Pastor's Notes

Any number of people have surmised that our children may be the first generation to be worse off than their parents. I don't believe that we're the first to suffer that self-doubt. The Babylonian exile must have left the Jews lamenting the fortunes of the next generation. Over the long run of history, prosperity is always rising and falling. More to the point, there's no reason to think our children are owed a better life than we have enjoyed.

Nevertheless, as parents we want more for those who come afer us. Our desire for a legacy is one of the better ambitions of human nature and needs to be encouraged. The question is "What legacy do we want to leave?" A trust fund? A good name? A family business? The right genetics? A leg up? All these are worthy ambitions.

When I think about the legacy we are leaving at South Plains for the next generation, I think first of people, and not only the generation of Presbyterians who sit with me for the time with the children. Those who are coming after us are people whose ages range across the whole spectrum. They are families brought here by a job, couples in retirement, young adults with some tenuous connection to this church, and others who find something they need with this congregation. Are we leaving them a legacy of faith, a fund of biblical knowledge, memories of caring friends, the example of a generous mission, challenges worthy of their stewardship, and all the experiencess we treasure in this community of believers? That's the real inheritance many of us have received and need to pass on.

David