This
observation came to mind as I was watching someone being baptized, and I
realized that when I was baptized at seven years old I had a child’s
understanding of faith, and I didn’t really know that Christianity wasn’t about
being good. My understanding has grown through the various stages of my life.
The past year has been one of significant growth and change, and part of me wished
I could be re-baptized to signify a fresh start. I’m not a proponent of
rebaptism, particularly when I think of the symbolism of being buried in baptism
and raised to new life. If the old flesh is dead and buried, it does not need
to be buried again. I accept by faith that one baptism is enough, regardless of
my limited understanding at the time. (Do we ever fully understand our new
life in Christ?)
So that leads
to the question—how can we memorialize the special events or new stages of our
life of faith? I was reminded in the Old Testament of the multiple times that people
gathered “stones of remembrance” to build a memorial or altar following some
event. Noah built an altar after coming safely out of the ark (Genesis 8). Crossing
the Jordan River into the Promised Land, God directed the people to gather stones
for an altar (Deuteronomy 27 & Joshua 4). Elijah gathered twelve stones to
build an altar, which he then used to disprove and disgrace the prophets of
Baal (1 Kings 18). Abraham, Jacob, and Moses all built altars and renamed places
in memory of something that God had done there.
I wonder if
we should adopt a similar practice at times—creating something to remind us of
how God has worked in a particular time or place? I think we are naturally
inclined to create memorials, whether it’s a photo album, scrapbook, souvenir, or
bumper sticker. We like to remember where we’ve been and good times we’ve
enjoyed. So why not adapt that for the good things God has done and blessings
we’ve enjoyed? Obviously we don’t want to fall into the trap of worshiping the
creation rather than the Creator (as Israel did on multiple occasions). But we
can all use reminders of the things we should be thankful for. It doesn’t have
to be anything big. At one time in my life I collected small white stones out
of my driveway to mark a certain event, and those stones are now inside a
paperweight I made. And more recently, I’ve simply been counting the weeks on
my calendar to remind me of how God has given me victory in a particular area
(16 weeks and counting).
When God
directed the Israelites to gather stones after crossing the Jordan, they were
told, “When your children ask why these stones are here, you are to tell them
what God has done” (my paraphrase). Part of the value of the memorial is in
sharing the story with others, passing it along to children, grandchildren, and
friends to teach them how God has worked in the past so that they may trust Him
for the future. And in remembering together, you can also praise God together.
It’s
something to think about as we approach Thanksgiving. What has God done in the
past year that you need to share with someone? What family stories need to be
preserved in some way so that they won’t be forgotten in the next generation?
Just as the Jews still observe their feast days to remember and teach what God
did in the past, we can use special occasions like Thanksgiving to do the same.
“[Remember] so that all the peoples of the
earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord
your God forever” (Joshua 4:24).
