Groups Discussion Guide
Read Scripture. Go Deeper. Ask Questions. Take Action.
A River In Review
Scripture
1 After the whole nation had gone across the Jordan River, the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, 2 “Choose 12 men from among the people. Choose one from each tribe. 3 Tell them to get 12 stones from the middle of the river. They must pick them up from right where the priests stood. They must carry the stones over with all of you. And they must put them down at the place where you will stay tonight.”
4 So Joshua called together the 12 men he had appointed from among the Israelites. There was one man from each tribe. 5 He said to them, “Go back to the middle of the Jordan River. Go to where the ark of the Lord your God is. Each one of you must pick up a stone. You must carry it on your shoulder. There will be as many stones as there are tribes in Israel. 6 The stones will serve as a reminder to you. In days to come, your children will ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 Tell them that the Lord cut off the flow of water in the Jordan River. Tell them its water stopped flowing when the ark of the covenant of the Lord went across. The stones will always remind the Israelites of what happened there.”
Main Idea
At the end of the year, it’s natural to look ahead and allow the past to fade. But today’s scripture shows us the importance of first looking back before moving ahead.
Looking back allows us to celebrate successes and reflect on both successes and failures through the eyes of God’s blessings. Big events become part of our story. Are we remembering our story correctly, without inserting our own identity in the details? It is valuable to see all that God has done for us, even if it was hard at the time. This becomes our story, so it's important to rehearse our story and re-tell our story often as a testimony to God's goodness and blessings in our lives.
You will miss out on your destiny when you stay stuck in your history
Discussion Questions
- What are some stones (significant events) from this past year?
- If the events were negative, re-frame them with the eyes of blessing (ex. my car broke down. God showed me the goodness of others when they provided rides for me) Share.
- What are some ways our personal identity can color our view of experiences to the negative?
Summary
God led the Israelites out of the wilderness into the Promised Land by crossing the Jordan River, where God stopped the water from flowing so they could cross.
The first thing God asked of them was to return to the Jordan riverbed to collect stones to take with them into the new land as a reminder of what God had done for them.
As the year closes and a new one is upon us, it’s important that we first return in our minds to the past year and recall the ‘stones’ or major events that occurred. Celebrate the good things. Take a look at the hard things. Sometimes a rock-bottom moment, in hindsight, becomes a stepping stone for something more.
As we reflect on our stones, it’s important to remember events correctly. Our memory and our identity are intertwined, which can color our perception of events. Something that made me feel embarrassment or shame when I failed doesn’t end there. It showed me I am a learner, persistent, creative, etc. Allow God to show you through your reflection that he showed up in ways we have to look back to see. When we allow Him to re-frame our hard times, His story emerges in our lives.
Now we tell our story. We rehearse our story through the stones we have collected. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
Take Action
-Ask a family member, co-worker, or friend to share some highlights of the past year and you do the same, as an exercise in gratitude
-Re-read this week's sermon scripture [Joshua 4:1-8 NIRV] least twice this week and reflect
