Traditions

[This is my Faith Post for October 2024.] 

Since the very beginning truth and foundations have been under assault.  The ancient serpent, the Devil, got it started in Genesis 3 when he comes to Eve questioning “did God really say?”  From that moment, all that is good and true has been drawn into question by the devil and his minions as well as by our sinful nature.

In our present culture this surely hasn’t changed.  Some would argue it has gotten worse.  While I agree it is bad, I’m thinking Noah (Gen. 6:5) would have something to say about how much worse things can get.  What concerns me is our culture’s tendency to erase tradition and change foundations.  Things we once held to be true and important are now forgotten.  This is a dangerous trend.  A wise speaker once said “he who controls the past controls the present”.  If the powers that be can change our foundations and what we once held true, then they can also begin to control everything else.

We need traditions.  We need foundations.  I heard a pastor share a great sermon on this topic several months back and he were using the words of Proverbs 23 to do so.  In Proverbs 23:10 we read “Do not move an ancient landmark or enter the fields of the fatherless.”  In the ancient times there were no property surveyors or detailed records of property lines.  They would have stone landmarks to determine the boundaries.  An especially dishonest property owner could set out to slowly move those landmarks and begin to steal property.  Hence the Proverb against it.

The idea of moving ancient landmarks speaks to our thoughts on traditions.  Our traditions are like the ancient landmarks.  They help us cling to things that are important. They preserve foundations and boundaries.  But we shouldn’t just have traditions for the sake of having traditions.  The Proverb offers another thought in verse 12 “Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge.”  The greater purpose of a tradition is one that teaches and instructs us.

The traditions we choose to keep should help to teach us about the important truths of this world.  This is especially true in the church.  For instance, why do we hold to a tradition of making the sign of the cross over our hearts and foreheads?  It is because this was done to us in our baptism. It reminds us we have been baptized into Christ.  It reminds us that at the cross Jesus gave His life for us.  Pretty important truths wouldn’t you say?  And it is a good tradition that continues to remind us of it.

God has long taught His people to operate in this manner to remember things.  Consider way back in the days of Joshua.  When God led His chosen people through the Jordan River into the promised land in Joshua 3, He then instructed His people to make a landmark of twelve stones.  This “ancient” landmark would serve the purpose to remind future generations of how God gave them this land.  Joshua 4:6-7 spells it out: “When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD…”

It is certainly okay for some traditions to come and to go.  Perhaps you have Christmas traditions in your home. As time passes you may keep some or let others go.  That’s perfectly normal.  But those traditions which serve a purpose of instructing us about Jesus should definitely be on the list of keepers.  Anything that helps us to remember and continues to instruct us about God’s ways in our lives and His love for us in Jesus are worth it.

To God be the glory.

Mark Witte is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church.
You can contact him at pastorwitte@gmail.com