Matthew 7:22–29
In the final verses of Matthew 7, Jesus compares those who say they follow him and those who act upon his teachings. He makes it abundantly clear that it is not enough to simply acknowledge him as “Lord,” but one must actually obey his teachings. Genuine discipleship is evidenced through actions, choices, sacrifices and consistent faith.
The Presbyterian Historical Society, through its heritage preservation efforts, offers us so much more than antiquated records, photographs and documentation — it provides us with living, tangible proof of what faith in action looks like. Each preserved letter, each volunteer logbook and every member’s story paints a robust picture exemplifying what it is to live in Christ.
Organizations like the Presbyterian Historical Society teach us an important lesson: History will always hold us accountable. Our legacy, what we build in Christ, becomes part of the testimony we leave behind for others to grow from. While our words will fade from the memories of our community members, family and loved ones, our actions will not.
Our Christian actions can live, thrive, grow, and even work to prove what it means to live with the love and discipline that Jesus urges us to show. The tombstone of the Rev. Bruce Klunder shows his sacrifice to end segregation in 1964, when his life was taken while protesting for the safety and respect of all of God’s children. There are the arrest warrants of countless European Christians who were punished greatly for aiding and housing disabled individuals and Jewish children during the reign of the Third Reich. The crumpled receipts and bank statements from the public school teacher who used her own meager salary to pay for kids' field trip expenses in 2008, not wanting anyone to feel left out. The pay stubs of the struggling recent college graduate, entering the workforce during a global pandemic, employed by the church to highlight and digitize these records, hopefully shedding light on even more lessons and examples of those who came before us and those even with us today.
Faith and love in God, and living as Jesus urges us to in Matthew 7, cannot be forever remembered in proclamations but can be immortalized in preservation. It is difficult to sacrifice the comfort and stability that come with deviating from the apathetic homogeneity of our current culture. Today, we are challenged to ask, what kind of foundation are we building? Will someone looking back see evidence that we truly lived as followers of Jesus? Are we just wearing the cross necklace and speaking our faith, or are we actively practicing it through love, justice, mercy and empathy?
Prayer:
Loving God, help us to build our lives on the solid rock of your Word. Let us be not only healers, but doers — living lives that honor you. Thank you for the gift of faithful witnesses before us and the work of those preserving their stories at the Presbyterian Historical Society. May our actions speak louder than our words, and may we leave legacies of kindness and love as taught by Jesus. Amen.
Virginia Zeigler grew up at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Jacksonville, Florida. She has always loved spending time in nature, especially in the mountains. She works as an oceanographic physicist, where she gets to explore the science behind God’s Creation.
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