A Legacy of Hope

Have you given thought to the legacy you are leaving? If you have, are you leaving the legacy you want to leave? If you haven’t, did you know that every day, what you say and what you do shapes a future that others will live in? Every decision you make is part of a legacy someone will inherit. The question is: what legacy are you creating and leaving for others?

I read recently that legacy is not a matter of monuments or money. Legacy is a matter of impact. It’s about the unseen ripples you create, even in the quiet moments you think do not matter. Maya Angelou said, “Your legacy is every life you touch.” So, what legacy are you leaving?

Today, I want to challenge you to create a legacy of hope. I have learned that hope is much more than wishful thinking. It is the action taken to intentionally navigate the barriers to love others the way you have been loved. In other words, hope and love go hand in hand.

Paul Chilcote writes, “If hope is about something you cannot see, then all the hopeless situations that you do see or experience yourself make it so hard to hope for a loving future.” At a time when many seem to be hopeless, it is important to think about the connection between hope and love.

The apostle Paul, when addressing the changing relationships between the Jewish community and the inclusion of Gentiles wrote:

Read Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Reflect on Romans 15:13

Paul is writing about unity within the new emerging Christian community. He uses two examples to support his challenge. The first example is hospitality. He writes about welcoming and accepting one another “as Christ accepted you.” The acceptance Christ extends makes possible the acceptance of all persons.

Through his example of hospitality, he challenges the Jews in Rome to include the Gentiles. Paul’s mission and ministry started among the Jewish community. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, there is a new community which includes both Gentiles and Jews.

The second example is hope. He is teaching that all people, including the Gentiles, have the same hope, the same promise of inclusion, in Jesus. Out of this hope, all the faithful within the diverse Roman Christian community may participate together in “joy and peace in believing.” Jew or Gentile, “strong” or “weak,” all find their “hope” in Jesus, his mercy and grace.

Welcoming and acceptance binds them together “by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Their hope is in Jesus, a common faith in God’s inclusion, and in the new world created by God’s coming to us in Jesus.

So, what does that have to do with a legacy of hope?

Respond to Romans 15:13

We sometimes think of hope as just optimism or positive thinking, but have you considered hope as a force that shapes how you engage with the world? How do you shape the future?

When I think of hope, I think of planting seeds. When you plant seeds of hope you are not simply waiting passively for things to get better. You are participating by creating conditions and navigating obstacles where new possibilities can take root and grow. You are shaping the future. You are creating and leaving a legacy of hope.

Paul and Janet Chilcote, in their book On Love: 20 Lessons for the World We Seek, write, “Love is ultimately connected with hope. In a world of hopelessness, planting seeds of hope is an essential act of love. Whenever you restore hope in someone’s life, this cultivates a beloved community; a more loving and just world.” That is a legacy of hope.

Every garden and every forest began with a single seed. Every movement for positive change started with small acts of hope. When we understand this, we see that no act of love is too small. Each loving action plants a seed that carries within it the possibility of new life. Planting seeds of love cultivates a legacy of hope.

Planting Seeds of Hope

The Chilcotes, in On Love: 20 Lessons for the World We Seek, tell the following story:

Jurgen Moltmann will go down in history as the father of the “theology of hope.” During one of his visits to Duke University, Paul invited him to lunch. While introducing himself more fully, Paul explained that he was working on his doctoral studies with Frank Baker.

Moltmann interrupted, “Oh. Would you like to hear a story about Frank and Nellie Baker? Paul sat back to take it all in. Moltmann began:

“During World War II there was a German prison of war camp on the northeast coast of England near the city of Hull. A young pastor and his wife served a small Methodist circuit close by. They were filled with compassion and compelled to do something to reach out to the German prisoners who were their neighbors.

They went to the commander and asked permission to take a prisoner with them to church each Sunday and then to their home where they would eat their Sunday dinner together. It was agreed. So, Sunday after Sunday a steady flow of German soldiers worshiped and ate with the Bakers in their home throughout the course of the war.”

This world-famous theologian paused, looked at Paul and said, “One of those soldiers was a young man by the name of Jurgen Moltmann. It was at Frank and Nellie Baker’s dinner table that the seed of hope was planted in my heart.”

Where Hope Grows

Frank and Nellie Baker could not have known that their Sunday hospitality would help shape one of the twenty century’s most influential theologians. They simply opened their home and their hearts, planting seeds of hope through regular acts of inclusion and care.

The Bakers created a legacy of hope. Their example shows us that hope often grows best in the soil of relationships. They did not just feed bodies; they nourished souls through genuine connection and community. The legacy of hope grows out of relationships.

Their example reveals that hope requires courage. Just as Paul used examples of including Gentiles, it takes courage to cross boundaries, to welcome strangers, to love in spite of social pressure or potential criticism. The legacy of hope grows out of courage.

Their example shows that hope’s impact often extends far beyond what we can see. The seeds we plant may bear fruit in ways we never witness, in lives we never know we have touched. The legacy of hope grows out of living as you have been created to live.

The Bakers created a legacy of hope by keeping their focus on the compassion they want to show to the prisoners. They navigated the barriers by getting permission. And they carried through on their mission of caring for the prisoners. They created the hope they wanted to share.

Return

Give God thanks for the people you encountered today. Where did you experience hope? What happened? With whom do you need to celebrate the hope you have experienced in and through them? How will you begin to create a legacy of hope

Prayer

O God, you are my wisdom, strength, and guide. In you I find joy and peace. In you I find hope. Help me become a person of hope for the people around me. Give me the courage to create a legacy of hope by developing relationships and loving others you have loved me. By your grace help me live the life you have created me to live so those people around me will find themselves in your loving embrace. I am grateful for your love and hope in Jesus. Amen.