Generations. . . how do we define a generation? According to our society, a generation is about twenty to thirty years. In that time children are born, mature, marry, and have children of their own. But when we think about generations in a spiritual sense, generations takes on a whole different configuration.
I must return to Genesis for my initial meditation! After God finished his holy creation in seven days, Genesis 2:4 tells us, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.” This is the King James Version; some newer translations replace the word generations with aeons and aeons. This gives a whole new consideration to how long a generation is. Later in Genesis, God makes a promise to Noah, “And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations” (9:12).
This is the generations that I meditate on every day. Our Supreme Being, whom we call God, and the Israelites called YHWH, created us, love us, and cares for us. Regardless of what generation we are in (I was born in the middle of World War 2), we are God’s people; we are His chosen; we are His cherished beings. WE ARE LOVED!
Mosaic law gives us ten commandments; these are detailed in both Genesis and Exodus. Jesus’s law, which is what we as Christians follow, gives us two commandments: love God and love each other. These are the commandments we have followed for generations. At least we pretend to!
But generations in the time of Advent means so much more. As we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Jesus, we fall on our knees in prayer; we sing hallelujah to the newborn king; we wash each other’s feet and then receive the Eucharist, rejoicing in the blessings we receive from God.
My life, my generation is nearing its end. I have maybe one, maybe twenty more years walking on Earth, enjoying the blessings and grace of Jesus’s true lighted path. God has given me more than I ever asked. God loves me as I love Him. My mortal existence may end, but my soul, my spiritual existence has lived for generations and will continue living for generations. This is the gift of God; this is the gift of the One who loves and cares. This is the God that made the covenant with Moses many generations ago.
This is my generation!
© Russell Kendall Carter
Meditating to Heal 