Thomas J Parlette
“Heirs”
Romans 8: 14-17
6/8/25, Pentecost
Cathy Boone did not have an easy life. In 2020, Cathy died in a warming shelter in Astoria, Oregon. She was homeless, and had been struggling with her mental health and a drug abuse problem. Hers was a sad story that plays out all too often.
Unbeknownst to her, when Cathy’s mother passed away in 2016, she left her daughter a substantial inheritance – $884, 447.00. But no one had been able to locate her. So her inheritance went unclaimed.
Her father, Jack Spithall, said, “It just didn’t make any sense to me. That money just sitting there – and she needed help in the worst way.” (1)
An unclaimed inheritance – a sad situation, but one that happens more often that you might think.
According to a free report from Western & Southern Financial Group, over the next few decades, trillions of dollars of wealth is due to change hands from one generation to the next – so it’s likely that we’ll see more unclaimed inheritances on the books.
The laws vary from state to state, but an unclaimed inheritance usually goes to state government agencies, who absorb the funds into the state bank accounts after three years or so, depending on their laws.
The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators estimates that 1 out of 7 Americans is owed some type of unclaimed property, including inheritances. It could be money, it could be real estate, it could be jewelry or furniture or whatever. Most of the time, it’s a few thousand dollars at best – but there have been cases where people have been able to recover unclaimed inheritances worth six figures or more. In New York alone, the state government estimates it’s holding onto $355 billion dollars! (2)
So, it’s always a good idea to have a will in place and let your loved ones know where to find it, so they can claim their inheritance.
My own parents have been quite diligent in this area. My three sisters and I each have copies of the will and the trust my parents have established and we know where to find the appropriate documents and passwords and such.
After my mother passed away, my father recently moved to a smaller community and he wanted us to claim what we wanted from the house. So my youngest sister, who was living nearby at the time, organized a three ring notebook with a list of all the things my dad wanted us to have – complete with pictures.
Then, when we could each come down to Florida, we put what we affectionately called “death stickers” on the back of paintings, furniture and other such household items, as they had meaning for my two sisters and I.
I know – it sounds a bit morbid, but largely due to my youngest sister’s efforts, we know exactly what each of us will inherit upon my dad’s final move.
In today’s passage from Romans, Paul is talking about the themes of being adopted as a child of God, and as such, being added to the will, so to speak. That we might receive an inheritance as an heir of God along with Christ.
Over the course of the first eight chapters of Romans, Paul has demonstrated that Gentiles and Jews alike need a savior, and that God’s righteousness comes not through the Law, but through faith in Jesus. We are saved therefore, not by adhering to the Laws, but by the grace of God.
Romans chapter 8 begins with the idea that there is now “no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The Law of the Spirit is what Paul wants to emphasize – not the rules and regulations that have been built up around explaining the 10 Commandments.
Paul assures us that because of Jesus’ resurrection, we are now born of the Spirit – “The Spirit of God dwells in you,” he says, a phrase that Paul repeats twice in Chapter 8 – first, in verse 9, and then again at the end of verse 11.
If you sitting in the pew wondering – “Where have I heard that before,” let me point out that a very similar phrase is found in the movie, The Lion King. It’s the scene where the voice of Rafiki, the prophet-like Mandrill, is heard reminding the young runaway lion Simba who he is.
Simba is staring at his reflection in a pool of water and all of a sudden his father Mufasa’s image appears over his own, and the voice of Rafiki is heard saying – “His spirit lives on in you.” And Simba knows he must go back home and save his people from the evil Scar. It is the turning point of the movie.
Likewise, Chapter 8 is a turning point in Paul’s letter to the Romans. Consisting of 16 chapters in all, we are at the exact center of Paul’s letter.
So now Paul brings up the themes for today – If we are led by the Spirit that now dwells in us, we are adopted as children of God… and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
When we think of adoptio9n these days, we usually think of two people that, for whatever reason, can’t have children on their own. So, they often look at adoption – usually babies from this country or other countries depending on their situation.
In other cases, older children might be adopted from foster care situations. The topic of adoption is often a touchy one for parents to bring up with their adopted children because there is often a sense of shame attached to being adopted in our culture.
But things were different in Paul’s day. In ancient Rome, it was common for wealthy Roman families to adopt someone, often an adult, to carry on the family name – especially if that family had no male heirs. It was a great honor, a real point of pride to be adopted as an heir. So, for Paul, being adopted by God meant being welcomed into the most important family of all – the family of God.
So, if we are heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ – what is it exactly that we inherit. My sisters and I used our color-coded death stickers to delineate what each of us would inherit – but what do we inherit as heirs of God?
Well, in our passage from Acts today, we heard from Luke about the first disciples receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit – that’s our inheritance. What comes along with that? Luke mentions a few things:
First, we inherit the gift of communication. The first disciples suddenly found that they could speak in whatever language they needed to be able to communicate the story of Jesus.
Second, we are gifted with the enthusiasm that is needed to spread the good news. The first disciples had the fire of enthusiasm that touched them all – a gift from the Holy Spirit. Being able to speak all those languages – that’s great! But if you don’t have the drive, the excitement, the enthusiasm to use those language skills – it doesn’t amount to much.
And finally, it seems that the Holy Spirit us the gift of power – or perhaps empowerment would be a better word. The first disciples were given the tool of language, they had the fire of enthusiasm and now that’s been paired with the gift of empowerment to get out there in the streets of Jerusalem and share the good news of Jesus’ triumph over death, so that “everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul will add to Luke’s list and tell us about some other gifts of the Spirit like – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. But that’s a sermon for another day.
For today, the Day of Pentecost, we celebrate that we are children of God, heirs to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who empowers us with all we need to share the good news of Christ, so that all may be saved.
And for that, May God be praised. Amen.
1. Jenna Romaine, TheHill.com, June 4th, 2021.
2. “What Happens to an Unclaimed Inheritance?”, www.westernsouthern.com, updated August 14th, 2024
