I have been thinking a lot about memorial stones lately, partly following the death of my father. I’m not a sentimental person and the plethora of headstones and markers found in cemeteries don’t really do much for me, but there is a need in most of us to remember our loved ones and commemorate their existence in some way. We don’t want people to be forgotten; we know their value and want future generations to know this too.

In the Bible, we find memorial stones mentioned not so much to commemorate people, but to remember what God has done. They’re usually gathered together to make an altar to commemorate particular times when God appeared to people – to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for example. Then we have the twelve stones at Gilgal, commemorating the fact that the Lord parted the river Jordan so the Israelites could cross over on dry land, just as He had parted the Red Sea to allow their escape from Egypt. (Ex 14-15, Joshua 4). The stones served to remind people of what God had done and to explain to future generations God’s miraculous dealings with His people.

In ancient times, these stories about the stones were passed down from generation to generation orally, and this is still the most powerful way of sharing what God has done. This is what we are commanded to do. (Ps 48:13, Ps 78:4, 6; Ps 79:13; Ps 89:1; Ps 102:18)

This period of lockdown is often described as unprecedented. It’s never happened before, even during war. Many families have taken to making journals or doing craft work, not only to pass the time, but to commemorate what we hope will be a unique time in our history. These efforts are, in effect, our memorial stones to 2020.

I hope we can take these efforts and use them not only to remember what it was like to live in lockdown, but to remember what God did for us in this period. I long to be able to exhibit some of these activities at the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival (hopefully held in September 2020), but more than that, I am praying that our ‘memorial stones’ will remind us not only what it was like during this period but will be there to show future generations how God sustained us, provided for us, helped us and delivered us from all evil. Don’t throw way your ‘memorial stones’, but keep them to enable others to ponder anew what God does for His people, even in difficult times.

If there’s one phrase I’m heartily sick of hearing during this pandemic, it’s that the government’s actions are ‘being guided by the science.’ I understand what they intend us to hear from that phrase, but since this is a ‘new virus’, science has few definitive answers and the government’s actions will always have to take into account factors which are not scientific (including economic and political factors.) It’s frankly impossible to be guided by one thing alone.

Even in the Bible, when we talk about God guiding us (Ps 48:14), we can see He uses a variety of means to do this. Nicky Gumbel lists five methods in today’s ‘Bible in One Year‘ readings (the headings are his; the comments are mine.)

1. Commanding Scripture. Most of what we know is God’s will for us we know through studying the Bible. This is our first port of call when we are seeking guidance from God (though we need wisdom in interpreting what we find there, just as government ministers need wisdom and help in interpreting the scientific data currently).

2. Compelling Spirit. Our guidance is based on a personal relationship with our God. Just as Jesus was led by the Spirit (Luke 4:1), we too need to be led by the Spirit (Rom 8:14). Difficult and subjective though this may be, we cannot ever expect guidance to be anything other than personal and intimate. The sheep hear and know the shepherd’s voice. (John 10:1-18)

3. Counsel of the Saints. Nicky Gumbel reminds us that ‘we receive guidance in the context of community’, warning us against solitary, rash decisions (see Prov 12:15). Ultimately, the accumulated wisdom and prayerful advice of others can be helpful to us.

4. Common Sense. We must not rely on common sense (God frequently does ask us to do things which look illogical to us!), but neither must we despise it. God has given us intelligence and expects us to think through options sensibly.

5. Circumstantial Signs. These ‘circumstantial signs’ or ‘providence’ can be misleading because (again) they are open to interpretation (and therefore to misinterpretation), but, as Gideon demonstrated, sometimes they can be the way God confirms something to us (see Judges 6:36-40). It seems Paul used these signs, along with other means, to determine where he went on missionary journeys (see Acts 16:6-10).

All of us need God’s guidance daily and at these difficult times can be sure that He will lead us (see Ps 143:10).

Tonight we looked at Phil 1:1-11, one of Paul’s most joyful letters, written in unpleasant circumstances while he was in chains in prison, not for any crime, but simply because of his faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a timely reminder that joy and peace are not dependent on circumstances, that we are not the only ones facing restrictions on our movements and that God is able to make His grace abound so that we don’t just survive but thrive! Paul showed us that we might not be able to control our situations, but that does not mean we have to succumb to despair; as Rend Collective sing:

‘I will not let the darkness steal the joy within my soul.
I will not let my circumstance become my compass, no.
I will not let the fears of life and sorrows of this world
Dictate to me how I should feel
For You are my true north.’ (‘True North’, Rend Collective)

These opening verses give us great help about how to pray and what to pray. Paul prays for the church he founded (Acts 16) with joy, with confidence and with emotion. He is glad of their partnership in the gospel with him and is sure that the God who began a good work will carry it on in them. He misses them intensely, and this is true of us in our current situation (even though we have more means of staying in touch than he did!), but one of the greatest things we can do in these times is to pray for each other.

Paul’s prayers were not vague or aimless. In Phil 1:9-11, he tells us exactly what he is praying, and this can become a model prayer for us. His focus is on their love abounding, a love that’s based on knowledge and insight. He longs for them to know discernment, to be wise. He prays for them to be pure and blameless, looking ahead to the Lord’s coming. We need to live for eternity, not just for now, not just for the end of lockdown, and Paul shows us how to pray with long-term goals in mind. He also prays for the fruit of righteousness to be seen in their lives. We can pray for the fruit of the Spirit to be grown in each one of us as we face new challenges each day. The weary parent may need patience; the fearful may need more peace; all of us need to learn self-control in different areas.

Here’s a challenge for us all in our praying:

• Let’s learn to pray with joy, confidence and emotion, really caring about each other.

• Let’s learn to pray for love to abound in knowledge and insight, for discernment for what is best, for us all to live for eternity and not just for now and for God’s righteousness to be grown and seen in practical fruit in our lives.

• Each tree is known by the fruit it grows (Luke 6:44), so let’s pray for the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our lives so we’re known as spiritual trees!

• Most of all, let’s learn contentment with Paul and let God into every part of our lives so that we can react to every one of life’s challenges with joy and confidence in God to see us through to the day of Christ Jesus.

Stephen continued speaking on Mark 12:30 which tells us to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Last time, he looked at loving God with our hearts and minds and today spoke about strength and soul.

Love the Lord Your God With All Your Strength

Usually we associate the word ‘strength’ with physical strength, and unless we’re bodybuilders or athletes, that can leave us feeling disqualified because we don’t perceive that we have much physical strength. Strength can be hidden within us, however, and can refer to emotional, mental or spiritual strength. Eph 6:12 reminds us that ours is a spiritual battle and we need to be strong in the Lord’s strength (see Eph 6:10-20).

Love the Lord Your God With All Your Soul

It can be difficult to define ‘soul’, but the soul is really the essence of a person, the part of us which was made for God and which only God can fill. We all have a ‘God-shaped hole’, part of us which only God can satisfy. We must love God with all that is in us, being unafraid to long for God and desire Him above everything else (see Ps 42:1-2)

The thing which ultimately sets God’s people apart from everyone else has nothing to do with people’s skills, righteousness or goodness. The thing that marks us out as God’s people is God’s presence.

God with us is what makes us different, special, chosen and loved. ‘Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.’ (Ps 146:5) Throughout the Old Testament, we see God reminding His people that their privileged position came as a result of His grace and mercy, not because of their own merit. Moses, at the end of his life, reminded them of the promise of His presence: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’ (Deut 31:6) To Joshua, he said, ‘The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.’ (Deut 31:8) These words were reinforced by God at the beginning of the book of Joshua: ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’ (Josh 1:9)

The writer to the Hebrews also reminds us of the promise of God’s presence, quoting from the passage in Deuteronomy.

‘Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”‘ (Heb 13:5-6)

In times of adversity, trials and persecution, it is easy to feel that God has abandoned us. That’s a reaction recorded in the Bible too (e.g. Is 2:6, Ps 22:1), but ultimately. we have the promise of God’s word that He is always with us, no matter how we may feel. The promise of God’s presence has sustained Christians throughout the centuries and will sustain us too.

Last night we talked about the importance of worship in the life of a church, and said that worship is more than just singing songs (important though our sung worship is and I absolutely affirm that it is!) Today, I came across this quote from William Temple, former archbishop of Canterbury:

“Worship is a submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by his holiness… the nourishment of mind with his truth…the purifying of imagination by his beauty… the opening of the heart to his love… the surrender of will to his purpose… and all this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable.”

So as we choose to worship God today, here is a prayer to help us:

Quicken my conscience by Your holiness, Lord. Help me to see every situation in that light. Let Your purity purify me.

Nourish my mind with Your truth, that the lies of the enemy find no resting place in me, but that my mind may flourish and bring forth fruit from knowing Your truth which sets us free.

Purify my imagination as I gaze on Your beauty, so that I may find beauty from ashes and learn to see the world with Your eyes. Unleash creativity in me that is fuelled by an imagination sanctified from time in Your presence so that others may find Your beauty too.

Open my heart to Your love, a love without ending, a love that never fails. Help me to live in the knowledge of Your abundant and overflowing love lavished upon me, and let that love wash away all hatred, bitterness, fear and doubt from my soul like the streams that pour down the mountains leaving only crystal-pure water.

Help me to surrender my will to Your purpose, even when there is pain in that offering. Let me be like Jesus, praying not for relief from suffering or for my will to be done, but only that Your will be done.

And let me spend much time in adoration, learning to do what I will spend eternity doing: adoring, gazing, worshipping the One who alone is worthy.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.