Traditional Versus Modern

(This post will be a little longer than normal...sorry).

I was perusing some older documents on my hard drive this morning and came upon a letter I had written to a woman in western Kansas who had asked me some questions regarding Christian worship.  We were living in Topeka at the time, so my response to her was in writing, and I saved the response just as I have saved just about everything I have ever created (the last several years) on the computer.

We were talking about traditional versus modern worship.  You know, if you have any ties to Christianity and religion, that there has been for a long time a kind of “us-versus-them” mentality about whether we should worship traditionally, or whether some of the more modern aspects of worship can and should be used.  Sometimes the division goes along age lines…sometimes not.

I wrote a couple of paragraphs in my response to her that even today jarred me a little as I re-read them this morning.  I reprint them below for your perusal.  I’ve added and changed a few words to make the stand-alone selection more enjoyable and understandable.

Remember that in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, they considered their worship to be “modern”.  So whether it’s “traditional” or “modern” is, in my view, depending entirely on your point of view.  Are you looking at it from the 19^th century or the 21^st century?  And also understand that the worship we find in the New Testament was considered to be “modern”, even though nowadays it would be considered the pinnacle of “traditional”.  Although first century worship carried over some elements of Jewish worship (prayer, for example), it was a totally modern and new idea at the time.  That’s part of what Jesus is saying in His response to the Samaritan woman when he said that from now on his worshippers would worship in spirit and truth.

I really don’t think God cares if it’s considered to be “traditional” or “modern”.  God is not bound by time and thus is not bound by our ideas of what is old or new.  God even now is observing the worship of all believers in all ages, including all ages to come.  God even now is observing the worship of Moroccans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Australians, Moabites, Romans, Russians, Levites, Spaniards, Ethiopians, Benjaminites, Indians, Peruvians, African-American slaves, Babylonians, first century Gentiles, and innumerable throngs of Christians and God-fearers out of all ages and from all over the earth in all of the ages that ever have been and ever will be.  Does anyone really think He is sitting on His throne sorting through all of this worship and accepting only the “traditional”?  And if that is the case, how do we know what God considers to be “traditional”?  Why would he use white anglo 19^th century worship as the “gold standard” of what constitutes worship?  When you think of it in that way, it sort of makes our efforts at worship to appear rather feeble, doesn’t it.

It’s a good thing that God overlooks (I hope) a lot of our arrogance, pride, and feelings of superiority.  If He doesn’t, I suspect that we’re treading in rather deep water.

As for your specific question regarding change, I’m not sure if you’re asking about change to attract visitors, please the faithful, or a combination of the two.  But regardless of why you’re asking, I’m not sure we should even be asking the question.  I’m thinking we should rather be asking whether our worship is God-centered, God-focused, heart-felt, and from an humble and contrite people.

Isaiah 1: 10-17 is a wake up call for those who are more concerned about the mechanism and traditional-ness of worship than they are the condition of their hearts as they live and breathe.  Since I can’t say it any better than Isaiah did, I’ll close with his words.  One word of introduction; Isaiah very plainly says in the first nine verses that when he talks about Sodom and Gomorrah, he’s really talking about Israel, God’s chosen people.

¹⁰ Listen to the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom!

Pay attention to the teachings from our God, you people of Gomorrah!

11 The LORD asks, “What do your many animal sacrifices mean to me?

I’ve had enough of your burnt offerings of rams

and enough fat from your fattened calves.

I’m not pleased with the blood of bulls, lambs, or male goats.

12 When you appear in my presence,

who asked you to trample on my courtyards?

13 Don’t bring any more worthless grain offerings.

Your incense is disgusting to me,

so are your New Moon Festivals, your days of worship,

and the assemblies you call.

I can’t stand your evil assemblies.

14 I hate your New Moon Festivals and your appointed festivals.

They’ve become a burden to me,

and I’m tired of putting up with them.

15 So when you stretch out your hands ëin prayerû,

I will turn my eyes away from you.

Even though you offer many prayers,

I will not listen because your hands are covered with blood.

16 “Wash yourselves! Become clean!

Get your evil deeds out of my sight.

Stop doing evil.

17 Learn to do good.

Seek justice.

Arrest oppressors.

Defend orphans.

Plead the case of widows.”