“OUR LIVING LEGACY”
Scripture Reading: Exodus 20:1-6; Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Psalms 139:23-24
Sermon Transcript for August 28, 2005
By Rev. Dan Sinkhorn
Let us begin with prayer, “Gracious God, I thank you for the privilege of bringing Your Word. I pray now that it is truly of Your Spirit and that the lives and hearts of the people are changed and transformed by Your Holiness. Now touch them with Your Word and the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen”
In this week’s Time magazine, I read a short interview with a well-known author, Shalimar Rushdie. And he made an obscure reference in one part of the interview to Klingons which are characters in Star Trek. And the interviewer asked him about that reference wondering if it was a pop culture reference that might be dated. And his answer was, “Well, it might. You never know what lasts. A novel I think is partly about the contemporary and partly about the eternal, and it’s the balance of that that’s difficult to achieve.” And then he goes on to say, “I have a suspicion that Klingons might be more enduring than we suspect.”
And what struck me about that was the statement that he made where he said that it’s, “partly about the contemporary and partly about the eternal, and it’s the balance of that that’s difficult to achieve.” And that really stuck with me because that’s the truth that is understated in his interview. It’s the truth that applies to us all whether we are authors or whether we are simply participants in this story—that we are to strike a balance between the contemporary and the eternal. We are to be about the present and what we are doing right now with our whole self. But we are also committed to something eternal.
In the Book of Exodus we are presented with what we know as the Ten Commandments. And one of the very first things that the Lord God says is found in Chapter 20, Versus 1-6: “And God spoke all these words: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand [generations] of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
This is a troubling passage for many people. Many times I hear people say about this passage that it is unfair, unjust of God to punish generations ahead for the sins of the father. And yet I think that God isn’t so much punishing as God is declaring the fact that the sins of the father and the mother, the parents, their troubles, their dysfunction, the consequences of their mistakes will most surely trickle down through the generations, even as far as the fourth generation. But God has a promise here as well that His faithfulness and love will be shown for a thousand generations for those who will seek Him.
Jean Martin last week, knowing what I was going to preach on, gave me this beautiful quote that I think will be a good theme passage for us for the remainder of our message time. The quote is from John Whitehead. It says, “Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” In other words, if we are devoting our time and energy to leaving a legacy of grace, a legacy of the invitation of Christ, a legacy of Godliness, then it will be the message that we send down through the generations. Here is an example of how that might work. It’s an extreme example, but nevertheless, this is the truth. Jonathan Edwards, who is best known as one of the greatest American preachers of all time, was the man that the Lord used to launch what we call the Great Awakening in America. That Great Awakening defined our culture in ways that we are still sorting out to this day. He was instrumental in leading thousands and thousands to salvation through Christ. But Mr. Edwards’s family legacy is equally great but less known. Jonathan Edwards had direct descendants of whom 13 were college presidents, 65 professors, 100 lawyers, 100 missionaries, 30 judges, 60 physicians, 60 authors, 80 holders of public office including three U.S. Senators, three governors, a vice-president, a controller of the U.S. Treasury, and many business owners and directors.
This was the legacy of one man—Jonathan Edwards. It’s a pretty big legacy to compare ourselves to, but it is proof that if one parent will dedicate himself to godliness, if a man or woman together as a couple, if they will dedicate themselves to godliness, what comes down through the generations is likely to be phenomenal. And we need to know that our teaching of godliness comes more through example and influence then anything else. That godliness will transcend generations. But so will the seeds of ungodliness. Unfortunately children of divorce are often likely to get divorced themselves; children of alcoholism are likely to become alcoholics. Children of addiction and crime are more susceptible to addiction and crime. And yet it can equally be said that the children of godly parents will more likely walk as godly people themselves. And even beyond the direct affects, we can transfer to our children an attitude toward God and God’s commandments that will have long ranging effects. When God said that there would be punishment and there would be consequences for the sins of the father, he also said that there would be blessings “for a thousand generations to those who love me and who keep my commandments.”
So parents, what will we do? What example shall we set for the children?
- It is critical that we honor God’s Word in our homes. We discuss it often with our children so that they know that it matters to us and they learn from us by looking at how we live. Moses urged the Israelites by saying, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” (Deut 6:6-7)
It is vitally important that we demonstrate honor for God’s Word of all else in our homes.
- Children do learn less by our words than they do by our example. Recently a friend of mine confided in me that his wife had filed for divorce. And his greatest concern was that he wanted so much to be able to raise his children in a godly, Christian home and he felt that now that what God had put together had been put asunder it would be nearly impossible to do that. Well, it’s true that when we wreck what God has created, it makes life far more difficult to set the example that we want our children to follow. Thankfully, God can still use you as a godly example even if you have suffered the consequences of divorce.
- Pray for our children. There is nothing more important that we can do than to pray for our children. I am here because of many prayers lifted for me. And the example that always comes to mind, I’ve shared it here before, is my dear Great Aunt Tillie. My Great Aunt Tillie was the grandmother that I never knew. She had been my Dad’s favorite aunt for many years. She was, I think, my Dad’s refuge during very difficult times in his life. She was a devout Catholic woman who went to mass every morning, who prayed the rosary, who lit candles in the grotto and one of those candles was for me before she ever knew what I would become or what I would be. And I am certain that one of the reasons I am here with the privilege of preaching the gospel, is because of Aunt Tillie’s prayer.
There is someone you may have heard of who has been an influence in my life, Dr. James Dobson, who said that his grandfather had prayed earnestly for generations that he didn’t even know. And his prayer was literally that three or four generations would be fully devoted to Christ. Dr. Dobson says he represents the fourth generation. His grandfather’s prayer was answered.
- The next thing we need to do, parents, is to acknowledge our shortcomings and as we pray for our children to switch over to prayer to our Heavenly Father. As the Psalmist said pray this, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me.” (Psalm 139:23-24). And then turn away from our sins. Find a new way!
Dear ones, I have experienced it first hand. I can tell you that I have seen the patterns of pain and neglect repeat themselves over generations. It is a fact that the alcoholic father beats his wife and demoralizes his children just as his own father did. And even in my life, when I felt that I could no longer live with certain patterns that fell out of my family tree, I made a firm decision that that chain of sin and misery would end with my generation. This was no small thing believe me! And that it would not be passed on any more. When I held my first child in my hands I knew that this was the beginning of a new era in my family life. No, I’m no saint, but I just knew that if I didn’t choose a different direction, I would simply follow the rut that had been laid out ahead of me. And since then I have striven with all my might to be a man of honor and godliness first by honoring my wife and then seeking with all my ability to raise godly children and to set a godly example for them to the best of my ability. Maybe that’s why it was such an emotional experience for me to have my son lead that prayer with you. Because he was eager to do it, it was such a natural thing for him to want to come and lead that prayer. Maybe God has honored that prayer of mine—not to use me because I am any better than anybody else but to use me because I am willing to be used.
You must own your weaknesses and you must surrender them to God and you must simply choose a better way no matter how hard that way might be. Choose not to perpetuate the patterns of the past. The patterns that cause hurt and neglect not only to your family but to your community. Don’t repeat the pattern that causes pain to others because they might be of a different color or different racial background, a different religious practice, a different level of income. Choose not to perpetuate the patterns of pain. Admit before God that this is not going to be easy for you. But it is the way that you want it. And God will honor that prayer. You will be the models of a godly generation that will transform subsequent generations.
Now the last part of the message is for the men and so before I carry on I’d like a new leader among the men to come and speak to you. Charlie O’Keefe is the new president of our United Methodist Men.
Charlie O’Keefe: Beautiful crowd this morning! What drew everybody here today? Anybody have any idea? When our children are asked to do something to be part of the church, they jump, and they are ready. Right? They are more than willing to do it. That’s great! We’ve got a big, wonderful United Methodist Women’s organization here. Whenever they see a need, they fill it because the women, the children love to praise God. They love to show that they are praising God. It comes, I don’t know, naturally to them. I guess they are not as concerned as some men are about how they are going to be perceived by somebody else for praising the Lord.
And I was like that. Some years ago, shortly after I became an adult but before I grew up, I distanced myself from my Dad and at the same time, from my Father. Well, my Dad being a man of God never gave up on me. He had patience. One day he invited me to a United Methodist Men’s breakfast. So I went, for all the wrong reasons, but I went. Free breakfast, right? Well, through several of these and against what I really wanted to do, I found myself enjoying them. I learned the hard way, even though my Dad was gone, that God is good.
As men, we need to learn to praise God, okay. Not everybody’s a preacher, not everybody’s an excellent musician, but that’s not the only ways we have to praise God. I want to get United Methodist Men built up and strong at Grace Church. If you are a good manager, I need you to manage. If you are a good coach, I need you to motivate. If you are a good carpenter, we need you to build. We’ll do them all to praise God, okay? You don’t have to jump up and raise your arms in the air; we can do that at the football game, right? But we do need to praise God. We need to lead our children by example. If my father had not led me by example, I may not have the beautiful family I have today. So I want to help. I want to make a difference. So myself and several other men in the church just as dedicated, just as close, decided to get together and lead the very first charter of United Methodist Men at Grace United Methodist Church. I want you to think about what you are doing today. I want you to think about what you would have done today had you been your own daddy, what you saw from those eyes. I have an opportunity today to get the United Methodist Men going. To sign up is simple—your name, address, phone number. We are not asking anybody to dedicate all their time right now to anything that’s going to disrupt being a man of God for your family. But we want a list of men who want to enhance their role in their family as the godly leader. So if you would after the service today, take a few moments to come back and see me. And I believe with God’s leadership we can have one of the strongest United Methodist Men’s chapters in the Conference, maybe in the nation. So we can lead our families, our children, and our community to be of God. Thank you.
Thank you, Charlie. I’ve described the way things ought to be, and I do believe that we can be that way. Let me acknowledge that the role of a father has changed a lot in the last hundred years. Let me acknowledge that before me right now are representative men from three or four generations. And so I know well that what you thought fatherhood was suppose to be was right during a time of war, a time of depression, and even a more horrendous time of war. I know that youth ended early and fatherhood and adult responsibility came early for many of you. And I know that things have changed in the last thirty or forty years and it seems like the young of this next several generations just doesn’t understand. Yet we all have to be challenged to see that youth lasts a lot longer now than it use to and that there is so much information coming at us from so many directions so fast that the young have never needed godly fathers, men, to point the way towards the things that matter most. We are known as a multigenerational congregation. And I want to charge and challenge the men of all generations in this church to accept the responsibility for godliness. And I know some of you are thinking, “Yeah, but I’ve already been divorced. Yes, my children are grown and there have been mistakes that have been made that I can’t undo.’ I know that there are children who have become parents and just don’t know for sure what to do. But I promise you this, giving it over to the Lord you can know for sure that there is no heart so broken that God can’t fix it, there is no fault pattern so corrupt that God cannot set it straight, that there is no wound that God cannot heal. We simply have to choose to look to Him as scripture tells us, “Look to Him who is able…to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy…” (Jude 24). Surrender it to Him and know that He will make things right if you’ll simply commit yourself to join with God and what God is doing so that you do build a legacy of godliness. And there is simply no time in your life where it is too late because it is never too late.
As Charlie said, some of the men at Grace Church have felt a great leading of the Spirit to begin this men’s organization. And you know, I’m not going to lie to you, it’s time to talk straight. Men’s ministries are just about impossible to get off the ground and keep going because we men are so unreliable when it comes to showing up for stuff like that. And the women do put us to shame. Yes, I’m using guilt, I am using shame! Don’t worry; there is a mirror in the front pew just for me. Men, I don’t know what form it is going to take so don’t worry about what you are going to be asked to do because we don’t even know yet. Like Charlie said, if it doesn’t feel like something we can do easily within the persons that God has made us, then we probably will do something else. But know that God can use us however we are. The Bible is full of examples of men who went after God’s heart but weren’t necessarily the godliest people. And so what Charlie has asked you to do, I want to echo now. Join, put your name on the line right now and say, “I want to be a part of this men’s organization and to the best of my ability I’ll support it and I’ll be named among the many who want to lead godly lives and I’ll join with other men who have the same goal with the hope that together we can hold each other to this promise.” And so, I’m going to ask you to do something now that will probably be uncomfortable for you. And I’m going to lay a guilt trip on you that’s going to be really hard to resist. I want you to show your courage right now and get up and go with Charlie. He’s out there in the lobby right now waiting for you. And there is a place in the Wesley Room where you can put your name on the dotted line. I want you to do it now, this second. Men, please, go—Join the United Methodist Men’s group right now! Don’t wait!
Men, when you are done be sure to go down to our social hall and meet our guests from all the foreign places so that you can get to know men and women of God who have joined in the same goal of godliness. In their case, seeking godly marriages. And for the rest of you, do take time to greet them as well. Thank you for going, answering the call. If it brought you from other places in the world, if it brought you from your pew to the Wesley Room, thank you for having the courage. And, if you weren’t able to go right now for whatever reason, go later. The invitation is open-ended. Let us stand now and in response to God’s Word, let’s sing these words. SONG: “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”
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