The Second Generation

Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” Joshua 4:4-7

Devotion

In October, I got the chance to listen to our great Senior Pastor Marty Grubbs read this text to hundreds of people as they gathered together to pray, worship, celebrate, and learn what God has next for Crossings Christian School. During this time, we did what Joshua did with the Israelites right before they proceeded into a great new adventure, we celebrated all God had done, we erected a monument to help us remember, and we put our trust in the Lord. In doing all of this, we came together as a community to make a commitment to be faithful, to be strong, and to be courageous.

As I reflected on that evening, I realized another striking similarity between the story of Joshua and what occurred for us that night. You see, Joshua was leading a group of people, and very few of them had been there when God used Moses to rescue his people out of Egypt. Most of the people who witnessed the red sea part, who saw Pharaoh defeated, and who experienced miracle after miracle were no longer there. For the most part, the people Joshua was addressing were from the second generation of those who began the journey.

Although the second generation had not been there at the beginning, they were still called to remember, to celebrate, and to move forward with a bold vision of faith. What the Israelites were called to do was not easy, and in many instances when they took the easy route, there were generational consequences. But when they trusted in God, even when it was hard, God blessed them and was faithful to keep his promises.

As I listened to Marty that night, I recognized that most of the people listening to him were not there the day we started the school. They weren’t ever at Belle Isle Community Church, not all of them helped carry the playground piece by piece in their cars from Belle Isle to our new Lower School building all those years ago. They weren’t there when CCS had its first graduating class of one person. Nor was I there. I have been at Crossings for nine years now and have had wonderful opportunities to experience so much, but there is also so much that occurred before I ever got here. Crossings had been a faithful church for almost six decades BEFORE my family made this place home. Each day I am thankful for the faithful people who came before us, some who are still with us, many who are not. I am thankful for their dedication and sacrifice that has given my family the ability to grow in our faith at this wonderful church, learning that the true voice of hope comes from God himself.

For me and my family, and for all of us who call this place home, although we may not have been here for the beginning, the call is still the same as it was for those 55 people who began our church. Regardless of when we came, we are called to do exactly what Joshua told the people to do that day on the banks of the Jordan River.

We are called to remember, to celebrate, and to move forward with a bold vision of faith, trusting that God will be faithful to his promises, especially when it is hard. We are called to be strong and courageous!

PRAYER

Father, your promises are true. May we be a people who truly live by faith. Thank you for those who came before us who demonstrated faith, thank you for working miracles through them. May we go forward with the same commitment, trusting in you each step of the way.

Blake Bastin
Pastor, Ministry & Operations

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