One hundred years ago, in his sermon dedicating our sanctuary building, Pastor P.W. Philpott titled his message, “What Mean These Stones?” Drawing upon Joshua 4, where the children of Israel made a memorial pile of twelve stones taken from the Jordan River to stand forever as a testimony to the miraculous way God had brought them into the land of promise, Philpott outlined what he prayed this building might stand for in the years to come. Just as generations to come in Israel would see the stone memorial and ask, “What mean these stones?”, so he anticipated generations to come in Chicago would ask, “What mean these stones?” when they beheld this monumental sanctuary building nestled at the corner of Lincoln Park. As he concluded, Philpott offered this prayerful summary:
“This building shall ever stand as a testimony to the power of the gospel of God’s grace…a great Protestant church in the city of Chicago where rich and poor alike are ever welcome and where in spirit and truth they can worship the God who is the maker of us all…a base from which heralds of the cross will be sent forth in greater numbers to the ends of the earth to tell the story of redeeming grace.”
Fifty years ago, Pastor Warren Wiersbe celebrated the anniversary of this building by preaching a message titled, “What Mean These Stones?” again referencing Joshua 4 and expanding on Philpott’s original message. In his concluding remarks, Wiersbe summarized the church’s legacy with fresh vision: “We do not live on memorials; we live on the power of the Spirit of God as He ministers the Word of God—and the Spirit and the Word never get old!”
Eleven years ago, when we celebrated the 150th anniversary of our church, founded in 1864, Pastor Erwin Lutzer titled his message “What Do These Stones Mean?”, once again connecting back to the messages that Philpott and Wiersbe had preached from Joshua 4. Lutzer proclaimed, “The reason D.L. Moody experienced such a great blessing of God is he knew something about the power of God that has been a part of The Moody Church all these years: Celebrating the Joy of Changed Lives.”
So now today, as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the building that houses our sanctuary, we again ask: “What Mean These Stones?” I’m honored to share this service with Pastor Lutzer. He will be sharing some “stones of remembrance,” and I will reflect on the “foundational stones” that will guide us into the future. By God’s grace, The Moody Church has faithfully proclaimed the Good News of Christ’s salvation and held fast to the Scriptures all these years. We are thankful for this beautiful building, and even more grateful for the vibrant church family that continues to gather within its walls for worship and scatter to share and show the love of Jesus wherever we go. May our Lord continue to keep us faithful for His glory! For in Him we are loved, more than we know.
