Creating a Legacy of Faith
October 2026 | Pastor Bettye Wolinski
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live, and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. — Deuteronomy 30:19–20
These words from Moses are both a personal farewell and a national charter—a spiritual testament urging Israel to remain faithful, avoid idolatry, and live under God’s covenant. They also mark the transition of leadership to Joshua, as God commissions him in Moses’ presence. Throughout history, God's chosen people have gone through different stages of life and development. The words from Deuteronomy were said by Moses as an encouragement to the Hebrew people to move forward. The Hebrew nation in the Old Testament, the importance of legacy, starts with words from Moses. The Hebrew nations are known for living in different stages of existence, sometimes near to God, sometimes far from God, but always returning to God. The great patriarchs or leaders of the Hebrew nation knew this would happen, and so they encouraged the people to live well and to choose life in God. They eventually chose to be called the Israelites.
Today's church is no different. Today's church has gone through a variety of stages of existence to the place where sometimes we're not even sure what it means to be the church. We are no different than the ancient Jew and Christian who came before us, traveling in and out of what it means to be God's people in the church.
What stage of existence are we in at St. Peter's? As I have observed the church I have served for 20-plus months as interim pastor, I have watched the church go through all the psychosocial stages that exist for humans. I believe we have reached a point where we have a choice, as did the Israelites, to embrace our drive to nurture, guide, and leave a lasting spiritual legacy to God’s glory, or we can choose to stagnate in the loss of purpose, disconnection, and spiritual emptiness as a people of God. Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites made the same decision to generate life or to stagnate to death. The early church faced the same obstacles. Generativity versus stagnation is not just for people; this is also true for the church.
Events throughout history have challenged God's people to make this decision. All the way back to the Dark Ages, when we almost lost the majority of life on this earth, through the Reformation into a myriad of wars, through all the social growth changes that have happened, through all the political changes that have occurred, we still find ourselves with a question, “Do we generate life in God's name as a church, or do we stagnate?”
I believe the people of St Peter's have chosen to generate more life, more hope, and more help to the community at large, and thus, bring back the Word of God in Christ as the church to his children. We are called to create a legacy of faith that benefits future generations.
As we begin this new chapter of our faithful work together as the church, let this be our standard for all decisions we face:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. -- Matthew 28:16-20
These words from Moses are both a personal farewell and a national charter—a spiritual testament urging Israel to remain faithful, avoid idolatry, and live under God’s covenant. They also mark the transition of leadership to Joshua, as God commissions him in Moses’ presence. Throughout history, God's chosen people have gone through different stages of life and development. The words from Deuteronomy were said by Moses as an encouragement to the Hebrew people to move forward. The Hebrew nation in the Old Testament, the importance of legacy, starts with words from Moses. The Hebrew nations are known for living in different stages of existence, sometimes near to God, sometimes far from God, but always returning to God. The great patriarchs or leaders of the Hebrew nation knew this would happen, and so they encouraged the people to live well and to choose life in God. They eventually chose to be called the Israelites.
Today's church is no different. Today's church has gone through a variety of stages of existence to the place where sometimes we're not even sure what it means to be the church. We are no different than the ancient Jew and Christian who came before us, traveling in and out of what it means to be God's people in the church.
What stage of existence are we in at St. Peter's? As I have observed the church I have served for 20-plus months as interim pastor, I have watched the church go through all the psychosocial stages that exist for humans. I believe we have reached a point where we have a choice, as did the Israelites, to embrace our drive to nurture, guide, and leave a lasting spiritual legacy to God’s glory, or we can choose to stagnate in the loss of purpose, disconnection, and spiritual emptiness as a people of God. Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites made the same decision to generate life or to stagnate to death. The early church faced the same obstacles. Generativity versus stagnation is not just for people; this is also true for the church.
Events throughout history have challenged God's people to make this decision. All the way back to the Dark Ages, when we almost lost the majority of life on this earth, through the Reformation into a myriad of wars, through all the social growth changes that have happened, through all the political changes that have occurred, we still find ourselves with a question, “Do we generate life in God's name as a church, or do we stagnate?”
I believe the people of St Peter's have chosen to generate more life, more hope, and more help to the community at large, and thus, bring back the Word of God in Christ as the church to his children. We are called to create a legacy of faith that benefits future generations.
As we begin this new chapter of our faithful work together as the church, let this be our standard for all decisions we face:
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. -- Matthew 28:16-20