Keeping up traditions
by Pastor Mathew Ker
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I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions just as I handed them on to you (1 Corinthians 11:2).
Like many families, we would observe certain traditions when we gathered for Christmas. The whole family would begin to assemble in the days leading up to Christmas Day. There were different events we would attend, dishes prepared for various meals, and games that would be played. There was a real sense of organisation, and everyone knew the role they were to play.
More often than not, someone would bring additional friends along to join in the festivities. They were made to feel welcome, and we would give them something to do so they, too, were part of the celebrations, making each Christmas special and different, yet also the same.
There was an order to the way we did things. Some of our traditions would not have made sense to others, but we always enjoyed this time together. Paul describes the ordering of worship to be observed in the congregation in Corinth in the first century. Such ordering helps people to fit in, and most importantly, it puts the Triune God at the centre stage of Christian worship.
In an increasingly secular society, many of the traditions and routines we observe during our worship services will seem odd or outdated. Yet through our services, we gather before God, who gives himself to us. He serves us by revealing himself through the word given through the Bible readings and the sermon.
The most amazing of all is that Jesus comes to us as individuals through the Lord’s Supper. Paul reveals how quickly this can become abused. The early church in Corinth fell into the trap of filling their bellies before their hearts. Paul guides the early Christian church back onto the path God laid before them, shifting their focus from satisfying their own desires to receiving Christ himself, which, in turn, strengthens them for faithful service towards others.
Traditions are a good thing, for they draw a group of people together into a common story in which everyone has a part. The best of traditions are those that stand the test of time and are passed on to those who are new to the journey. May you be blessed as you continue in your local worship and share these traditions with those you invite to join the celebration.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the traditions that have been taught and passed on to me. Give me the courage to invite others to share in the blessings that come through these traditions. Amen.
Mathew is married to Sonja, and they are in the process of moving from the Barossa Valley in South Australia to Tabor in Western Victoria. They are blessed to have two adult sons, one married, but, as yet, no grandchildren. Mathew enjoys gardening, cycling, writing letters, and sharing adventures with Sonja.
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