Most saints leave an unseen legacy

I officiated at a funeral recently of a very lovely lady.  It made me wonder how I will be remembered.  Do you ever think about that?  The legacy that you will leave?

We have talked some about legacy in the Lutheran church.  We even had a stewardship program called Legacy.  It was a way of remembering those who had gone before and their contributions, while contemplating what our contribution should be.

But individually I don't think it is something we think about our even should, perhaps.  Scripture doesn't talk much about how we will be remembered here on earth. In fact, if anything Scripture reminds us that we are dust, or that our days are fleeting.

What Scripture does talk about is how our lives will be counted in heaven.  You know, the parable in Matthew 25 about the sheep and the goats.  But the remarkable thing about the sheep and the goats was that they did not know which they were.

When were you hungry and I fed you?  When were you naked?

There are those who will be remembered on earth a little longer.  They have donated large sums and have their names on buildings.  The woman we just laid to rest will not have any great halls named after her.  I doubt it ever occurred to her what her legacy would be.  She was one of those sheep who just saw a need and filled it.  She worked tirelessly for her family and her church.  But the impact of her life may have been greater.  We are all changed in the presence of people like that.

Perhaps she had heard the words from Jesus, "Let your light so shine that others may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven."  Or perhaps there were just hungry people to feed and people to take care of.  It comes out the same.

Lord,  May our hearts be so filled with your compassion and generosity that whether people remember we were here or not, they will remember that You are always here.  Amen



Copyright © 2006, The Rev. Dana Reardon. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Email her at mspastor@aol.com.



The Rev. Dana Reardon is pastor at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Warwick, RI.  A lifelong Lutheran, she came to ordained ministry after 21 years in nursing, mostly in pediatric intensive care.  She graduated from Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia in 1998 and served 4 ½ years in Upstate New York before becoming a New Englander.  She is still trying to understand the accent.  While in the Upstate New York Synod she chaired the Stewardship Team.  That began her fascination with what makes stewards -- and more, what makes for generosity. She has three amazing daughters: Pastor Reardon says much of what she knows of life she learned from them.