Legacy

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the New York Yankees in the fifth game to win the 2024 World Series. This was another historic matchup between the two teams, and often the word legacy is mentioned when sports writers and announcers describe the games between them. The Dodgers made history by becoming the first team in a World Series-clinching win to come back from being down five or more runs.  The World Series MVP, Freddie Freeman, certainly created a legacy with his stellar play.

Reflecting on the world series made me think of other legacies, too.

My mother recently published her autobiography and dedicated it to her grandchildren. Her legacy is being one of the first CRC female ordained ministers of the word. In her book, she set out to explore the many challenges that she encountered and the incredible faithfulness from God that she experienced in the years of seminary education, through the Synod and classis decisions, and her examination and ordination. 

In September, I became a grandfather for the second time and now have two wonderful granddaughters.  As I enter the final third of my life, I think now more of legacy and what I want to pass down to my grandchildren.  

One of my hopes had been leaving the legacy of a long and fruitful marriage. I have a number of aunts and uncles who have celebrated more than 60 years together. I saw this as a worthy goal and was blessed with a wonderful marriage of almost 34 years before pancreatic cancer ended the marriage. Now, I often think of how I want to share with my grandchildren the legacy of the grandmother that they never met on this earth.  

What will be my legacy? Many years ago after I joined the US Army to serve as a chaplain, the installation chapel that we attended had a family weekend retreat. As a family activity we were asked to come up with a family “coat of arms.”  What would we want to be remembered by or what values did we want represented on this coat of arms?  After discussion, my wife Kristen and I selected Micah 6:8. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (NIV).

I love what Eugene Peterson wrote on this passage, “But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, And don’t take yourself too seriously— take God seriously.” (The Message)

Our legacy, what we will be remembered for, is this: Did we act justly, did we love mercy, did we walk humbly with God?

This can only happen when we take seriously God’s gift of life eternal made possible by Christ taking on our sins and showing us that death is not the final legacy for us.  We strive to live each day in the legacy of the empty tomb.