tradition...

He answered them, "And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" ... "So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God."

Matthew 15:3, 6

i have found great comfort and meaning in the traditions of the church. i have been able to dance with my full attention on the Lord who is leading me in worship because the steps are familiar after years of attending sunday services. they are steps that the saints before me have learned to be effective in giving glory to God. this worship that i share with the generations before me serves as a reminder of my part in this story that God is writing with His people throughout history. what's more, in times of trouble, i have had the apostles' creed and the Lord's prayer close by to remind me of God's presence and who He is for us. i have found instruction in the teachings of the church fathers. tradition is indeed a wonderful thing.

there is great danger to tradition, though. there is a danger to become too comfortable and forget to tremble before God Almighty. there is a danger to worship tradition instead of what the tradition points to. there is a danger that tradition (the living faith of those who have come before) will be come traditionalism (the dead faith of those still living), allowing us to go through the motions while forgetting what we are doing.

for these reasons, tradition, which is a time-tested gift handed down to each generation, requires that each receiving generation must reaffirm it and claim it as their own. each generation must work hard to come to an understanding of the tradition, holding up the tradition to allow God to re-affirm it... or perhaps correct or reject it. in doing so, each generation must accept, change, or reject it themselves. this scrutiny by each generation is extremely important, for what is not understood and not tested should not be accepted. then again, it should not simply be thrown out because it isn't understood. instead, attempts should be made to come to an understanding. without these efforts, it quickly becomes traditionalism.

when left unchecked, tradition has a tendency to be elevated above God. perhaps we should consider what traditions we cling to that have been left unchecked and are, perhaps, making void the word of God. what about our traditions concerning worship? what about our traditions surrounding christmas and easter? there are many, many more that i could question but to name them would be superfluous.

the point is - how have we done at receiving, understanding, and testing traditions in light of who God is for us? how have we done at making sure our traditions are used as a tool to lead us to God instead of becoming a god? do we know why we say and do the things we do? are they meaningful to us and glorying to God?  just something to think about...

cheers,

jw <><