Check back soon
Once posts are published, you’ll see them here.
There is perhaps no other time of year in which tradition consumes our lives like that of Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Most of us have carefully established expectations regarding activities with our families at this time of year. In the Bible, we discover that often, well-intended traditions would regularly get in the way of God’s design for His people. In Mark 7:1-13, we read of an uncomfortable encounter between Jesus and some of the religious leaders regarding their tightly held traditions. Jesus reprimanded those leaders because their traditions were being more closely followed and upheld than the commandments of God. Their man-made customs had taken the place of a love for God.
If we are not careful, sometimes our traditions (meant to remind us of worthy practices and events) can become an end unto themselves, thereby losing all meaning. This humorous story illustrates that point:
A little girl noticed that every time her mother cooked a roast she chopped a piece off the end of the roast before putting it in the oven. Intrigued, she asked her mother why she did this.
“Well to be honest, I do it because that’s the way my mother always does it” came the reply. “I’m sure she must have some good reason for it.”
At the next family gathering, the child decided to satisfy her curiosity. “Grandma, why do you always chop the end off the roast before cooking it?”
“Well to be honest, I do it because that’s the way my mother always does it” came the reply. “I’m sure she must have some good reason for it.”
A week or so later the little girl was visiting her 90 year old great grandmother. She explained that mommy and grandma always chop the end off the roast before cooking it, but couldn’t remember why. Did she know?
“Ridiculous!” said Great-grandma. “Imagine the two of them doing that! Why, I only cut the piece off because my pan was too small!”
All that the Scripture says about tradition is not bad. In fact, Luke 2:22-52 records several traditions within which Jesus was raised and participated. These traditions were used to pass along the teachings of God’s Word from one generation to the next. Faith traditions only become improper when they are detached from the Scriptures, when we look to them for hope rather than allowing them to point us to our only hope—Jesus. As we celebrate this holiday season with so many traditions, may we be careful to remember and explain their true intent…to bring us together for the purpose of glorifying Jesus Christ! Whether you are practicing long-held traditions which involve family gatherings, or starting a new tradition this year, make certain that you use them to point yourself, your family, and a watching world to Jesus Christ, the true Reason for the season!
“Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:2).
Holding To and Passing on the Faith,
Jason