Conversations with the past

Weaving our family stories with the Creation Story over the Thanksgiving Holiday
by Rev. Cheryl Minor, Director of the Center for the Theology of Childhood

Licensed Godly Play Trainer Ashley Bond presents the story of Creation, in large format, to a full congregation.

Have you started planning your Thanksgiving menu? Will it be a big crowd this year, or small? Will the cousins come, or just your immediate family? These are the questions I am asking as Thanksgiving approaches. This year, it turns out, will be large so I am anticipating the whole family! As is usual when we all gather, stories will “fly around” as we remember other Thanksgiving gatherings, and catch up on each other’s lives. The past and the present will almost merge together as the room becomes crowded with all that everyone will bring (and I’m not just talking about the stuffing and pumpkin pie).

This making the past present is called anamnesis in theological terms. We often use it in relation to the Holy Eucharist. The idea is that as we remember important events from the past, they are made present to us now. Robert Wuthnow writes in his book, “Growing up Religious,” that

Anamnesis is facilitated by family gatherings, such as holiday celebrations, when people sit for long hours with parents and siblings and with members of their congregations, retelling and reinterpreting the stories of their past. Such occasions are themselves memorable, serving as crucibles in which to reconsider the stories told by previous generations.

Jerome Berryman’s book, “Stories of God at Home,” suggests using these opportunities as a way to weave our family stories with the stories of God. As we gather for Thanksgiving, for example, it is the perfect time to share the story of Creation (“The Complete Guide to Godly Play” Volume 2, Lesson 5). After the story you can ask wondering questions that help prompt the sharing of stories about the year that has past, giving thanks for the many ways you experienced the gift of creation in your own lives this year. You can ask:

• I wonder when you experienced the gift of light this past year?

• I wonder when you experienced the gift of water? What is the most beautiful water you saw this year?

• I wonder if you received the gift of someone who moves/walks on the earth this year? A new friend perhaps? A new family member? A new pet?

• If you lost someone this year, I wonder what about their life you are particularly thankful for? In what ways were they a gift to you and to our whole family?

I’m guessing that as you wonder about the gifts of the previous year, those gathered will share some stories from further in the past, such as the memory of a family trip to the ocean, or other family memories.

You might also try this same exercise with your congregation at a Thanksgiving worship service, or gathering near Thanksgiving. Godly Play Resources can provide you with Congregational Size prints to make the story visible to a large group, or to people sitting in pews. Check them out here. You can also find an “at-home” version (the complete lesson or a DIY version) here.