A Taste of Tradition

Psalm 34: Verse 8 says: "O taste and see that the Lord is good;
    happy are those who take refuge in God".

Taste and See.

What we have been inviting you to do these past weeks is to experience a taste of different ways to connect with God in Worship and prayer…

…each an invitation to do as Jesus said in John 1 verse 39, “Come and See".

According to Wikipedia, the term Tradition refers to belief or behavior or custom passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. It derives from the Latin trader literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping.

Tradition is a way to unite people to the past and to the future, whether in our families or in church… It has the capacity to enhance our communal worship experience and our personal spiritual life and connectedness – to be life-and-relationship-enhancing - or not.

Jesus was and is always working to connect people with the Love of God…

He challenged beliefs, behaviours, and customs that brought harm to individuals and communities. Jesus’ whole ministry was about bringing love, life, freedom, good news…for all.

Tradition often gets confused with traditionalism. But, in the words of Jaroslav Pelikan, Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.

Loving use of Tradition brings the best and most loving and living essence forward for the present time…and lets the less than Christ-like parts go.

This week we will taste some of the United Church’s Tradition from the 1969 Service Book. And so we invite you...to open your hearts and minds to where the Holy Spirit may move you and stir within you in this Worship.