More Valuable than Memories

Happy Monday to our CFC Family;

Have you ever seen some of those old videos from over a hundred years ago that have been beautifully remastered? The damaged frames are restored, the motion slowed to a natural rhythm, and the faded black-and-white images are brought to life in color—almost making you believe these scenes were filmed just yesterday.

As you watch, you see people walking down bustling streets, children playing, mothers holding their babies, and workers hurrying home after a long day. Some pause and stare curiously into the camera, while others smile and wave with excitement, having never seen a motion picture camera before. They couldn’t have imagined that over a century later, people like us would be watching them, studying their faces, wondering about their lives.

Every one of those people had a story. They had dreams and ambitions, families they cherished, and futures they where completely unaware of. They knew joy and sorrow, love and loss, laughter and pain. Many were living through times of great change, wars, pandemics, economic hardship, yet in that moment before the lens, they were simply alive, unaware of how quickly their time would pass.

Now, all of them are gone—long forgotten by name, their voices silenced by the passing of generations. And the truth is, if the Lord tarries another hundred years, the same will be said of us. Our names and memories will fade into history. Someone else will be living in our homes, most of our possessions will be discarded or forgotten, and anything of lasting value might sit on a thrift store shelf somewhere.

When I think about this, I am reminded of the words of King Solomon who wrote about this very thought in Ecclesiastes 2:18–19 where he says in despair;

“I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.”

It’s true that when it comes to the material things of this life, most of it will eventually turn to ashes. Even our identity and how people remember us will one day fade from the memory of future generations.

What truly lasts and matters is not how people remember “us,” but rather the godly truths that others discover through our testimony. Every one of us who calls ourselves a follower of Jesus had been shaped by the faith of those who came before us—whether it was our parents, grandparents, a godly neighbor, or a faithful friend that God placed in our path.

That kind of spiritual heritage is what truly endures. It’s the legacy that sustains the moral fabric of a nation and advances God’s kingdom in this world.

I remember years ago my mother told a story of my great-grandfather, Adam Jesske, and the faith he had in the Lord. She shared how one night, he asked to be left alone to pray—and for that entire night, my “great-opa” prayed for his entire family, including the generations yet to come, that we would all serve the Lord.  Mom said that she remembered his prayer being so earnestly and so passionate that the entire family could hear him throughout the night.

Personally, I know very little about my great-grandfather. In fact, in writing this today, I had to ask my sister how to spell his last name. All his stories—his war experiences, his accomplishments, and his dreams, whether fulfilled or dashed, have now been lost to history, never to surface in future family conversations.

But his faith? His prayers? His spiritual influence? That has endured. Many of my extended family are serving the Lord today, and even me sitting here writing this is a result of his, and others’, prayers. That is a legacy that has not been forgotten—a legacy far more enduring than any material possession or worldly achievement.

“…things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”

                                                                                Psalm 78:3-4

Question:  What spiritual legacy would you like to leave to the next generations?

Have an wonderful week and we’ll see you Sunday!!

Pastor Dan