Psalm 78: 4-7
“But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done. For He established a testimony… which He commanded our fathers that they should teach them to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, that they may arise and tell them to their children, that they should put their confidence in God and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments…”
On a visit to London in 2004, we sought the advice of the concierge in our hotel for tips on what we might do on a night we had free. An event at the Royal Albert Hall immediately caught our attention so we were thrilled when he secured tickets for us. The evening, a reunion of sorts, was to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Billy Graham’s 1954 London Crusade. It is estimated that 2,000,000 people of all ages attended Billy Graham rallies in England and Europe that year. Seated in one of the top tiers of the concert hall, my eyes looked down upon the crowd of 5000—a sea of gray-haired attendees—an audience full of folks whose lives had been changed forever by those meetings half a century ago.
The theme of the night was “Passing the Baton,” a call to pass down to the next generation the message of the Gospel of Christ and the timeless truths of God’s Word. The phrase “Passing the Baton” goes back to the first Olympic Games in 776 BC when relay teams were organized where each member passed a hollow cylinder to the succeeding runner. Teams have competed in relay races ever since. The most critical part of the race is the “handoff” which, in theory, sounds easy but in practice can be difficult and the very outcome of a race is dependent on it.
In life, passing the baton is just as important—from fathers and mothers to sons and daughters—passing down family traditions and godly precepts from one generation to the next secures one’s heritage. The same is true for a church or ministry—passing down consistent, accurate, sound doctrine is essential for the health and witness of the body of believers. If the handoff is careless, the next generation is in danger of becoming disqualified. Oh, that we would never be guilty of a bad handoff to those coming behind us!
Our Father, may we always be mindful of the importance of teaching those coming behind us: the wondrous works of Your hands, the sacrifice of Your Son on the cross for our redemption, the resurrection power of Your Holy Spirit, and the confidence we can have in Your Word that never changes, no matter the changes in our culture. What a firm foundation You have laid for us! We thank and praise You, Father, and pray in the name of Your Son. Amen.
