On July 4, 2025, in Seward, Nebraska, something extraordinary happened. The townspeople traveled back in time. How did they do it? They opened the world’s largest time capsule, and for some, their memories were transported back five decades. Some people saw things they had put inside, while others opened packages left by their loved ones who had passed away. 
 
Places can hold a special kind of magic, like a time capsule that brings back childhood memories or first work experiences. They can vividly help the mind to recall moments that seemed to have faded away.
 
God knows that places can hold deep meaning. In the book of Judges, as the next generation takes center stage, God highlights a place that will remind them of the faithfulness of the past.
 
Judges 2:1 says, “The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, 'I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your ancestors. I also said: I will never break my covenant with you.'”
 
Why did the messenger of the Lord walk from Gilgal to Bochim? Why didn’t God just appear where the leaders were? I believe Gilgal served as a sort of time capsule. 
 
So, what had happened there?
 
Gilgal was opposite the place where the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River and built a monument of twelve stones as a reminder of God’s amazing deeds, a place where they had reaffirmed their commitment to God in faithfulness.
 
Joshua 5:9 says, “The LORD then said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you.’Therefore, that place is still called Gilgal today.”
 
Why did the narrator of the book of Judges mention this? God was reminding the leaders that there were still places that pointed to their faithful obedience to God’s word. God was telling them that there was a faithful generation in the past, and that today, they could choose to remember, they could decide to have a “Gilgal memory,” and receive “Gilgal’s forgiveness.” They could have the future that God wanted for them.
 
What if we dedicated the places where we live, work, and spend time to be current places of faithfulness? The places and spaces in which we operate can be reminders and motivators of our commitment and recommitment to God’s mission in our lives.