TRADITION AND INSPIRATION (Advent 20)

LUKE 1: 59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. (NIV)

“It’s never been done that way before.” Anyone who has been in the Church for very long has heard that pronouncement. Tradition rules over inspiration. Will we be ready to take the turn in the road that leads to the cause we were intended to serve? Or, will we plod along doing the same old thing, in the same old way, for the same old reason, and miss the glorious life you have for us as a part of your plan? Even Zechariah, a devout priest who followed the letter of the Jewish law down to the naming of his own long awaited son, turned his face toward the light of the living God, and he was set free from him affliction. Let us pray:

“Almighty God, holy is your name. We pray that we may make our home under the wing of your angels and that you make your home deep within our soul. We sometimes must choose between what has been expected of us and what you have inspired us to do. We usually want to please everyone. But, when we please others rather than you, we too are not fulfilled by the blessing you had intended us to receive. May we have the courage to follow along unfamiliar paths and be led by you through the dark valleys and up the bright mountains. Too often, we shuffle along, staring at the dirt beneath our feet. Forgive us when we fail to listen for the coo of the new baby under the star, or hear the songs of angels on the night air. Your music is all around us if we will step out of the mundane, the traditional, and into your inspiring glory. In the name of Jesus, whose birthday we honor, we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”
Copyright 2011 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.