It Is Not About Music….It Is About Rocks.

It is not about music.  In the last post, Abraham was the one that brought sacrifice to the worship scene. I always thought about music as the central theme in worship.  I now “use” music sometimes to get me to a worship state..  But that is not all worship is about. 

Joshua crossed the Jordan River from East to West.  After he crossed the Jordan River,…he and about a million or so people entered the Promised Land….and almost immediately had to fight all the big folks that were there on their land.  But Joshua brought something with him to that new place…the promised land.    Rocks.

He had those with him bring out of the riverbed….rocks.  From the bottom of the previously uncrossable barrier….a river…..Joshua and his nation stopped the water….crossed the river on dry ground….brought up rocks from the river and then….well,..  they fell on their face and worshipped God. 

They listened to God.  Crossed a barrier.  Got stuff up out of the barrier,…rocks,….built an altar and worshipped God. 

What are you bringing to church?  What barrier are you crossing?  You bringing with you something?  Just checking?  I often bring criticism of what is going on.  I often bring selfishness in what I want at church.  I even want the temperature to be just right or the music to be just so loud….I often bring problems I have and want someone to solve them……I often preach about them myself……  Seldom do I just lay down and worship God.  Seldom do I bring a rock…..something of worship to bring with me into church. 

louie

 

Rock Pile

So Joshua was leading the people of Israel into the promised land.  They had just encountered their last obstacle….outside of the promised land,..The Jordan River.  Joshua 4:4-7 says that Joshua called together the 12 men from the 12 tribes of Israel and told them to go into the still dry river bed, where the Priests were still standing with the Ark of the Covenant, the very presence of God,….and to go into the river bed and get 12 stones, one for each of them.  They were to put the rocks on the promised side of the river to stand as a monument….a sign of what occurred here so “that when your children ask you” …. you can tell them what happened here today.  A rock pile.

I have some rock piles, or monuments too.  A house, car, job, savings account, status, maybe some pride and some ego mixed in…then a whole bunch more “stuff.”  I had to ask myself, what sort of monument, what sort of sign do I have to share with my children about what God has done for me.  I think of all the things that only God could have gotten me through, of all the circumstances that only God could have been the right guidance, of all the times that I tangibly felt the presence of God….and how often do I sit down and specifically tell my kids (and my wife)  about these times. 

How about you too?  What are our monuments and what should they be?  This rock pile on the bank of the Jordan came right out of the middle of what was challenging the people of Israel.  They went into what had stood against them…took out of it a sign for all to see….they had beaten it with God’s help.  Go into what is challenging you today, take it out and let it serve as a rock pile in your life for what God has beaten in your life.

louie