"The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith"
     Hebrews 4:13

A few weeks ago I was privileged to witness the faith of one of my forefathers, my 9th great-grandfather -- Thomas Davile (1565 - 1637). While working on the genealogy of my father's side of the family, a distant "cousin" shared a copy of Thomas' will with me. The opening portion of that will, copied in its beautiful old English, follows:

"In the name of God amen the ffowarth day of October Anno Din 1637, I, Thomas Davile of Spalding in the county of Lincoln, laborer, being sicke in boddy but yet of good and perfect mynde and memory thanks be given to God doe ordaine and constitute this my last will and Testament in manner and forme following. Ffirst I bequeathe my sowle into the hands of Almighty God hopeing by the merrite of his deare sonne Christ to have free remison of all my sinnes and to reigne with him in his ceolestiall Knigdome."

[Source: Spalding town records, The Gentlemen's Society, Spalding, Lincolnshire, England]

I suspect that we have all heard that the church is always just one generation away from extinction and that faith depends upon each of us passing it on to the next generation. Do we take this saying seriously? We should thank God for our ancestors who did and daily strive to follow their example.

Let me, like my forefathers, live in and pass my faith to family, friends, and strangers - those outside the Christian faith as well as those who have lived long in faith. Amen

Contributed by Nancy E.
Published Monday April 28, 2003
Week 22 of Liturgical Year B