Change 3 – Is The Old Really Better?

Change 3 – Is the Old Really Better?

Reading: Luke 5:36-39 But no one who drinks the old wine seems to want the fresh and the new. ‘The old is better,’ they say.” (Luke 5:39 NLT) Thanks for being willing to spend one more day with me on these verses from Jesus’ words in Luke 5. I want to help us think about a values-based attitude toward change, an approach that helps us understand that the new and the old are not right and wrong, not good and bad, but different and complementary. Some of us will value change and others will value tradition. Let me tell you about a conversation that was a kind of Defining Moment for me. Years ago, on one of my visits to the US, a pastor and I were talking about changes in the church. He told me about his devout Episcopal mother. She was very involved in her Diocese and served in a variety of ways. And she was very clear that her highest value was upholding the traditions of the church. I immediately thought about Jean and me and our work, first in the “Wild West” of the Jesus People Movement in the 70’s and then in a variety of settings in Jamaica, the UK, and Africa. Our highest value was bringing change to the churches we influenced—helping them adapt to changing cultures, technologies, ways in which people lived and related. We live in a world of constant and increasing change. Change has become a positive value to many. Yet many of us (probably all of us sometimes) wish the pace could slow. We’d like to see some things return to how they were in “The Good Old Days!” Pastors and church leaders used to be the voice and influence of the values of tradition. Today pastors and leaders are expected to be the voice and influence of change! Not change for its own sake, but change so that the church and its message and its work won’t become irrelevant to the next generation! Are you more of a “Let the good times roll!” person or more of a “Good Old Days” person? Do you respect those who see the other side of the Change/Tradition coin? Do you need to let go of some tradition and embrace change? Do you need to learn from some Traditionalists the stability that tradition brings? Do you need to team up with some Change Agents and begin to enjoy the ride? Prayer: Father, Thank you for the privilege of playing a part in your plan. Help my friends and me to think clearly and deeply and open our hearts to those whose different values complement our own. For the Kingdom’s Sake! Amen!