Disclaimer:  It's homecoming weekend at my Alma Mater, so this might be a little sappy, but written to our current students about the alum that will pour onto our campus, a community that understands the value and meaning of "coming home".

What do these rocks mean?

There’s a story in the Old Testament that takes place after the Israelites crossed the Jordan River.  Their crossing was the establishment of a nation as they took possession of a land.  It was a “marker” for them, one they didn’t want to forget. 

So being true to the storytellers they were, Joshua instructed one person from each tribe to collect a rock out of the Jordan.  They proceeded to build a monument that expressed the faithfulness of God.  He had been faithful and would be faithful.  It was a story they would tell to their children’s children, who would walk by that pile and ask, “What do these rocks mean?”  If you asked, you had to sit down. This wasn’t a short story, but a good one. 

In a sense, we do the same thing.  Over the years, there have been a lot of rocks collected and stacked together around this place called Olivet Nazarene University.  If you listen carefully, you will hear the stories.  They will literally be coming out of the walls this weekend as hundreds of alumni and friends return to this place, a marker for many. A rock, if I may.

What do these stones mean?  Well, if you ask someone that question, you will need to sit down.  The answer might not be short, but it will be good. And they will be glad to tell you.

For me, this one represents a decision, made in a chapel, that changed my life.  This one, the time we met each other and became lifelong friends.  This one, the place we lived and ate together.  This one, the times we complained about chapel, the food and the dress code. 

This is also where we received our degrees, met our spouses, made lifelong friends, won an intramural shirt, went to the Orpheus Variety Show and “Messiah,” participated in Ollies Follies. These are our rocks, the ones we have piled to make our monuments.  These are the stories that we come back to tell over and over again.   

Grandparents and parents will come to campus with their grandkids and children.  The kids will ask them who that was and why they cried when they hugged.  They’ll ask where we played varsity sports if McHie and Snowbarger Park weren’t here.  They’ll want to hear about the first swimming pool.  They’ll want to know where we practiced our instruments if Larsen wasn’t around. They won’t believe us when we say we had chapel in Chalfant.  These are our stories that make Olivet what it is. 

This place is special.  You don’t realize it while you’re here, but you see it when you look back at what this place has done for you.  So, what you do, in a sense, is building your own pile of rocks. One day, your family will come back with you and ask, “What do these stones mean?”  And the memories will start all over again. 

Ask someone a question this weekend.  Take advantage of the 110-year history of this place and the alums who come back because they love it. 

If you do ask, you might as well take a seat. Their answers won’t be short, but their answers will be good.

Joshua 4:1–9