Almost every future pastor is told the same lie – Don’t change anything for the first year in a new church. It has been called the “honeymoon period”, which in itself is disturbing. As if, for the first year of marriage, both people should go along with whatever keeps the peace? New relationships, whether we are dating, married, or in a new job, are filled with discovery and challenges that should be worked through, not ignored. As one wise pastor told me years ago that nobody should expect two very different people, raised in very different homes and cultures, to suddenly get along perfectly. The honeymoon period should be one of new experiences, not stasis.
Jesus spoke of not being able to put new wine in old wine skins. The chemical changes that occur in fermentation work on the container the liquid is in, and things can get messy. And while His metaphor wasn’t exact, His point was important – God is doing a new thing in His presence, and that can’t be constrained by old paradigms. The people who got it were the folks who were probably tired of the restrictions that inevitably come about over time in religious systems. Reformations happen because the faith has lost its connection with the core values it had at the beginning. Churches get stuck in time periods; I tell churches I coach that most congregations are stuck in 1850 or 1950. Why would anyone want to be part of that kind of group; one that ignores new and amazing things because they never did it that way before? If it was good enough for my grandma, it is good enough for my grandkids! No, not really.
Most of our congregations are stuck. This doesn’t mean that everything old is no good; what I think it means is that we need to allow the Spirit to help us discern what should stay and what should go. Enough with the Thees and Thous – enough with misogynistic Scriptures – enough with out-of-date systems that don’t feed the soul. God tells us again and again that new things are blessed and holy and worthy of our respect. Don’t let your faith be controlled by what was – let your faith embrace what might be. Because God is in the midst of it.
Prayer – Holy God, for this new day and all it brings, help us to be open to Your Spirit. Amen.
Today’s art is “The flower in the Fountain” by Luca Brandi.