This Christmas period has felt very ‘traditional’ in so many ways. Firstly we had one of the first ‘white Christmas’ that we have had for many years. Also it was Ethan’s first ‘real’ Christmas in that he is 14 months old and therefore he had a greater awareness and a lot of what was happening was focused around him. Christmas morning saw loads of pressies under the trees which later resulted in a mass of Christmas wrapping, toys and boxes. This reminded me of Christmas as a kid. Thirdly we attended a carol service on Christmas eve in a Church of Scotland. I have to say, I actually loved it. I loved the traditional building, the traditional songs and the traditional service.
Of course, Christmas for almost everyone is a time of tradition, it that time in the year when we exchange gifts and celebrate. Whether we celebrate the birth of Christ, or ‘winter festival’, or only see it in humanistic or consumerist terms, the underlying factor for all of us that it is a time of tradition. It is time of year when decorations are put up, food is bought and prepared and gifts are sought out for loved ones. For most people it is a time of fun, family, friendship and feasting.
It struck me recently, that many assumptions are made about ‘traditions’ particularly in the church world. Most of my Christian life has been spent within the pentecostal and charismatic movements, and this movement has revelled, in many ways, in the abandoning of traditions. The underlying assumption, of many modern church movements is that 1) people in the world do not go to church because it is traditional, 2) Because church is traditional it is dull and unappealing 3) If we make church non traditional people will see ‘life’ and come and join us. This philosophy has led many churches down a path of ever seeking the latest thing.
As I rub shoulders with non christians, I am finding more and more that this philosophy is faulty. Many people actually appreciate tradition. In fact many people prefer it. A lot of non christians, if they ever decided to go to church, do not actually want to enter a building that resembles the night club, the rock concert or the shopping mall - in fact such marketing often appears cheap, tacky and ireverant to the minds of many non believers.
In the midst of an ever changing society, I wonder if the key to effective mission, lies not in chasing the idol of relevance in a never ending pursuit but instead lies in remaining true to and connected with what has gone before. What we do and how we look as church should have a heavy sense of tradition. We should not look like the latest thing on the market- we should look and smell 2000 years old because we are! In a world that ever changes people need constants, the church is called to be one of those constants. Our message is old in fact our message is ancient because it comes from eternity, this sense of ancient truth should be seen, tasted and felt as we gather together and seek to win others to Christ. When they meet the church, do they meet that which is ancient and eternal or do they meet with that which is new, temporary and already six months out of date by the time it has been implemented?
Back to the assumption about people not attending church because it is old, traditional and dull. The truth is, people do not go to church because they are fallen beings who have rejected God’s authority over their lives. People do not reject Christianity because it does not seem relevant or modern, they reject Christianity because that is all they can do until the Spirit of God draws them and turns their hearts towards the Father. Secondly, flashy modern churches will not draw them in either but only the faithful preaching of the gospel, the old ancient gospel.
