Advent: A Legacy of Love - Sunday, December 22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous
Proverbs 13:22
Legacy is anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor. The words legacy, inheritance, heritage, endowment, birthright, and provision have been on my heart recently. These are words I have prayed on and asked God for His wisdom. We often think of these words as assets given to us after the death of a family member. Really this has more to do with the overflow of blessings, but sinners will not have such overflow.
Many Native people experience the legacy or overflow of pain, bitterness, shame, and guilt. The deep roots of mass genocide are entangled around their hearts. A once strong, beautiful family legacy was ripped from their hearts and replaced with a lie. We see this lie carrying on from generation to generation in the form of addiction, broken families and abuse.
Satan is good at taking truth and twisting it into lies. As the generations have passed and the legacy of their elders has become cloudy and polluted by the lies of the enemy, we see the current generation of Native youth only reaping the benefits of sin and bitterness.
Native people have been given the false hope of recovering the land and resources once brutally stolen from them. Their desire for financial wealth is strong and feels, to them, like their true inheritance, but the deep legacy they truly yearn for is the far richer inheritance of mercy, justice, and grace, which can only be provided by Jesus.
We, at Haskell LIGHT, are here to introduce the Native students of Haskell Indian Nations University to the real Jesus. The Jesus who holds their sacred land, history, and hearts in His hands. We have seen in our own lives the destruction of sin but have also witnessed His redemption. Our mission at Haskell is to invite them into our lives, provide them a safe place, and show them the love of Jesus. It is not up to us to heal their hurts or restore their legacy, it is our desire to introduce them to Jesus and a legacy of love. He will give them a new promise and inheritance.
Dear Heavenly Father, help us to show Native peoples they already share in the greatest legacy and inheritance - your gift of eternal life with you in Heaven. In Jesus' name, Amen.