Every year on September 24th, South Africans come together for Heritage Day—a time to celebrate our nation’s roots, cultures, and traditions. It’s a day when the beauty of our diversity takes center stage, reminding us that we are part of something far bigger than ourselves. The languages we speak, the foods we eat, and the customs we hold dear—these all tell the story of who we are and where we’ve come from.
Heritage Day isn’t just about the past. It’s a day to pause, reflect, and ask, “What’s my story? What legacy am I part of?” Heritage is more than history—it’s identity. It’s what connects us, generation after generation. And just as we celebrate our national heritage, there’s another story we’re invited to embrace. One that stretches back far beyond borders and traditions. One that runs deep and eternal—our spiritual heritage.
You’re part of something remarkable.
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9). Did you catch that? You’re part of something remarkable. God chose you. You belong to His story, and that’s a heritage that can’t be shaken.
we are grafted into God’s family—welcomed, loved, and called His own.
As we gather around braais and share stories of our roots, we’re reminded that God has been guiding our lives according to His purpose every step of the way. Our spiritual heritage is one where we are grafted into God’s family—welcomed, loved, and called His own. This isn’t just about what we inherit; it’s about what we pass on. Faith, hope, and love are our legacy, not only for today but for every tomorrow.
God invites us to embrace this heritage in a way that transforms us. Just like our cultural traditions shape who we are, so does our spiritual heritage mold us into who God created us to be. When we live out our faith in Jesus, we leave a legacy of hope for future generations. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 gives us a clear call: “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
… a story that points back to the One who started it all
Passing down our spiritual heritage isn’t complicated. It’s in the everyday moments. The dinner table conversations. The prayers we whisper at night. The way we love our neighbours. It’s all part of the story we’re writing with God, a story that points back to the One who started it all.
This spiritual heritage unites us in ways that nothing else can. We are part of one body, one family in Christ. Ephesians 4:4-6 says it beautifully: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Our heritage in Christ is a story of unity, of people from every nation and tongue joining together in love, bound by the grace that only God can give.
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ…” (Romans 8:17). What a legacy! What an inheritance! Embrace it. Live it. And let it shape the story you’ll tell for generations to come.