In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 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.” – Joshua 4b-7

Today’s Scripture Reading (December 31, 2018): Joshua 4

Early in World War II, Germany was quickly gaining control of Europe. The fighting in France had begun, and even then there were serious questions about how long France could remain outside of German control. The United States had not yet entered the war, and the United Kingdom could see the day coming when they would stand alone against a Germany that had gained control of all of Europe. In the midst of all of this, the United Kingdom had elected a new Prime Minister. His name was Winston Churchill, and he led the nation as the leader of a multiparty coalition government. Churchill believed that the United Kingdom had waited too long to confront the danger that Germany presented to the rest of the world. The delay had only left the United Kingdom and the world in a bad situation that was decidedly worse than it might have been if they had acted earlier. But none of that really mattered. The important question was “what can we do now?”

It was less than a month after Winston Churchill rose to power that he stepped up with his famous address to parliament. The address was not recorded until after the war (1949), although many misremember hearing the address being played on the radio in 1940. The address contained the words “We shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be.  We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; We shall never surrender.” Apparently after the speech, Churchill added an addendum to the speech that was spoken more privately; "And we’ll fight them with the butt ends of broken beer bottles because that's bloody well all we've got!"

But underneath the words was one thought.  Remember who you are. The United Kingdom stood for something.  It was at this moment in time the people were beginning to wonder if their principles were worth it – or if they should bow before Hitler. Churchill was making it clear that this moment of seeming defeat would not define the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom and the Commonwealth nations would be defined by its character and morals. And so we will fight.  And we shall never surrender.

As Israel collects the rocks from the middle of the Jordan, they are reminded that the rocks are intended to be a memorial for the generations that would follow. And the message was to be two-fold. The stones were a reminder of who they were as a nation and a reminder of the God who brought them through the flooded Jordan River.

Maybe one of the hard realities of life is remembering who we are, and remembering how God has brought us through the trials of life so far. Let me speak your reality over you. You are the chosen of God, so you need to find your stones to set up them up so that when you look at them, you will remember who you are. You are a child of the King. And as we close the doors on one year, and begin the new challenge of the next, this is the one thing that we must never forget.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Joshua 5