AdventWord 2018 Day 17, “ancestor”
“That church is the sacred ground to that part of the family,” I told my parents as they were preparing to go to a family reunion. I ad spent countless hours in my genealogy research detailing the rich history of a small town church that had baptized, married, and buried dozens of relatives. The church was built in 1756–old for an American location of any kind–and its earnest recordkeeping dates back to the early nineteenth century.
Churches connect us to ancestors.
Even when I don’t share an ancestor’s faith, I am always pleased to learn when someone I’m researching was also a believer. Using newspapers and other contemporaneous works, I try to understand what life was like for my ancestor. Times like Advent and Christmas or Lent and Easter allow me to connect even further, establishing a bridge across generations. I love being able to reflect on how an ancestor viewed their final week of Advent, that period of increasing anticipation that will culminate in the birth of the Christ child in a week.
Do they also have children? What is going on in their church world? How will their family celebrate? Are their photographs or newspaper accounts of special events held that season?
Humanity is one family sharing one planet. Our ancestors were here first and may have shaped where we live or our faith in ways we never imagined.
Look with compassion, Lord on the whole human family. Break down the walls that separate us,. Unite us in bonds of love, and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on Earth. Amen.
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