{"id":8702,"date":"2021-10-27T07:31:21","date_gmt":"2021-10-27T12:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=8702"},"modified":"2021-10-21T20:03:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-22T01:03:30","slug":"october-31-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"October 31, 2021&#8211;Freed From Our Past"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>Andrew Tucker, Columbus, OH<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Warm-up Question<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"TextRun SCXW177085687 BCX8\" lang=\"EN-US\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"none\"><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW177085687 BCX8\">Who comes to mind when you think of your ancestors? Share a story about this person or group of people. Why are they significant to you?\u00a0<\/span><\/span><span class=\"EOP SCXW177085687 BCX8\" data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Freed From Our Past<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">When you think of a sloth, what do you think of? I&#8217;d bet a small, furry creature. Likely clinging to a tree with incredibly long claws. Probably munching on some leaves or flowers with a glib, goofy grin that God placed on its face through millions of years of evolution.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Not too long ago, at least in terms of the cosmic timeline, some ancient sloth ancestors\u00a0were\u00a0shaped more like tanks and,\u00a0apparently,\u00a0huge fans of\u00a0old\u00a0steak. Mylodons, or Giant\u00a0Ground\u00a0Sloths,\u00a0bumbled\u00a0around\u00a0on the ground\u00a0and ate meat\u00a0as a part of their diet.\u00a0Scavengers rather than hunters, the meat\u00a0Mylodons consumed\u00a0as a part of their diet\u00a0was likely the\u00a0leftovers\u00a0from ice age predators like Saber-Toothed Tigers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Still with long nails, fur, and we sure hope that glib, goofy smile, they were something like the sloths we know today,\u00a0but\u00a0they were bound to the ground,\u00a0cleaning up others\u2019 old meals. Clearly\u00a0Mylodons weren\u2019t\u00a0exactly the same\u00a0as their\u00a0present-day\u00a0counterparts. To read more about\u00a0these ancestors, check out this article (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/giant-ancestors-todays-sloths-stood-110400474.html)\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/giant-ancestors-todays-sloths-stood-110400474.html)<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0or read the scientific research that led to this discovery (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-97996-9\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-021-97996-9<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">). Fair warning: that second article is very dense, but for the scientists and historians among us, quite fascinating.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sloths are connected to their ancestors, but they\u2019re not carbon copies. The same is true for us. We are connected to our ancestors, biological and spiritual, and that shapes who we are\u00a0today. But it does not mean we\u2019re just the same as those who came before us, nor do our ancestors absolutely determine\u00a0who we will be.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"5\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">How would you feel if you came across a present-day sloth? How about a Mylodon?<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"5\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">How do their differences change your reaction?<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"5\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">What other present-day animals are connected to, but also very different from, their ancient ancestors?<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"5\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">How are you similar to your ancestors? How are you different?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Reformation Day<\/b><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=500620906\">Jeremiah 31:31-34<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=500620942\">Romans 3:19-28<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=500620976\">John 8:31-36 <\/a><\/p>\n<p>(Text links are to <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/\">Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elca.org\/Our-Work\/Congregations-and-Synods\/Worship\/Lectionary\/YearB\">Lectionary Readings<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.agnusday.org\/\">Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><b>Gospel Reflection<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">It\u2019s Reformation Sunday, where as a church we give thanks for the reform movement started by Martin Luther and others in the 16<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0century. One of the many themes that pops up at this time each year is freedom, often connected to these words in John: \u201cIf the\u00a0Son\u00a0sets you free, you will be free indeed.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-7178 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914-250x167.jpg 250w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914-525x350.jpg 525w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">It\u2019s important for us to ask\u00a0two questions:\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">What\u00a0are we set free from? What are we set free for?<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0All too often, Reformation becomes a chance to bash on other Christians. Often Roman Catholicism becomes a target,\u00a0as though our freedom has fully\u00a0severed us from our\u00a0church ancestors.\u00a0At other times, Evangelicals draw our angst, as though our spiritual descendants have no connection to the reform movement Luther started.\u00a0Whatever our freedom is from, it is not from our connections, nor our history, nor those who come after us.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">But because of Christ\u2019s intervention, we are free for more than our ancestors could imagine or determine.\u00a0Just a few verses before, some disciples wonder how they, descendants of Abraham, might still need freedom.\u00a0Their confusion ultimately points to the crux of the scripture:\u00a0we are connected to the legacy of our ancestors, but we are not\u00a0absolutely beholden\u00a0to it.\u00a0Christ frees us from the worst and for the best.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">This is true biologically. Think, for instance, of someone like me with a mental illness. Thanks to my\u00a0DNA\u00a0ancestry, I\u2019m biologically predisposed to a shortage of natural serotonin that leads me to battle depression and anxiety disorders. That connection lives on in me. Yet, thanks to medication and counselors, changes to diet\u00a0and exercise, and\u00a0adding\u00a0faith practices like meditation, my future is not determined by those ancestors alone.\u00a0Reform is possible in my life thanks to the influence of others,\u00a0especially through medical, relational, and physical intervention.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">This is also true spiritually. Our tradition is full of profound contributions and desperate failures. The Lutheran reformation paved the way for some of the first schools for girls in Europe,\u00a0robust social safety nets, and increased knowledge of religion by lay practitioners.\u00a0But\u00a0Luther&#8217;s writings also included terribly anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim rhetoric, as well as critiques of peasants who took political authority into their own hands. Such passages\u00a0became rallying cries for racial purists in Nazi Germany, the United States, and elsewhere.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Even in our Reformation celebrations, the goodness of our tradition is\u00a0accompanied by the failures. We are\u00a0not free from that tainted legacy. But, because of God\u2019s work in Jesus Christ, we are free for reform, to make a new way that admits our connection to that past and sets a different course for the future. Our\u00a0ancestors&#8217;\u00a0failures are real, as are their triumphs. But neither is certain for us\u00a0at\u00a0this present moment, in this new day calling for new reform.\u00a0Like today\u2019s sloths, we can climb from the ground of our ancestors to the sky of our future, reforming and evolving into the creatures God calls us to become.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Discussion Questions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"2\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">What does it mean to you that we have been set free by Christ?\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"2\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Why do you think it was so difficult for Jesus\u2019s disciples to connect the freedom he offers with the legacy of their ancestry?<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Calibri\" data-listid=\"2\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">As we commemorate Reformation Sunday, what kind of evolution is God calling us to consider, even as we are connected to a legacy of reform?\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259,&quot;335559991&quot;:360}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Activity Suggestions<\/b><\/p>\n<p><strong>Spiritual Family Tree&#8211;<\/strong>Have students\u00a0create\u00a0a family tree of those forebears in faith who\u2019ve shaped them into who they are\u00a0today.\u00a0This could include members of their family of origin, church members, authors, social media personalities, people from church and social history, and others. Use this as an opportunity to ask how they\u2019ve been positively shaped by their ancestry and to consider the ways they\u2019ve been negatively impacted by those who\u2019ve come before.<\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\"><strong>Gravestone Etchings&#8211;<\/strong><\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">To make a tangible activity of legacy,\u00a0take students\u00a0to a local cemetery with paper and pencils (or charcoal or pastels) to make rubbings of the grave markers. Bring paper large enough to cover a tomb\u00a0stone but thin enough to follow the contours of weather-worn material. Once the names and dates are covered by the paper, rub the paper lightly to reveal the characters in more detail. This is especially powerful with stones that\u00a0are difficult to read due to years of weathering. Use this as an opportunity to ask about the legacies we leave and what people will remember, as well as how bound we are to the legacies of our ancestors.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Closing Prayer<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW187468402 BCX8\">Transforming God, we give you thanks for the good of reformation and we confess the ways that we\u2019ve refused to follow your continued call for reform.\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW187468402 BCX8\">Free us from the things that bind us to past failures, and free us for the future of blessing all creation, to the very ends of the earth. Send your Spirit of transformation on us, today and every day, through Jesus Christ our Liberator. Amen<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Andrew Tucker, Columbus, OH Warm-up Question Who comes to mind when you think of your ancestors? Share a story about this person or group of people. Why are they significant to you?\u00a0\u00a0 Freed From Our Past When you think of a sloth, what do you think of? I&#8217;d bet a small, furry creature. Likely clinging [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>October 31, 2021-Freed From Our Past - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"October 31, 2021-Freed From Our Past - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Andrew Tucker, Columbus, OH Warm-up Question Who comes to mind when you think of your ancestors? 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Share a story about this person or group of people. Why are they significant to you?\u00a0\u00a0 Freed From Our Past When you think of a sloth, what do you think of? I&#8217;d bet a small, furry creature. Likely clinging [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/","og_site_name":"Faith Lens","article_published_time":"2021-10-27T12:31:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2120,"height":1414,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"faithlens","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"faithlens","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/"},"author":{"name":"faithlens","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/#\/schema\/person\/b8300066980f72581b618e79dbe972e7"},"headline":"October 31, 2021&#8211;Freed From Our Past","datePublished":"2021-10-27T12:31:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/"},"wordCount":1273,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2019\/02\/iStock-972911914-300x200.jpg","articleSection":["Post"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/","url":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-31-2021\/","name":"October 31, 2021-Freed From Our Past - 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