Living A Legacy

Living a Legacy

Hebrews 12:1-3

Memorial Day Message

May 26, 2013

Morning Service

This past Friday, I was given the opportunity to assist the Braun family with the funeral of their son, Daniel. Daniel was a Staff Sgt. in the US Air Force. Daniel was celebrated as an American hero for his service to his country. His funeral was marked with displays of patriotism. The Patriot Guard held flags at the entrance of the funeral home, so everyone entered with through columns of our nation’s colors. The funeral home was filled with Daniel’s accomplishments in the Air Force: medals, plaques and ribbons that were symbols of his service and sacrifice. Pictures were displayed of various acts of his service stateside and abroad. Members of Daniel’s squad from Iraq were present to pay one final tribute to their deceased comrade.

Departing from the funeral home, we were escorted by police and members of the Patriot Guard. All along the route, there were displays of support from the community. Businesses displayed condolences on their signs, people stopped and got out of their cars, police and firefighters saluted a fallen hero on his final journey. One of the most powerful moments was at the Withamsville Fire Station. The firehouse had all of their ambulances and fire engines displaying their emergency lights. One of the ladder trucks extended the ladder above the funeral route and displayed a massive American flag for the procession to pass.

All of these were displays of support for a family struggling with loss. They also were displays of a legacy Daniel left behind. They were displays of a life lives in service and sacrifice for our country. Memorial Day is about remembering both service and sacrifice. It is about remembering the legacy of those who have gone before us.

Life is composed of a series of moments. Some of those moments are happy and some sad. Some moments are ones to cherish and remember, while others are forgotten. Some moments are exhilarating and others just plain terrifying. There will be moments of peace and moments of pain. Life is nothing more and nothing less than the moments we experience.

These moments are the foundation of the legacy that we build. We either build a legacy of self or a legacy of service. The reality that everyone needs to remember is that we live our lives between the numbers. Every moment of your life rests between two numbers. The first number you already know – it’s the date you were born; the day that you entered this earthly life. The second date is a mystery to you and to everyone. The second date is the day you leave this earth and enter eternity. These two dates act like book ends on the legacy we leave in life. Every day we either make deposits into our legacy or we make withdrawals from our legacy.

What kind of legacy are you leaving behind? What kind of spiritual legacy is going to echo through eternity from your life?

1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

How do we develop a great spiritual legacy?

1. Remember those who have finished the race

The author of Hebrews calls us to remember the fact that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. The write opens this passage with the word therefore and intentionally means to refer back to the previous statements on the heroes of the faith in chapter 11. Think about it like this we are meant to remember those who would inspire us to live more fully for Christ.

Pre-covenant

• Abel - The one who brought the appropriate sacrifice to God

• Enoch - The man who walked so close to God that he just went to heaven without dying

• Noah - The builder of the ark and the survivor of the flood

Patriarchs

• Abraham - The one who was known for following God by faith

• Jacob - God changed his name to Israel and become the source of the 12 tribes

Great Leaders

• Moses - The one who led God’s people out of Egyptian captivity

• David - The killer of Goliath and the greatest king of all Israel’s history

2. Remember to stay in the race