A Legacy of Faith
Not long ago, Sharon Gunderson and her husband, from River Falls, visited our church. Sharon had heard from her father that one of the stained-glass windows in our church was connected to her great-great-grandfather, Alexander (Alex) Brown. Whenever she came to Mondovi, she thought about stopping by to look for the window, but she had never had the opportunity. This time, we finally found it together. At the bottom of the window were the words, “In Memory of Mrs. Alex Brown.” It was a special moment for Sharon to find a part of her family history that she had heard about for many years.
I was also impressed when Sharon showed me a notebook in which she had recorded stories about her ancestors. She had taken time to learn about the lives of family members from generations ago and to preserve their stories. As I watched her, I thought about how important it is not only to leave a legacy, but also to remember and pass on the legacy we have received.
Sharon’s visit also reminded me of another story Kathy shared with me. A couple had seen our stainedglass windows from outside the church and thought they were so beautiful that they came in and asked if they could see them from inside. Kathy gladly showed them into the sanctuary.
These two stories reminded me of my own first visit to this church. When I first walked into the sanctuary for my introductory meeting before I was appointed here, I was also impressed by the beauty of the stained-glass windows. But after worshiping here for several years and seeing them every week, they became so familiar that I no longer noticed their beauty as I once did.
Perhaps the same thing can happen in other parts of our lives. The people around us, the church community where we worship together, the ordinary blessings of each day, and even God’s grace can become so familiar that we forget how precious they are. Many of the blessings we enjoy today have also been passed down to us by those who came before us—people who lived faithfully, prayed, served, and sacrificed.
Recently, as I prepared for Irma’s funeral, I found myself thinking again about what remains after a person’s life. One picture of Irma stays with me. Whenever I led worship at American Lutheran Home, I often saw her making her way to the service with her walker, even when walking had become difficult. Her family also remembered that she never spoke badly about others and never left anyone out. To me, these simple memories show the life of a woman who quietly and faithfully followed her Shepherd.
There is an old saying familiar to many Koreans: “When a tiger dies, it leaves its skin behind; when a person dies, he or she leaves a name behind.” I don’t think “leaving a name behind” simply means that people will remember our names. It is also about how we lived, what we valued, how we treated others, and what our lives leave in the hearts of those around us.
The stained-glass window Sharon came to see still bears the name of her family even after many generations had passed. Irma left behind memories of a life of quietly and faithfully worshiping God and loving others. Their stories are different, but both remind us that what one generation leaves behind can continue to touch the generations that follow.
Yet the source of a faithful life is not ourselves. It is the grace of God, who first loves us and faithfully holds us. The legacy of faith we leave behind is ultimately the fruit of God’s grace at work in our lives.
So I find myself asking two questions: Are we grateful for the legacy of faith that those before us have left behind? And what kind of legacy of faith are we leaving for those who come after us?
Our prayers and worship, our love and kindness, our small acts of service, and our faithful steps in following Christ may seem ordinary today. But someday, they may become part of a beautiful legacy of faith passed on to another generation.
May we remember with gratitude those who have left us a legacy of faith, and may we, by God’s grace, leave a faithful witness for the generations that follow.
In Christ,
Pastor Hyuntae Kim, Ph.D
