Legacy

Sermon this week is on Legacy based on Hezekiah's end of life story found in 2 Kings 20. In short, the story of Hezekiah is that he shows off the royal treasury to an envoy from the "distant land" of Babylon. The prophet Isaiah then confronts him about his decision to show off the treasury by telling that now future generations will be taken captive and serve in the courts of Babylon. It is not certain whether this was in response to what Hezekiah did or because of another variable. But either way, Hezekiah replies in an unfortunately short-sighted response, "The word of the Lord you have spoken is good...will there not be peace and security in my lifetime?"

The issue of legacy in Hezekiah's life is disappointing. This is a king who has been faithful and is praised in the Scripture for tearing down the high places and being devoted to the LORD. He is faithful even when the Assyrians come against Judah. This is a man whose legacy should stretch into many generations. Hezekiah's legacy is then two-fold. On one hand, he somehow led to the exile by his foolish decision to show off his wealth. On the other hand, his legacy is shown in his child Manasseh who the Bible describes as sinful. Just one generation removed from Hezekiah the kingdom is again under the rule of sinful leaders.

Legacy is an important issue in the Bible. I think of the Old Testament that speaks of generations teaching future generations how to serve the LORD. Blessings stretch into the future because of a faithful generation; whereas cursing also stretches forward to future generations for sin. Psalm 145 says one generation will speak of the LORD to the next. Abraham's blessing doesn't fall on him, but on future generations. The kings of Judah reign because of David and the promise made to a man generations before their own rule. The words the patriarchs speak over their children determine how that generation will live. Generational issues are major theme in the Bible.

Even in our time, we struggle with understanding generational issues. The boomers don't like the WWII generation and vice versa. Generation X don't share the values of boomers. And then there are millinialists, like myself who see Xers as the silent generation that didn't fix the problems the boomers brought. But at the same time we hardly see the same tendency of individualism and materialism that the boomers taught us.

I find it impossible right now to think of the legacy I, and my generation, will leave because that is far removed from my thought process right now. But when I think about the future, I think about it in very pessimistic ways, which I think is a tendency of those my age. There are many things that look like they might just destroy our way of life: global warming, terrorism/ and war on terror, social security, massive national debt, massive personal debt of our parents, and a value system that we question in terms of individualism and materialism. What kind of legacy have we been left with?

I can't simply leave it with that though. I recognize that for the most part, we've been left a series of problems that is up to us to fix. In terms of the church, it is up to me and those my age, to re-imagine the church for a new generation that has not been exposed to her message of love and grace through Christ. In terms of the world, it is up to us to re-imagine what it is to live responsibly in the world. To live with justice and mercy in mind. To live in the image of Christ. The choice is up to us to step up to the plate and make a difference.