Title: Our Continued Legacy

Date: 2007-10-28

Reference: Hebrews 12: 1-3

I just planted several blue spruce trees in our back yard. I received the trees from the National Arbor Day Group. I call them trees but they are no larger than a new pencil. But the are guaranteed to grow. The catalog said “These trees make great outdoor Christmas Trees.” It’ll be a while before anyone puts lights on these trees. The Jewish Tradition has always seen planting trees as an expression of hope for the future. I remember the story of an 80 year old man who was planting a small peach tree in his yard. His neighbor, who was the same age, asked him why he was bothering. “Surely” he said, “you don’t expect to live long enough to enjoy fruit from that little tree.” The man planting the tree said: “No, at my age I know I won’t each peaches from this tree. But it doesn’t matter. All my life I’ve enjoyed peaches from trees someone else planted. I’m just trying to repay all the other fellas who planted those trees for me.”

There have always been two elements in our celebration of All Saints Day. We remember all the Saints who have gone on before us. We know we are building upon the legacy they have left for us. And we are determined to live life well and to leave a legacy of our own for those who follow us, to build upon.

The 97th Psalm records the prayer of the Psalmist.”I depend on you O God and I have trusted you since I was young. I have relied on you since the day I was born. You brought me safely through birth and I will always praise you. You have taught me since I was a chile. I will never stop telling about your marvelous deeds. Don’t leave me when I am old and my hair turns gray. Let me tell future generations about your mighty power.”

We have always known our faith is always one generation away from total extinction. It is up to the present generation to remember and to tell future generations about God’s mighty power. In the midst of our God given task, we gratefully remember those who went before us. Many of them are in heaven now, with God. The Bible describes them as a great crowd of witnesses all around us. They are cheering us on as we run the race ahead of us.

I think Paul must have enjoyed sports. If he were writing today he might use The World Series as an example. There are many athletic references in his writings. The setting Paul describes in today’s reading is a great stadium. The stands are filled with athletes from the past who have run their races, completed their events and are not eager to encourage the new contestants. The Great Cloud of Witness represents people who are alive, aware, and present. They are not just a historical memory but they are actively involved, cheering us on as we complete.

Whenever I feel discouraged in life or in ministry.I imagine all of those who have gone before cheering us on. In the same way, one day we will cheer others on.Others who will continue the race long after we have left the track. Our goal in life and in ministry is to be found faithful. Jesus said: “The person who is faithful and can be trusted with a little will be faithful and can be trusted with much more.” Ministry is all about being faithful in the small things. The small acts of kindness, mercy, and gentleness are what we will be remembered for.

Last Friday I received a card from a member of the Durango Church. She wrote to thank me for a small act of kindness I had actually forgotten about.

It was so good to know she remembered me in this way. Most of the things we remember are not earthshattering events, but smaller acts of loving ministry the world would consider insignificant.

God gives each and every one of us occasions for serving but we miss many or most of them. We lack sensitivity and spontaneity. Opportunities to serve God and others never last long. They pass quickly and never return. We may only get one chance to serve that other person and we should take advantage of the moment.

The 3rd Proverb says: “Never tell your neighbor to wait until tomorrow if you can help him now.” Small tasks show a big heart. A servant’s heart is revealed in little acts that others don’t even think of doing, as when Paul gathered brush wood for a fire to warm everyone after a shipwreck. Paul was just as exhausted as everyone else but he did what everyone needed. There is no task beneath us when we have a servant’s heart.

Another person I remember, was a member, of a previous congregation I served, who passed earlier this year. I recall how she came to the home of a bereaved friend and found everything under control. The service had been planned, food delivered. But my friend wanted to help. And so she shined the shoes of the family members so they would be ready for the funeral. A small act of kindness. I will never forget it.

Jesus specialized in menial tasks everyone else tried to avoid. Washing feet, fixing breakfast, serving lepers. Nothing was beneath Jesus because he came to serve. Jesus expects us to follow his example.

I believe life is in the details. Small acts of kindness will never be forgotten and will serve as an example for us to do the same.

During this All Saints’ Celebration we remember. Life is sacred and should not be allowed to perish. Memory is important. The body is dust and will eventually return from whence it came. The remembrance of life must continue. We are not dead and gone until we are forgotten. And so we remember. As someone has said: “At the rising of the sun and at it’s going down, we remember them. At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of Winter we remember them. At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of Springtime we remember them. At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of Summer we remember them. At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of Autumn we remember them. At the beginning of the year and when the year ends we remember them. As long as we live they too will live for they are now part of us and we remember them. When we are weary and in need of strength we remember them. When we are lost and sick at heart we remember them. When we have a joy we crave to share we remember them. When we have difficult decisions to make we remember them. When we have achievements based on their own we remember them. As long as we live they too will live for they are now part of us and we remember them.

We remember and honor those persons who had a strong impact on our life. Those whose influence helped shape our beliefs, values, and choices over the years. We remember and honor those mentors who played in important part in our lives.

At the same time God wants to use our lives to make a difference in his world. God wants to work through each of us. What matters is not the duration of one’s life but the donation of one’s life. Not how long we live but how we live.

We might live a few moments or 100 years.

We might live with all our body parts working or we might live in pain and malfunctioning. Whatever the situation, life does not belong to us but is loaned to us from a loving, caring God Our God is alive and present with each life and through each death. Life is a loan.

What kind of legacy will we leave when we die? What will be the message of life? Legacy means more than a long life. God has made an eternal investment in each of our lives. God has given us the gift of life and it’s up to us to create a legacy.

Cicero once said: “The life given us by nature is short, but the memory of a well spent life is eternal.” Memory is so important. As I think about my most prized possessions I think of possessions that remind me of someone I have loved. Possessions that remind of a happy time, a meaningful time spent with a loved one. In and of themselves they are of little or no value.

Those who have died are not lost. A person can’t be lost if you know where they are. They are now with God. They live on not only in our memory but in the Kingdom of God. And we know that someday we will see them again in heaven where God is. An early church father once said: “He whom we love and lose is no longer where he was before. Now they are wherever we are, because we remember them.”

I began this message talking about trees. Planting a tree for others to enjoy is an expression of hope. Just as we have stood in the shade of trees planted by so many others, it is right that in their honor and memory we plant trees for future generations to rest under. At the same time one can only accurately measure a tree after it is fallen. We can only accurately measure a life after it is over. Today we remember them.

Some of those persons we remember were known by us and some we will never know. But we are who we are in part because of their involvement in our lives. Going around the e-mail is a picture of a 16 wheeler that was pained with the names of all those who lost their lives on 9/11. I’ve seen pictures of this semi and it’s just amazing. The owner said he is regularly pulled over by State Troopers and Police who want to have a picture made beside this rolling tribute. There are so many who have sacrificed for us and who continue to sacrifice for us. The very best way to honor their sacrifice is to remember them and to build upon the legacy they have left us.