
God worked through the soldiers and commanders to bring an
end to the five year madness.
Millions of lives were lost.
Millions of lives were affected.
God was there—working God’s will slowly and
deliberately to the final ceasefire.
God remains involved in our lives and our world. God is
involved, but more times than not we fail to listen to
God—we
fail to involve ourselves with God.
And so sixty years later nuclear arms are still being manufactured
and sold in this world.
Human beings still puff up their chests and act macho when
compromise and negotiation are possible.
Fear of the Cold War has been replaced by fear of terrorism—but
it’s fear all the same!
Afghanistan and Iraq, along with many current civil wars
and armed conflicts continue to swallow up lives and resources
better spent in other ways.
But God's involvement and God's way is to seek peace.
We fail to listen and blame God for being silent.
God remains involved in the memorial of Remembrance Day!
To remind us
To call us to understanding
To call us to peace.
Every year we look back on the loss, the destruction, the
waste—and we remember.
And, as we remember, God is involved.
God is involved in our sorrow.
God is involved in our realization that these wars must stop.
This Remembrance Day and for another sixty Remembrance Days to come, let us
watch for the signs of the day.
Let us tell our children what they mean.
Let us remember our God of peace who longs to lead us away from war.
(1766)
© The Rev. Dennis Cook, St. Timothy’s Presbyterian
Church, Ajax, ON, Canada
