William Bradford, the first governor of the Pilgrims, recorded this in his journal about his fellow sojourners: “Last and not least, they [the Pilgrims] cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least of making some way towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work.”
In our culture we do not often hear of people aspiring to be “stepping stones” for future generations. More common today is an attitude or outlook of self focus. It’s all about me and my story.
The Pilgrims held a solid Christian “worldview” that sees our lives not as the focal point, but as playing a purposeful part in the larger story of God. God’s story didn’t end with the Bible. It continues all around us. The Pilgrims believed in “
Stepping stones like those laid by John Wycliffe, who committed the capital offense of translating the Bible from Latin to English in 1382; who desired to implant the truth of Scripture into every heart; who distributed Bibles and tracts throughout England; who declared “Scripture must become the common property of all so that government might be a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”
Stepping stones laid by the blood of Jan Huss or Jerome, both burned at the stake. Huss died with these words: “…what I taught with my lips I now seal with my blood.” Jerome, with these: “This soul in flames I offer, Christ, to thee!”
Stepping stones laid by William Tyndale and Luther and Calvin. Tyndale’s last words as the flames consumed him: “Lord, open the king of
I pray our generation of believers would be given grace to embrace living a Christian worldview and regain the understanding that it isn’t about our own story. May we begin to see our rightful place in God’s larger story of
