Stones of Remembrance (14/6/2026)
Ronny Higgins shared with us today about the power of remembering — and how picking up a stone can change your life.
Speaking from Joshua 4, Ronny brought us to one of the most overlooked moments in Israel's story: the crossing of the River Jordan. After 600 years of slavery and 40 years of wandering, the people of God finally crossed into the Promised Land. And what did God ask them to do? Pick up twelve stones and stack them.
It sounds simple. Ordinary, even. But the more Ronny unpacked it, the more extraordinary it became.
1. Stacking stones glorifies God
When Joshua commanded twelve men — one from each tribe — to carry a stone from the middle of the Jordan and set them up on the bank, it wasn't just a quirky ritual. It was an act of worship in the middle of the miracle. God wasn't asking them to look back from the comfort of the far shore. He was asking them to worship in the river — in the middle of the struggle, before they'd fully arrived.
That's a challenge for all of us. Whatever difficulty you're walking through right now, God may be inviting you to stack a stone today — not when it's over, but right now — because you trust the promise that is coming.
2. We are prone to forget — and God knows it
In John 14, Jesus promises that the Father will send the Holy Spirit to teach us all things and remind us of what He has already taught. God understands our tendency towards spiritual amnesia. Joshua himself had been there at the Red Sea as a child. He'd seen the unfaithfulness of the generation before him. And so he pounded into the people: "We need to remember."
These stones weren't nostalgia. They were declarations: God was faithful then. He will be faithful again.
3. The stones you stack light the way for others
One of our church members once heard this from a mentor during a dark season of depression: "Every story told by someone ahead of you is a lantern in the fog." That's what stacking stones does. When you speak openly about what God has carried you through — addiction, grief, shame, uncertainty — you become a lantern for someone still in the fog.
4. The next generation is asking questions
In verse 6, God says: "When your children ask in time to come, 'What do these stones mean to you?' tell them." The stones we stack in our faith journey — the moments we mark, the stories we tell — answer the questions our children will one day ask. They need to know: God is who He says He is, and there is hope.
5. Stones from Redcar
Several young people from First Woodway Church, Waco, Texas, then came forward to share their own stones from the week. Jackson held up a red rock from the beach, pointing to the blood of Christ that covers our brokenness. Beth brought a seashell — a reminder that God's work in Redcar had transformed lives she'd met the year before, and that it truly takes a village to reach one person for Christ. Shannon, on her fifth trip, shared how Redcar had been a place of profound healing for her and her family — a stone of remembrance she carries to this day.
Each stone was different. Each story was real.
A reflection question for you: Do you have stones of remembrance? Can you point to moments in your life where you can clearly say, "God was here"? If not, maybe today is the day you pick up your first stone.
A closing prayer: Lord, thank you that you are the same yesterday, today and forever. Help us to remember your faithfulness in the hard moments. Give us the courage to worship you in the river - not just on the far shore. And may the stones we stack be lanterns for those still in the fog. Amen.
If this message has encouraged you, we'd love to welcome you to Redcar Baptist Church. Whether you're exploring faith or returning to it, there's a place for you here. Come and be part of the story God is writing in Redcar.
