Isaiah 58:11,12
Traditions and
ritual are important to me because they mean something to me. The world seems to want to dismiss them, as
does the church. They say they become
old and brittle, empty forms and not part of a progressive growth plan. New and better becomes the driving force as
the old is discarded. Now the youth of
our culture and churches are redefining and revisioning everything and
demanding that we oldsters either adapt and adopt the new ideas or get out of
the way so the culture and churches can move forward and be relevant to the
world. Under the guise of political
correctness we are bullied into submission by new laws and new ways; in the end
we are silenced and the old ways become the new evils in the world.
John records in
his Gospel that when the Word became flesh, “he was in the world, and the world
was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did
not receive him” (John 1:10). The
culture and the religious system weren’t looking for him, even though the
Scriptures they taught from clearly said he was. Perhaps they chalked that information up as
mere tradition, old news and irrelevant to their life in that day and time.
There were people
in the culture and in the religious system who knew of the ways of God and
looked for the promise that had been written about more than 400 years
earlier. They knew and remained true to
their watching and waiting. It was what
Zechariah had been praying for. It was
what Elizabeth, Mary, and Joseph had been aware of and were waiting for, though
maybe a little bit surprised that they would be a part of the promise being
fulfilled. Simeon and Anna knew. Even the Wise men from the East knew to be
looking for this to happen. All of those
folks were aware of the Story, had probably heard it many times, over and over,
but kept it fresh in their minds and souls, which kept them righteous,
blameless, humble, and in favor with God.
If traditions,
rituals, and stories become meaningless and irrelevant perhaps it’s not them
but the people who are the problem. From
early on God told His people to love Him with all their heart, soul, and might
and to carry His ways and promises in their hearts. “You shall teach them diligently to your
children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk
by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up…Then take care lest you
forget the Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:7,12).
Are fathers and
mothers doing that for their children today?
Is the church doing that for its people today? There is no need to revision or
redefine. There is a need to repent for
forgetting God and all His works and promises done just for us. Knowing God, His ways, and His promises will
keep us righteous, blameless, humble, and in favor with God. If we are not those things it is because we
have made God irrelevant in our lives, and have discarded His ways.
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