This Advent season, we consider how it is that stories of faith and connection carry on generation to generation, using a series developed by A Sanctified Art. Their centering scripture for this series is: Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
Luke 1: 48b-50
The following paragraphs are excerpts from the introduction to the theme materials shared by the creative team: “The root word of “generation” is “gen” meaning “origin” or “birth.” Our theme is also a call to action: what are we being called to generate or bring forth? What have your ancestors and those who have come before you passed on for you to continue? Who are the spiritual elders in your community who planted the seeds for the things that are now blooming? What seeds are you planting for the future?”
“While we were developing this theme, I learned about The Seventh Generation Principle, a philosophy of the Iroquois that emphasizes how seven generations after us will be affected by our current actions and decisions. This philosophy invites us to cultivate a sacred imagination for what will come, considering what will sustain and benefit the generations who come after us. To do this, we must see ourselves as belonging to a web of interconnection. Nothing is generated from complete isolation; our world is continually shaped and re-shaped by our collective actions.”
“From Generation to Generation... reminds us of the ways our lives, histories, actions, and stories are interconnected and woven together. The work of God is always unfolding—in and through us. This Advent, may you remember that you belong—to a story etched into the wrinkles of time, to generations that have come before and will come after, to a love that won’t let you go.”
Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity, Founder, Creative Director for Sanctified Art
Our lives of faith are interconnected in more ways than we often consider. May this season stir you into a meaningful reflection of the ways in which your own faith, and the traditions you follow, link you to past generations and, as you share them, stretch into future generations.
Advent blessings,
Pastor Jean