I am on course this week. It is on transformative worship. Somethings are brand new to me. Somethings I have heard before. Some have brand new emphasis. Bits of the course excited me. Somethings left me cold. Whatever happens, my worship will be enhanced. I will grow armed with new ideas, strengthened in my beliefs, adding somethings to my toolbox, dropping some practises altogether.
As individuals, in life, we are all blessed with talents and skills, challenged with foibles and faults, and despite our dislike for change, we grow, we develop, we move in different directions. In life, we rarely stay the same for long. We learn new things. We make new observations. When we stop growing, we get old. We lose vitality. We die (if not literally then figuratively).
Then why do we figure institutions can't change as well. Next week is my birthday. In my nearly 54 years, I have watched humanity step on the moon. I have seen my communications go from a pad and paper and a rotary telephone to Skype and FaceTime. I have a phone in my pocket that goes everywhere I do. I can write a story and in a matter of seconds friends half a world away will send me a response. My life now would seem impossible to my five year old self all those years ago.
Everyone my age has seen such changes in their personal lives. Then why do we think institutions can't change. To the shock of some, the Church of England is considering a motion that clergy will no longer be required to wear robes. The Queen opened parliament without wearing her crown earlier this month and many bemoaned the loss of tradition. Our churches keep looking for new ways to be relevant in a changing world- some old traditions must give way to new ones.
We won't all like the changes. We will need to learn to do things in new ways. We will need to embrace new traditions and let go of old ones. It won't be easy. But life changes and institutions must also change. Blessings.
Everyone my age has seen such changes in their personal lives. Then why do we think institutions can't change. To the shock of some, the Church of England is considering a motion that clergy will no longer be required to wear robes. The Queen opened parliament without wearing her crown earlier this month and many bemoaned the loss of tradition. Our churches keep looking for new ways to be relevant in a changing world- some old traditions must give way to new ones.
We won't all like the changes. We will need to learn to do things in new ways. We will need to embrace new traditions and let go of old ones. It won't be easy. But life changes and institutions must also change. Blessings.
