I recently had the great privilege of returning to the Church in which I grew up to lead their 356th Anniversary. Inevitably I met new people and was reacquainted with people I have known all my life. Some of the former group were from families associated with mine and yet as individuals we have never crossed paths.
We were all socially distanced and masked, making the fun of trying to recognise someone after a gap of forty years all the more exciting. One person said to me that as soon as I took of my mask to start worship and spoke there was no doubt who I was. Another person explained that my grandfather had taught him in Sunday School and how was he. I pointed out that Grandpa was born in 1893 so had, quite respectably, concluded his life on earth.
The same thing happened in reverse. I talked to a person I was sure I knew and after a while we realised that she was the daughter of the person I thought I was talking to. All very confusing. Finally, someone else said I hadn’t changed a bit to which I responded that indeed I was still short and fat (as I had been at the age of 13), but now I didn’t have curly hair so the recollection was flawed.
We are all individuals with our own characteristics but we carry the genetic imprint of previous generations. That is great if we are comfortable with our past but less so if there are things we prefer to forget. Our individuality is what matters to God, together with our part in his Church on earth, the brothers and sisters of Christ.
We are at the beginning of the many Sundays in the season of after Pentecost. This is the part of the liturgical year which is about consolidating new lessons drawn from the recent journey from Advent to Ascension and growing in our existence as people of the Spirit. It is the time when we relax into letting God work in and through us and putting his imprint on us.
On reflection, is it not that likeness we should be seeking to wear?
A prayer
Lord our God, Jesus taught us to follow him and to try constantly to put ourselves behind us while growing more in his image. To let go of all our generational and societal baggage is so difficult; often we make it hard for one another by assuming that tomorrow will be like yesterday. Give us the grace to let your image show through us in how we live and what we are. Breathe on me, breath of God, for Jesus’ sake,.
Amen.