Tradition or law?
This week Kirk’s sermon was out of sequence & referred back to last week’s lectionary. Jesus was confronting tradition — as a set of rules that have been made up to keep us well and healthy. In particular he was referring to washing rituals.
One question he raised is if the traditions and practices we have in our fellowship get in the way..For instance, we keep the kids in church (and have a teaching activity for them during the sermon) and people get up and have coffee and pastry during the service (as we always start with a shared meal) but we are very careful around candles. Which we use. In a tinder dry century old wooden building.
By tradition. the fire extinguisher is next to the rear right leg of the table with candles: By tradition, when the children sit on a set of stairs leading nowhere for their teaching, an adult stands behind so no one falls the four feet to the floor. By tradition the door is guarded on leaving by an adult so little ones leave with their parents. We meet in a hall on a busy road.
These are human made rules, designed for where we are . If we move, they may be broken. If we find that people are upset because the fire extinguisher is put elsewhere, or we change what we do if the hall furniture changes or we are meeting in a place where little ones can run outside and play.
After Kirk, we went for a drive and walk … another family tradition. And I thought about the rules that are man-made in our society, around being green, or non racist or politically correct and how these hedge us in.
And if we become too much like the world, and its traditions, we become useless.
13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Now, Jesus distinguished between the Law and tradition. He puts to us that the commandments of the law and non negotiable.Besides, we are judged by the fruits of our lives.
It can be hard to discern evil when it first emerges, but after a while this usually becomes very clear.
From the perspective of spiritual warfare, this could be conceptualized as a reflection of the fact that purposive evil is impatient in its destructiveness of the Good (that is indeed one of its hallmarks) – so that evil cannot be very strategic, nor long-termist.
Thus, something of evil intent that is not obvious will (so long as it succeeds) sooner rather than later reveal itself in gratuitous acts of destruction against truth, beauty and virtue.
But we face challenges. We may be forced to change things, as the Church in Christchurch is doing, trying to preserve some beauty, While sticking with the Presbyterians, we are also in the process of deciding what of our many historic churches we will upgrade to the new earthquake standards — and what we will not. We are seriously considering limiting the number of beautiful buildings (there are dozens) to but seven or eight: the others will be sold or rebuilt.
For we do not wish to have the bulk of our budget go on preserving the (albeit beautiful) buildings and traditions of the past. We want, instead to do good now.