Rev. Chism's Weekly Message

"Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land..." - Deuteronomy 34:1-2b

We still talk about Moses today. When I say "We," I'm saying many churches around the world. During my time in seminary I noticed that my African American professors talk about him a little more. The story of Exodus when Moses led the Israelites to freedom strikes a chord because of its similarity to when slavery ended in our country.

Moses was many things to his people. We know him as a great prophet and leading the Israelites to freedom out of Egypt. Part of his story is he saw the Lord face to face. Another part is he murdered a man. Today he is still a very important part of our spiritual history. We remember Moses and his impact like others such as Abraham and Sarah, Noah, the Prophet Isaiah, and many other spiritual heroes.

Over the years I have witnessed churches thanking God for past members that have left an indelible mark and influence. Not too long ago we dedicated the new light on our front door steps in memory of Jack Hall. I can't tell you how many people have shared about Jack. Other ways churches show their thanks for the lasting legacy of a member deceased is naming a room or ministry after them. At my previous church in Alabama, the Chrismon Tree that adorns the sanctuary every year was given to remember a member that was an example of his service to God.

A person's legacy can also be something not too flattering. There's a person I know that hopped to church to church. Every church she went to she found more unhappiness with herself. She would complain to officials in her conference about pastors, worship music, and many other things. Her complaints were so much they kept folders with her complaints in a filing cabinet. Today, at least in the eyes of the churches she attended and her conference, her legacy is a bunch of folders.

Legacy is important. Important is how our life is a reflection of our service to God. People see this and they look up to you. Positive impacts on their churches and people changes the word. We become part of their history and spiritual journey.

It's very important that we put God first in what we do. I don't want to be known for my biases and ill words. Moses was a leader and he followed through to the end. One person that wrote about Moses and service said he was "unequaled" for his time and day.

I have a friend that likes to visit cemeteries. It brings him peace. He often will look at the tombstones and think about the person's life. If there is a person he knows buried in the cemetery he is visiting he will think about how they impacted his life. Many of us do the same when we visit our family members that have gone before us.

Moses would not enter the Promised Land of Israel. This promise from God went all the way back to Abraham. But the Lord did show him all of the land when he climbed to the top of Mount Nebo in Moab, just across the border from Israel and the city of Jericho northeast of the Dead Sea. He saw all of it. It was a measurement of his service to God. Moses died after this. His journey was complete here on earth. His people would get to live out the promise.

There are things we won't see as we follow Christ. Many things are meant for the future. But I can tell you this truth, the legacies live on and influence the future. And people will still talk about them today.

We still talk about Moses. Being more contemporary, let's think about those followers of Christ that have impacted our lives. After you read this, pray and remember these people if you would like. And one day I hope the same for all of us.

Stay Safe,
Rev. Baxter