The story of faith and life should not end with our generation, it should be passed on.
When the Israelites relied on God's power to cross over the Jordan
River to enter Canaan, God instructed Joshua for the priests to take 12
stones from the River Jordan to set up a memorial. “When your children
ask “What are these stones?”, then you shall let your children know,
saying “Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land. The hand of the
Lord is mighty…that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua
4:21-24)
The act of “setting up a memorial” shows an outpouring of God’s
wisdom and thoughtfulness. God knows men forget easily. Through these
stones which are in plain sight, the older generation is reminded to
pass on the story of life to their younger generation. At the same time,
it will also evoke the curiosity of youths. Whenever these youths see
these “memorial stones”, they will question the reason for its
existence. Hence this single act of “setting up a memorial” achieves two
purposes.
To complement the theme of the church’s 125th anniversary
celebrations “God’s faithfulness through the generations”, the material
used in the four congregation combined family church camp in June and
the Anniversary Testimony Booklet is mainly for us to appreciate God’s
faithfulness; on one hand to recall how God has faithfully lead our
church and its members in the past; on the other hand to also pass on
this story of life encompassing our encounters with God, to the younger
generation.
Brothers and sisters, let us pause and reflect: Are there any
experiences, physical items which God wants to use as “memorial stones”,
to help us remind our children, grandchildren, even ourselves, of
encounters which God has manifested his great power and faithfulness in
our lives?
I believe, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, when we, as a
spiritual family, use our life stories, like little stones being piled
together, we will see God’s faithfulness increase. Through this, I pray
our life stories will enable more people to know God’s greatness.
Through this, our younger generation will also be blessed.
Rev Chua Ooi Suah