How Does Trust Get Passed From One Generation to the Next?
On Super Bowl Sunday, the message opened with a simple reminder from Scripture: nothing is too hard for God. That truth set the tone for a powerful moment in our 100th year celebration, the opening of a time capsule sealed in our chapel wall 65 years ago.
But the time capsule was not just a fun reveal. It became a living illustration of what this Trust Issues series has been teaching from Genesis 1 and 2.
Trust is not only something we struggle with. Trust is something we are called to steward.
Trust Begins With a God Who Can Be Trusted
This series has been grounded in the creation story. Genesis begins by showing us a God whose character and competence are trustworthy. He creates with purpose. He blesses with generosity. He relates with love.
And because we are made in His image, Genesis also tells us something about ourselves. We are not random or replaceable. We are image bearers who carry value, capability, and responsibility.
That matters because trust grows when we understand who God is and who we are.
We Are Capable of Trustworthy Living
This message focused on the capability of human beings, especially as described in Genesis 2. Scripture shows that God created people with real capacities that allow trust to form and flourish.
We are capable of deep relationship. The story of Adam and Eve is not about one being lesser than the other. It is about two equal image bearers designed to connect, support, and become bonded in a covenant relationship. Trust and healing are meant to grow in healthy connection.
We are capable of stewarding creation with meaning. Adam is invited to name the animals, not as a random task, but as a sign of human intelligence, creativity, and responsibility. God trusted humanity with meaningful work, and that calling continues today.
We are capable of moral decision-making with real consequences. The garden included freedom and a boundary. That was not control. It was an invitation to self-control, which is one of the clearest signs of a trustworthy life.
We are capable of mystery, transformation, and eternal purpose. The story reminds us that we are more than physical bodies. We are spiritual beings, made to live in relationship with God and shaped by decisions that matter beyond the moment.
We are capable of finding meaning through connection. Trust does not survive in isolation. It grows in community, in shared mission, and in relationships where faith is practiced together.
The Time Capsule Showed Us What Stewarded Trust Looks Like
When the time capsule was opened, it revealed far more than old documents. It revealed a legacy.
There were blueprints, church rosters, committee lists, budgets, newsletters, meeting minutes, a hymnal, a doctrinal book, a Bible, flags, and a historic photograph. Together, these items told one story: faithful people carried a trust they received and passed it forward to people they would never meet.
They gave, served, sacrificed, planned, communicated, held one another accountable, and celebrated what God was doing. They built facilities for a future generation, and we are living in the fruit of what they planted.
That is what generational trust looks like.
Our Turn Is Here
The message ended with a clear invitation. We have received a trust, and we now have a trust to steward for those coming next. We do not need absolute knowledge to take faithful steps. We only need adequate knowledge to trust what is true and move forward in love.
God is still writing the story. The question is whether we will join Him.
Because you are an image bearer of God, you are valuable. You are capable. You are responsible. And you are invited to carry trust forward.
Discussion Questions:
1. When you think about “trust issues,” what area of life comes to mind first: trusting God, trusting others, or trusting yourself?
2. What part of the time capsule reveal impacted you most, and why?
3. How does knowing you are made in God’s image shape the way you view your value and your capability?
4. Which capability from Genesis 2 stands out most to you right now: relationship, stewardship, self-control, purpose, or connection?
5. Who helped bring you into faith, and how can you intentionally pass that trust forward to someone else?
6. What is one practical step you can take this week to steward trust in your family, your church, or your community?
