Chaplain’s Chat

Have you ever considered what your legacy might look like? I assume that we all want to be thought of well in our endeavours, and yet so often in life the things that we do quickly fade away. Many people will work in a job for years and strive to make great changes and a big difference, only for the new people to ‘move in a different direction.’ Even amongst our own family, perhaps at best, our legacy is fairly small and remembered only fleetingly. Of course, the next generation always seems to know best, citing that, “things are so different now and you wouldn’t understand.”

This term, in Chapel we are looking at famous Christian people. This week we looked at the life of Catherine Booth. Along with her husband William, she was instrumental in forming what is now known as the Salvation Army in 1878. Her Christian faith led her to the deep conviction of helping others in need and she did this for the poor and alcoholics of east London in the 1800s. Her legacy today lives on as the Salvation Army and the Red Shield Appeal in Australia raise upwards of 80 million dollars each year to help many people facing homelessness and domestic violence. As James 2:17 says, “In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Catherine Booth knew that authentic Christian faith resulted in selfless actions out of love and concern for those around her. And yet, her life was merely reflecting the life of Jesus, who calls us to, “Love our neighbour as ourselves.” What a great legacy indeed.

Reverend Anthony Benn
School Chaplain