By Bill and Lauren
Luke grew up in the preschool at my (Bill) last church. I saw him almost every school day and again on Sundays. Luke was a great hugger and would run at me from the other side of whatever room I happened to be in and wrap his arms around me in a gigantic bear hug. He always seemed excited to see me, as a matter of fact he was always excited in general. After 11 years as the Senior Pastor of that congregation, I left there to join Conference staff in 2019, about 3 years now. I recently ran into Luke and his family at a community event and started talking to his parents. He finally looked at his moms and asked, “Who is this?” One of his moms responded, “This is Rev. Bill. He was our pastor.” Luke responded, with all the bluntness of a child in the 3rd grade, “I don’t remember him.” That cut deeply. I was crushed and saddened. Yet it got me thinking, how do I want to be remembered? In other words, what kind of legacy do I want to leave? What it boils down to is this, do I want the people and churches I’ve served to remember me or remember Jesus?
I (Lauren), on the other hand, do not feel that this was a slight to your time as Luke’s pastor at all. To me, it’s a sign you were consistent and faithful to care for the people in your flock. Many scientists would agree. In a 2018 article, “The Science of Memories: Why We Remember Traumatic Events Better,” it states, “Neuroscience research tells us that memories formed under the influence of intense emotion are indelible in the way that memories of a routine day are not.” There’s a movement happening now on social media in which people are deconstructing their Christian experience and creating an online community of healing while sharing about past church hurts and traumas. If the legacy you leave at your church is one of consistency and faithfulness, oftentimes overlooked because these are not linked to emotional, mountaintop experiences, I would say you’ve won half the battle.
However, we want the people we serve to be inspired by and moved by the Jesus they see in and experience through us. When I reflect on the story of Naomi and Ruth, I like to ponder why Ruth was so intent on sticking with her mother-in-law. What did Ruth experience with Naomi over the years that brought her to a place where even in the face of death, an unknown future, and a foreign land, she declares, “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God”? Imagine if the people in our ministries had these same sentiments. The disciples had this same experience with Jesus. When many turned away in John 6, Jesus asks the disciples if they, too, would depart and Simon responds, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life” (verse 68).
The answer should be obvious. We want people to remember Jesus, even if they never remember our names or what we may have done. I (Bill) was recently reading an article by Seth Godin, who I highly recommend following (https://seths.blog/). In this particular post he talks about our autobiographies and how we “write” them. While it was a relatively short piece, one line stood out for me, “We write our own autobiography each day by deciding what to focus on, what to rehash, and what to worry about.”
With that in mind, if I want people to remember Jesus, then I am called to focus on what Jesus focused on, worry about what Jesus worried about and rehash what Jesus rehashed. And what was that? Jesus boiled it down to two things: love God with your whole being and love your neighbor as yourself. Not only did Jesus teach this profound truth, Jesus also modeled it with his life.
Oftentimes, when people think of making a powerful impact in someone’s life or in the community, they think of those big moments and opportunities–Sunday morning, a major outreach effort, or a conference. However, I believe we make the most impact and can leave the greatest legacy when we make the most of those small, unexpected moments with people the way Jesus did. When children approach us at the school fall festival; when we spend time caring for the sick-and-shut-in; when we advocate for those on the margins by writing a letter or speaking up at a city council meeting; when we visit those who are in prison. These seemingly small actions can transform lives.
Let us leave you with the words from the song, Only Jesus, by Casting Crowns.
Make it count, leave a mark, build a name for yourself. Dream your dreams, chase your heart, above all else make a name the world remembers. But all an empty world can sell is empty dreams, I got lost in the light when it was up to me to make a name the world remembers. But Jesus is the only name to remember
And I, I don’t want to leave a legacy. I don’t care if they remember me, only Jesus.
And I, I’ve only got one life to live. I’ll let every second point to Him. Only Jesus
All the kingdoms built, all the trophies won will crumble into dust when it’s said and done. ‘Cause all that really mattered, did I live the truth to the ones I love? Was my life the proof that there is only One whose name will last forever?