Tradition and commandments. This is a very touchy and emotional topic. Traditions - particularly religious traditions - were started for good reasons with people with loving hearts who desired to honor God with the things they did. For instance, we celebrate Christmas on December 25. Why? Because it's Jesus' birthday? The Bible doesn't share that date with us. Because God tells us to celebrate Jesus' birthday? I don't see that command in the Scriptures either. December 25 is the date we celebrate because a long time ago someone started a tradition for good reasons with loving hearts desiring to honor God by celebrating Jesus' incarnation.
It's not a bad thing to have traditions. However, we people are prone to taking things like traditions and giving them the stamp of, "Right" or "Wrong." And having set the tradition as "Right" or "Wrong", we alternatively condemn or condone people based on how they act in regard to things that are outside of the Bible.
We all do this. My way is right. Your was is wrong. However, when Jesus gets involved, that is not always the case.
Jesus came to set us free from the tyranny of right and wrong.
First and foremost as Christians we live as people who are forgiven. We are set free from the commands - do this, do that in order that God would be satisfied. God is NOT satisfied by the things we do. He is satisfied by Jesus' obedient death and resurrection. And Jesus chose to obey that course because of love - for the Father and for us.
Now we are free to follow traditions . . . or not. What matters is that we are forgiven; we are loved; and we love God and others.
It is only a heart so set on God's love that can be at peace knowing that a crumb from His table will more than satisfy. His crumbs are better than the finest feast in the White House.
It is only a heart so touched by God's love that can "Ephphatha" be opened to hear what Jesus is saying to us and be healed by Him.
We shouldn't spend too much time judging other people's traditions. Instead we should focus on the purpose for the tradition - to fix our eyes on Jesus and to set His cross firmly in our hearts. There is freedom there.
It's not a bad thing to have traditions. However, we people are prone to taking things like traditions and giving them the stamp of, "Right" or "Wrong." And having set the tradition as "Right" or "Wrong", we alternatively condemn or condone people based on how they act in regard to things that are outside of the Bible.
We all do this. My way is right. Your was is wrong. However, when Jesus gets involved, that is not always the case.
Jesus came to set us free from the tyranny of right and wrong.
First and foremost as Christians we live as people who are forgiven. We are set free from the commands - do this, do that in order that God would be satisfied. God is NOT satisfied by the things we do. He is satisfied by Jesus' obedient death and resurrection. And Jesus chose to obey that course because of love - for the Father and for us.
Now we are free to follow traditions . . . or not. What matters is that we are forgiven; we are loved; and we love God and others.
It is only a heart so set on God's love that can be at peace knowing that a crumb from His table will more than satisfy. His crumbs are better than the finest feast in the White House.
It is only a heart so touched by God's love that can "Ephphatha" be opened to hear what Jesus is saying to us and be healed by Him.
We shouldn't spend too much time judging other people's traditions. Instead we should focus on the purpose for the tradition - to fix our eyes on Jesus and to set His cross firmly in our hearts. There is freedom there.
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