It’s become a trend in recent years to send your DNA off to be tested. The results will break down your family lineage by nation to the decimal point, giving you a sense of the depth and breadth of your genetic history. But before these tests existed, many people chose to trace their lineage back generations through family trees, digging through archives and church records to connect them back to their furthermost relatives. Yet as people of faith, we also know we come from a long line of ancestral witnesses who have brought us into relationship with God. Have you ever thought of the long line of ancestors and witnesses-in-faith who have brought you to a relationship with God today? Those who were formally a part of your family tree and those who came to become members of your family through faith. We are blessed to be surrounded by a whole cloud of witnesses who have held on to the promises of God for us, and we are blessed to pass along our faith to the next generation in God’s grace.
Holy Parent, the good news of your gospel has been shared throughout generations. Bless us to share in grace the great promises of the faith you have entrusted to us. Amen. —