Stones of Remembrance

Written by Margaret Grieco

You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Psalm 139:5-6

Each Sunday at Coastline is a remarkable experience for me. As I sit in the pew, I see a church so familiar to my heart. My eyes always catch the large cross over the altar, the organ pipes that stand strong and ready to minister music to the congregation, the beautifully vaulted ceiling, and the stained-glass windows that depict Bible stories. I see the blessing of life-long friends, some of whom still worship here. Returning to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church to launch Coastline has been a profound “full circle” moment in my life. Twenty-eight years before, I was called by God to leave this beautiful church for Rolling Hills Covenant and now, so many years later, I was heading back.

As some of you know, St. Andrews holds a dear place in my heart as God used this vibrant congregation to introduce me to Jesus, mentor and disciple me, and teach me about a God that hems us in, before and behind, as He lays His hand upon us”, especially in our darkest and most challenging seasons.
In 1982, I had a difficult and challenging start to college which led me to step away from school and move back home with my parents after my first semester. I didn’t know what the future held for me and I was deeply scared. The path before me looked foggy and unknown, with what felt like no center of gravity to hold me in place. After a few months of searching for jobs and wondering how to move forward, a childhood friend invited me to the college group (CABCO) at St. Andrews. I found what I didn’t know I needed – a beautiful, loving group of Christians who continually explained the gospel to me with patience, diligence, and kindness. Week after week, they prayed for me and shared both scripture and friendship until I realized how much I needed Christ in my life.

One night, the college group had a night of confession and prayer to the Lord. It was then that I realized my need to formally accept Jesus as Lord. There had been many previous altar call events with the CABCO group (something this Catholic girl wasn’t used to!), but the idea of walking to the front of a church to receive Christ as Lord had me shaking in my boots. But after that night of honest sharing and confession, while walking through the St Andrews parking lot, I felt in my heart that this was my time to say “yes” to Jesus. In that quiet, nondescript place, I asked one of the leaders if she would pray with me to accept Christ into my heart. When we finished praying, and much to my surprise, I felt a huge sense of relief! After saying “no” to altar calls for almost a year, I truly experienced the peace of God when we finished praying.

Looking back at my journey with Jesus, I can relate in a small way to our fellow sojourners in the Christmas story. Much like Mary & Joseph, when God called them to become the parents of Jesus, I didn’t have a clear picture of the future or what each day would look like. But like them, I had to learn to trust a God I couldn’t see to “lay His hand upon me” and take me where I needed to go so that I could accomplish His holy plan. And, like the character Much-Afraid in Hinds Feet on High Places, whose long and painful journey to the High Places led her to gather many stones of remembrance along her rugged and dangerous path…in each season of my life I have gathered my own stones of remembrance in my heart to remind me of God’s faithfulness to me.

Some of my stones were gathered during times of fear and doubt when I couldn’t see the path forward. Some represent ways that God helped me break through emotions with a new clarity I didn’t have in the past. There are also precious stones that reflect ways I’ve taken God’s love into my heart more deeply. Others remind me of finally coming alive to my true self after living in a way that projected what I felt a ‘good Christian’ should project to others. These stones help me look back on the ways God has held onto me through every storm, every doubt, every trial, every failure, and every victory, making my feet secure in His relentless love for not only myself but for all of us.

In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.
These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.

Joshua 4:6-7

As we celebrate this Advent season together as a family, I’m so grateful that I can look back on how God led me to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, not once, but twice!  I encourage us all to read the story of the birth of Christ in the gospels of Matthew and Luke and marvel together at how many “stones of remembrance” they must have picked up throughout their lives while following God’s precious calling of them to serve His holy purposes.

I wish you all a very blessed and Spirit-filled Christmas!

Reflective Question
for the Day

What are your stones of remembrance showing you how God has moved in your life?

In this Advent season, who can you share these remembrances with?

Margaret Grieco’s favorite Christmas tradition is spending time with family, finding a new Christmas craft fair, or heading to Balboa Island with friends to visit together and see the amazing Christmas lights. Two of her favorite Christmas movies are The Nativity Story and White Christmas and she hopes to return to Europe someday…specifically to Yorkshire England, Ireland, and Scotland.