CHAPTER 6 - THE THE BEAUTY OF TRADITION IN THE SMALL CHURCH

The word "tradition" is defined as "the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice." A tradition can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Everyone knows of certain traditions in churches that are, well, less than edifying to God's people and exalting to Jesus. Those types of traditions should not be praised. However, it is the wise small church pastor who will be very aware of the sensitivities of his people to certain traditions before he begins to challenge their validity.

Just as there are bad traditions, there are many good traditions and these are those to which I wish to direct your attention to see their beauty. As our definition of "tradition" states, it is a "handing down of statements, beliefs...from generation to generation...by word or by practice." This is exactly what the Bible instructs parents to do in Deut. 6:1-2, 6-7 : "Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all his statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged...And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

In this passage and many other passages, the LORD instructs that each generation should be taught about the commands and mighty works of God. When the small church discusses, teaches, and preaches about God and the things of God to the children, the handing down of beliefs from generation to generation, by word or practice, that is, tradition, is happening.

In this sense, it seems to me that tradition is not something one observes, such as the tradition of hanging banners in the church, or the tradition of the choir wearing robes. I think tradition, in the best sense of the word, is communication.

I thank God that He saw fit to cause me to be born into a family who passed down their tradition of Jesus Christ to me. My father and mother communicated to me the need for Jesus Christ in my life. My need for Christ was reinforced by Sunday School teachers who taught me the traditional stories from the Bible. My need for Christ was reinforced by my pastor who preached the Bible, faithfully communicating the tradition of the word of God and impressing upon me the importance and authority of holy Scripture. My need for Christ was reinforced by my Royal Ambassador (RA) leader who communicated the importance of daily walking with Christ and representing Jesus in the world. All of these and many others who passed down to me the Christian traditions were used by God as instruments of His means to bring me to salvation in Christ.

We need to keep the Christian tradition alive in the small church today. Biblical tradition portrays the beauty of the love of God as expressed in Jesus Christ, through whom we are gloriously saved to demonstrate and proclaim His glory.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!