Dear HCMC,Greetings in Christ! Recently, my thoughts have been drawn repeatedly to the question of legacy. This issuehas been fresh in my mind especially because of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II around a month ago, andmore recently, the home-call of our dear Hokkien service member Mdm Lee Chwee Siang (水仙姐), whomRev Florence shared about in the Pastor’s Desk message last week. Both of them were great women of faithwho, in their own ways, left behind tremendous legacies for us.Bereavement often prompts the question: What happens when we leave this earth? What kind of legacy dowe wish to bequeath to those who survive us?One way of answering such questions is to learn from the best who have gone before us, by considering themost significant legacies our predecessors have left in our lives or in the world. To ask ourselves: whose lifelegacies have impacted me most?My personal answer is twofold. The first life legacy that has impacted me most has to do with evangelism. Itis the legacy left behind by a simple, unassuming lady, a dear relative, who shared the Gospel with mypaternal grandparents and my father. Through her loving persistence in sharing the Gospel with them, thewhole family came to the faith. Though she was rebuffed many times by my grandparents, she never gaveup. It would be many years later, when my grandparents were going through a health crisis, that this lady’spersistence finally paid off and the family turned to the Lord. How thankful I am for her tireless efforts insharing Christ! God worked through her legacy of evangelism to bless my family, and to bless many others aswell, by transforming our eternal destiny.The second life legacy most significant for me has to do with mentoring. Looking back on my life, I ameternally grateful for many wise and loving mentors who guided me through the years, including my uncleand godfather who is a pastor, my former pastors in Telok Ayer CMC, and my Sunday School teachers. I havealso been blessed with godly parents who could similarly mentor me. Without them, I would not have beenable to navigate critical crossroads and difficult periods in my life, or remain and grow in the faith. Owing tothe impact of their godly legacy upon my life, I am inclined to pay it forward, to mentor others as well.Brothers and sisters of HCMC, we can do no better in this life than to love and serve others throughevangelism and mentoring. This is a legacy worth leaving behind because it is an eternal legacy. It is aneternal legacy because it transforms lives for eternity. It transforms lives for eternity because it makesdisciples for Christ. For indeed, evangelism and mentoring are united by the common goal of makingdisciples of Christ. In so doing, we are fulfilling no less than the Great Commission itself (Matthew 28:19-20).What more, any of us can do this. We do not need exceptional qualifications or capabilities. The onlyprerequisite? That we place our faith in Christ and rely on His grace to disciple others.I am reminded of the hymn “Must I Go, and Empty-Handed?” composed by Baptist minister Charles C.Luther in 1877. This is a solemn warning to avoid the sorrowful legacy (or non-legacy) or coming beforeChrist at the end of time, empty-handed... because we have not discipled a single soul. As the refrain of thehymn goes: “Must I go, and empty-handed? Must I meet my Saviour so? Not one soul with which to greetHim, must I empty-handed go?”In response, may we live out the final stanza of the hymn, which exhorts us: “Oh, ye saints, arouse, beearnest, up and work while yet ’tis day; ere the night of death o’ertake thee, strive for souls while still youmay.” Amen.Rev Timothy
