STONES OF REMEMBRANCE

          My wife and I recently enjoyed a spring break trip to Virginia that included visiting a dozen or so Civil War battlefields and key sites.  Among these (in the order in which we encountered them) were Antietam, Harpers Ferry, Winchester, Lexington, Appomattox, Sailer’s Creek, Petersburg, Richmond, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, and Culpeper.  The Civil War was an exceptionally tragic chapter in our nation’s history, one that some seem bent on erasing - - arguing that confederate statues in particular need to be demolished and such battlefields  shuttered for good.  But would it really be “good” to hollow-out such hallowed grounds?  Cannot these stones remain as vivid reminders of an ugly and gruesome conflict that brought untold heartache and death?  Being a country rooted in history, are we not able to distill vital lessons from our troubled past that can help us navigate through rough waters that will surely come our way in the days ahead - - our yet uncharted future?

          In Old Testament times, stones of joyful remembrance often marked key events in the history of God’s people.  cf. Gen.28:18-22;  31:45f;  & 35:14f and Josh.4:1-7).  The acts of ancient Israel were frequently besmirched by sinful misdeeds and sorrow-filled days, yet Jehovah God also saw fit to have them erect stones of painful remembrance, as in the cases of the sin of Achan (Josh.7:26) and Absalom (2Sam.18:17).  Similarly, when Elijah confronted a sinful and sorely-divided Israel on Mount Carmel, the altar he reconstructed was founded upon twelve stones (1Kgs.18: 30-32).          

Terry Siverd / Cortland Church Of Christ