All Saints Day is recognized each year on November 1st. It tends to be overshadowed by people celebrating Halloween! The church is always the one place where we can go to celebrate the lives of people who have died. All Saints is a time to remember our loved ones!
In the Bible story from Sunday the Israelites had just crossed the Jordan River heading for the Promised Land.
Joshua 4:1-9 Common English Bible (CEB)
Twelve stones at Gilgal
4 When the entire nation had finished crossing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Pick twelve men from the people, one man per tribe. 3 Command them, ‘Pick up twelve stones from right here in the middle of the Jordan, where the feet of the priests had been firmly planted. Bring them across with you and put them down in the camp where you are staying tonight.’”
4 Joshua called for the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one man per tribe. 5 Joshua said to them, “Cross over into the middle of the Jordan, up to the Lord your God’s chest. Each of you, lift up a stone on his shoulder to match the number of the tribes of the Israelites. 6 This will be a symbol among you. In the future your children may ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 Then you will tell them that the water of the Jordan was cut off before the Lord’s covenant chest. When it crossed over the Jordan, the water of the Jordan was cut off. These stones will be an enduring memorial for the Israelites.”
8 The Israelites did exactly what Joshua ordered. They lifted twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, matching the number of the tribes of the Israelites, exactly as the Lord had said to Joshua. They brought them over to the camp and put them down there. 9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the feet of the priests had stood while carrying the covenant chest. They are still there today.
The stones in this scripture were used as a memorial, a way of remembering and honoring the past. On Sunday we used rocks to remember people who have gone on before us. We want to honor the memory of these people who have such an impact on us. We want those memories to “stick!” We need to celebrate the lives of these people!
Try this –
Materials needed:
2-3 cups of sugar
1 cup of water
Skewers
- Combine equal parts of sugar and water in a saucepan and heat until all of the sugar is dissolved
- Then slowly add more sugar in small amounts until it will no longer dissolve in the water
- The water should start to look a little cloudy. That is the point when no more sugar is dissolving and the perfect sugar saturation has been reached. Basically, you are creating a saturated sugar solution (a solution in which no more sugar can dissolve at a particular temperature) The amount of sugar verses water used should be roughly 3:1. Add candy flavoring if desired, and then continue to heat the water until it comes to a simmer.
- Remove the sugar-water from the heat and allow it to cool. While it is cooling you can prepare your skewers. Cut the skewers to a desirable size for the jars you are using. Then dip the sticks in water and roll them in sugar
- Allow the sugar coated sticks to dry. While those are drying you can prep your jar(s). Once your sugar-water is cool enough pour it into jars and add food coloring if desired. Then, once the sticks are dry place them in the jar(s).
- Make sure that the sugar coated sticks are completely dry before placing them in the jars. The rock candy needs the sugar to grow on, and if the sugar on the sticks isn’t dry it will dissolve in the water. It is also important to make sure that the sticks are not touching the bottom or sides of the jar.
- Watch the rocks grow!
- While you are watching the rocks grow, remember the person you started this experiment for. Think about all the good memories you have from this person. Celebrate their life – yes with candy! Let those memories really “stick!”