Milestones: A Journey of Reflection and Faith
It’s a joy to start this new year together. We’re launching into a series called Milestones. As you leave today, feel free to grab a copy of the journal we’ve prepared. This journal will guide us through 12 weeks of exploring milestones in our lives, accompanied by scriptures and reflective questions to help you consider where you are on this journey.
This series originated from a realization I had last year while preaching at funerals. I was struck by how often we only address significant life events—grief, joy, and transition—when they’re thrust upon us. Every one of us will face these moments. So, I felt compelled to create a space to reflect on these milestones before they arrive, to prepare us for them.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll explore themes like birth, moving, first loves, marriage, work, regret, and more. These topics may evoke a mix of emotions—pain, celebration, or even lament. My hope is that you’ll find this series to be a place where you see God’s presence in your journey, even when tears and hurt obscure your view. My prayer is that this church community can help hold on to Jesus for you when you cannot.
Personally, I often rush from one task to the next, setting goals and moving on without pausing to reflect. This series invites us to pause, to celebrate, and also to grieve. As Karl Barth once said, “Only where graves are is there resurrection.” It is in our hurt and sorrow that we encounter the hope of the resurrection—the assurance that God is not finished yet.
Scriptural Foundations: Joshua 4 and 1 Samuel 7:12
Let’s turn to Joshua 4, but first, I want to reference 1 Samuel 7:12. The people of Israel had lost the Ark of the Covenant, which symbolized God’s presence. After repenting and turning their hearts back to God, they reclaimed it. Samuel then set up a stone, naming it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” This stone was a milestone, a reminder of God’s faithfulness. What milestones do you have in your life that remind you of God’s provision?
In Joshua 4, the Israelites had wandered for 40 years and were finally crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. God instructed Joshua to have 12 men, one from each tribe, take stones from the river’s middle and set them up as a memorial. These stones were to be a sign for future generations, sparking the question: “What do these stones mean?” The answer would be a testimony of God’s miraculous provision and faithfulness.
The Power of Remembrance
Milestones like these stones serve as markers in our journey of faith. They remind us of God’s presence and help us tell our story to others. C.S. Lewis aptly wrote, “Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different?” These markers give us perspective on how God has worked in our lives, even when progress felt slow or imperceptible.
The Israelites’ journey from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land was marked by two water crossings: the Red Sea under Moses and the Jordan River under Joshua. These crossings bookend their wilderness experience, a time of formation and dependence on God. Though they could have reached the Promised Land in weeks, their grumbling hearts and lack of trust turned it into a 40-year journey. Yet, even in their wandering, God was shaping them.
Wilderness Formation and Tribal Identity
The wilderness experience shaped the 12 tribes of Israel, each with its unique story and role. Judah became the chosen tribe for leadership, and from it came Jesus. Levi was set apart as the priestly tribe. Benjamin, though closest to God in the tabernacle, later rebelled. Each tribe’s journey reminds us that God’s work is generational, extending beyond our immediate concerns to His greater timeline.
What are the milestones in your life where you can say, “Thus far the Lord has helped me”? Where has God carried you, and who has walked alongside you?
Milestones for the Journey Ahead
I first encountered physical markers of a journey while hiking a 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado. Above the tree line, cairns—stacks of stones—marked the path forward. These markers not only showed me the way but reminded me that others had walked this path before. Similarly, the milestones of faith remind us that God has been with us and that others have journeyed alongside us.
Summit views provide perspective, but life is lived in the valleys. It is in these everyday moments—between milestones—that we trust God to guide us.
As the Israelites began their pilgrimages to Jerusalem, they sang Psalms of Ascent, beginning with Psalm 121: “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” This declaration of trust reminds us that our help comes from God, who watches over us at all times.
A Call to Reflection
As we close, I invite you to reflect on your own milestones. Where have you seen God’s faithfulness? What markers remind you of His provision? Let us declare together, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.”
Let’s pray:
Father God, we confess that it can sometimes feel like You are distant. Yet, we declare that You have been with us every step of the way. Help us to lay down markers of Your faithfulness so that we and future generations might declare Your goodness. Redeem our stories, restore our hearts, and renew our hope in You. Amen.
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This is awesome. Thank you for sharing. It was really powerful.
One of my milestone of when I told Ken Schultz that we were done at MPPC. We were sitting at breakfast at the pancake house. I said ‘how hard is it to start a church’ and he said ‘have you been to Waypoint’. I had seen a couple of social media posts and thought that it was so different that it could never be for us.
Thankfully I listened. It’s changed our lives. Our entire family’s.