Legacies. I’ve been thinking about them lately. What you leave behind that captures your essence and is remembered and even cherished by others. Oh, not my own—I entrust that to the five congregations I have served as pastor over forty years, and hey! I still have time here, so don’t go writing it just yet.
Preparing the memorial service for 98-year-old member Edna Sheldon got me thinking about her legacy of love and caring, a shining witness to her enduring faith through sorrow as well as joy. This spiritual legacy is reflected through a tangible symbol, the stunning cross hanging in our sanctuary, that she and her family gave as a memorial to her late son. But equally resonant of the power of legacy has been hearing Jon Dreux speak of his infant grandson, Lucius, or “Louie” as Jon calls him as he shows me the latest photo of this adorable bruiser. You can feel Jon’s tender love, and also his concern: What kind of world are we leaving Louie? What will it hold for him and all the other little children?
While our morning text doesn’t use the word “legacy” at all, it offers foundations for one worth leaving. Thought to have been written by the apostle Paul to congregations in Ephesus where he had labored for several years, it is his prayer for them now that he has moved on to Rome and is approaching the end of his life. These verses might be regarded as little more than churchy jargon, were it not for the little note I read in a commentary. Apparently in the original Greek, this eight-verse text was one entire sentence; its current structure was adopted in the English translation.
I get it, but I kind of like the idea of the apostle setting out to write these dear congregations and just getting carried away in the moment with gratitude and love and a sense of urgency because of the desperate times they were in to convey what was most essential. It was that urgency and importance —even more than the words themselves—that captured my imagination as I studied it this week. As we contemplate our own future—as a congregation, as a nation—heck, as a person facing retirement—-how might we hear in Paul’s prayer the seeds of a legacy not merely worth leaving, but one worth living, every day?
A reading from the letter to the Ephesians, in the first chapter, verses 15 through 23. Listen for God’s Word to God’s beloved community. [Ephesians 1:15-23]
…..the eyes of your heart enlightened. . . . the riches of God’s glorious inheritance. . . . the immeasurable greatness of God’s power far above all rule and authority. . . . the fullness of Christ who fills all in all. . . . .
Big words. . . big concepts. . . . delivered with breathless resolve. . . .
Say what???
I wonder how AI would express this. Or an astute editor. But barring those, what I hear is loving counsel to the church at a vulnerable juncture in its life together. A prayer for wisdom (not just knowledge, as it is the eyes of the heart that are enlightened through relationship with God); for power (accessible to the church that when exercised can raise the dead); for sharing God’s blessings among all; and for hope (not in fallible humans, election outcomes, or power that is only transitory), but hope in the Love that rules over church and world, and is fully present to those with eyes to see.
From far away and long ago, the Church today receives this letter invoking the essential things for a congregation’s legacy. And lo and behold, we read it knowingly and appreciatively as a description of the kind of church we’re trying to be. One that provides opportunity for spiritual growth and faith formation; one undaunted by the world’s needs (okay, maybe a little daunted, but committed nonetheless) and generous in response to those needs; one that trusts a power beyond its own (we love imperfectly); and one of invincible hope (a living hope that keeps us from despair because we know God’s Story incorporates and redeems all human stories).
Friends, Central’s legacy is what we are creating every day. Through our worship, through the caring of this community, by prioritizing what matters, through service—- we are sharing the glorious riches of God’s love to one another, our community, and the world. I have never believed that the mainline church is shrinking because it tried to be too much; rather I believe it’s that our vision is too small, too exclusive, too concerned with institutional preservation.
When we join our purpose to God’s, we experience the working of God’s great power; real transformation beyond anything we might imagine, power to raise the dead—deferred dreams, burned-out energies, hardened expectations, paralyzing fears.
Your legacy, beloved community, is made by living. Living the best and most beautiful parts of this human community –fallible yet filled with the Love that rules this universe.
Recently part of Central’s history was amplified and honored by the State Historical Society. Through the masters’ work research of former member Todd Matusewicz, Central’s service to Chinese railroad workers and their families was explored. During the first part of the 20th century these newcomers were reviled and demonized by many and faced prejudicial treatment and physical violence. Central women reached out to Chinese women and their families offering English language classes for young children and opportunities for friendly socializing—over tea and cookies— with the mothers.
The language school continued for more than a decade and church records from this time show nearly a hundred Chinese folks were received as members. What the record doesn’t show, of course, might reveal the cost of this hospitality to the church; the dollars, perhaps, but also the conflict this action may have generated (and the potential loss of revenue, members, and/or new members). But whatever all that may have been, Central chose to act with love, to include and welcome and serve. I attended the hearing at the State Historical Society and following Todd’s excellent presentation, there was opportunity for questions from the panel, but the only one raised came as a total surprise. A panelist spoke up, Isn’t this the same church that has a shelter for the unhoused in its basement? I know them—they have a history of social justice.
The vote, taken soon after, was unanimous. A legacy of love, yes, and one that continues to be lived, day in and day out. Though it’s nice and neat and tidy in the retelling, we know that in reality it’s messy and fraught and at times expensive. Love anyway. Love the persecuted stranger, the outsider, the newcomer, the neighbor in need. Love one another. Keep living that legacy which speaks a powerful message outside these sacred walls. The details will get sorted in time.
Will Central survive in the next 20 years? The question put to me by a dear friend initially startled me but it seems fair, given the decline of the mainline church nationwide, the fluctuating fortunes of downtown Denver, and the ability to attract engagement from new groups of urban dwellers. Some of that depends on a congregation’s willingness to change, to tell the old, old story in new ways and through new means that are compelling to contemporary folks. I haven’t experienced this congregation as one that is “stuck” in practices, traditions, and habits that keep the new from emerging. You’ve shown risk tolerance in taking on debt for a mission you believe in, going outside the box to develop new partnerships after old ones failed, and investing for long-term health.
It’s said that the Church is always just one generation away from extinction—and because that’s true, we must always tell the story of God’s unconditional love again and again, to Louie and Tryness and Leilani, Stella and Leo, Robbie and Jay, Ever and Hyla and all the little children. A vital community that fosters a sense of belonging is both vaccine and antidote for the epidemic of loneliness and mental health challenges in which we find ourselves. The apostle might invoke the legacy of faith—calling the church to share “the riches of God’s glorious inheritance” –by forming faith at all ages and stages, one that asks questions and nurtures curiosity to resist authoritarian rule with primary commitment to the God whose grace holds the whole world in strong and loving arms.
Writer and social commentator David Brooks believes the responsibility to build a new cultural consensus that is both democratic and morally coherent will lie with churches like Central, founded on a modern social gospel centering love of neighbor and hospitality for the marginalized (NY Times, 7/12, 2024, page A24). Well. It is hard to imagine the demise of a courageous community which hews to the commandments Jesus identified as greatest: to love God and to love neighbor as self. A congregation’s programs and ministries, sermons and strategies should be offered to support these most important purposes. In the words of the immortal……Taylor Swift…. Be good to people, no matter what happens. . . that’s a wonderful legacy to leave behind.
And not simply to leave behind. One to live by. Today and far out into the unknown future. One for which I personally do not cease to give thanks as I remember—and will remember forever—you, beloved Central.
AMEN.
