Memorial Day
ebenezer stones
Last night for Memorial Day, we had some
friends coming over for dinner, and as I was setting the table with some red,
white and blue placemats to be festive, I thought it would be meaningful to
mark this day with Ebenezer stones.
It seemed like the perfect project to
pull out to take some time to reflect and remember the ways over the past year
that God has been faithful and has helped us.
I Samuel 7:12 says, “Then
Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Jeshanah, and named it
Ebenezer; for he said, “Thus far the LORD has helped us.” Samuel
was erecting a stone to remember God’s help, blessings and faithfulness after a
difficult time of trial and hardship. The word Ebenezer simply means “stone of help.”
We had a bowl of rocks and
a cup filled with Sharpie markers on the table, and at first our guests thought
this was a curious table decoration.
I explained to them during dessert that each person around the table could
pick one stone (or more) from the bowl and then we all were invited to reflect
on ways we have been aware of God's presence and faithfulness in our lives in
this last year and to pick a word to represent this memory to write on the
stone.
We have a large jar in
which we have begun to collect our Ebenezer rocks that we have made over the years, and this jar is filled with
stories as we have taken time at different points to recollect God’s help in our lives. I
love that this is a physical reminder to us of God’s faithfulness and
love.
MaggieTerryn writes about this practice of making Ebenezer stones, “It’s
really very easy to have something great happen and within a few weeks, months,
or years, the significance of it might begin to fade. And then something
tough happens and it’s easy to think that nothing good ever happens in your
life or dwell on how bad your newest tough “thing” might be. These
tangible reminders all together in one place can show you just how many
protections and blessings you’ve been given. I
would encourage you to do these for so many things. Not just the massive
life-changing stuff. Because, really, at the end of the day, so many
times, it is all the little things that add up to show you God’s hand in
your life.”
While there are many times
in a year we might choose to get out our Sharpies and write on some stones for
a time to remember God’s goodness, Memorial Day seems to be a perfect day to
throw in this tradition. So thankful for a sweet time around our table with
dear friends sharing life together.
a few of our Ebenezer stones from last night that were put into our jar:
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