Over July 4th weekend I finally got to watch Hamilton. Thank you Disney Plus. I enjoy history and enjoyed the telling of the story of our founding in a creative and fun way. Despite being 44 years old, I even enjoyed the music.

I was surprised to see a trending #cancelhamilton. The criticism is that Hamilton is portrayed and celebrated in a way that he should not be because of his ties to the slave trade. I’m not blogging today to debate the merits of the criticism, I enjoy history but I’m not equipped to comment on Alexander Hamilton’s participation in slavery. #CancelHamilton has me thinking about legacy, how we remember people, and this important truth…

Legacy should be spoken with grace.

I have officiated dozens of funerals. Never once have I eulogized someone by airing all their dirty laundry. A memorial, a legacy, should be seen and articulated through the lens of grace.

This is not to say that you lie. This is to say that you focus on what is good, right, and noble. It is the gracious thing to do.

This is not to say you ignore. Sometimes the sins of the past need to be discussed and even debated. Grace reminds me that a person’s sin is not the sum of who they are. Grace urges me to see the better that lies in almost every person.

I am not a perfect man. I hope that someday my children remember me through the lens of grace. I hope they can celebrate the best of me.

I bet you hope the same thing about your kids.

We are losing our connection to grace at a rapid level. The most basic expression of grace is the way we talk about those who have died. We have already lost sight of grace in the way we talk about the living.

We have replaced grace with our moral outrage. It is a moral outrage that assumes others are sinful and I am righteous. The former is true, the latter is not.  The Apostle Paul wrote, “None are righteous, no not one.”

Perhaps it is helpful to remember that history will judge our generation as well.

Is it too much to hope they judge us through the lens of grace?

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