TRADITION

Occasionally we receive flyers in our mail advertising a new church. Often these new churches go to some effort in their flyers to distance themselves from "traditional" churches so as to be more attractive to the unchurched. What they fail to recognize (in my opinion), is that whatever form they engage in worship will itself become a tradition. Not passing an offering plate, utilizing a Christian rock band, casual attire and informal preaching can become habitual and just as rigid in lack of structure as any church and its centuries-old customs. The great danger is that we focus on our method of operation and defending it over setting our eyes on Christ and letting Him lead us as He desires.
Meditation
Mark 7:6-9—He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.” And He said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!”
A visiting family came to a church for the first time and attempted to sit down only to be told by a disapproving man, "You can’t sit there, these are our seats!" Years of sitting in the same place took priority over extending a warm hand of welcome. You can guess if that family ever returned. That is what tradition loosed of the protective covering of love, becomes.
Where tradition is sanctioned by God we must carefully uphold it, for example, partaking in communion, baptizing new believers, the reading and teaching of God’s Word. When tradition is focused on honoring God, and draws people to His presence it is a wonderful thing. When tradition draws attention to itself:
· Judging replaces nurturing
· Format resists change
· The Holy Spirit’s leading is not discerned
· Division is nurtured, unity suffers
· God’s commands are usurped by man’s methods and rules—a form of idolatry
· The seeker is sacrificed for the sequence
· Rote prevents revival
· God is angered, believers suffer and the world is unimpressed
God keep us from glorifying routine, deifying rules and guarding at all cost our right to do it our way at the expense of experiencing Your fresh anointing, Your inspiring direction.
Inspiration
The power of tradition is awesome. God cannot do many things He would like to do because of our bondage. We are scandalized every time He wants us to change a little . . . We must be ready for change. Being in the will of God means being continually open to change.—Juan Carlos Ortiz in Disciple