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It is what the sign read as I
sat at the traffic light –
CHANGE.
Of course, the sign-carrier was asking for help, but not
too much of it: no bills requested. But, for the reflective side of my
mind, I wondered if it wasn’t an order, a directive, a command: change
my ways, if you would please. Change the world if you can. Change the
way things are that need changing, to the best of your ability. Get
going and do something helpful and constructive; in a word, CHANGE!
It is a word that the church has been skittish about
throughout history. “We’ve never done it that way before!” are said to
be the last seven words of the church. And, of course, it is always said
that change is the only constant. But change is happening in the
Christian faith and around St. Paul’s.
St. Paul changed, or better, was changed. The water at the wedding at
Cana did. Jesus changed in the tomb. The world changed at the cross. I
am changed at the Confession and Absolution each Sunday. The bread and
the wine change me (remember, the bread and the wine at communion don’t
change, they remain bread and wine; but also remember they are the real
body and blood of Christ – the church has tried to change that over the
years since Christ proclaimed: “this is my body, this is my blood,” but
thankfully, in many places has not).
The Lord’s prayer of 1611 is believed not to need to change at all. But
to get to that version, the church had to change Matthew, Mark, and
Luke’s version of it. The Apostles’ Creed is now changing from “he
descended into hell,” to, “who went to the dead.” It is interesting that
historically, the latter is much earlier in the church’s confession, and
was changed to the former. Now we are going back to the more original
version, but we think it is a change since it is not in our experience.
Ah, change.
In a recent article in the Christian Century (and the news
has flooded Lutheran and other right-minded periodicals of late)
entitled “Crossing to Rome–Six Catholic Converts,” a listing of
prominent theologians who have left their denomination and became Roman
Catholic appeared, along with some reasons for their change (or what has
been dubbed their ‘celebrity conversion’). It really isn’t a conversion,
now, is it? Former St. Paul’s world-prominent theologian Reinhard
Huetter was one of the featured theologians who has made that trip. But
the most wonderful comment that appeared in the article came from Duke’s
famous theologian and Methodist, Stanley Hauerwas, who is not about to
change his denomination. Why? Said Hauerwas: “I prefer loyalty to one’s
church of origin, I feel like you need to stay with the people that
harmed you. Think about it. So, there are times to change and times not
to. It is a conscience matter of deep faith.
At St. Paul’s there are changes afoot. Buildings, staff
roles, worship books, liturgical language. But we are not changing for
the sake of change or for the sake of constancy. It is the unchangeable
God who changes the world through us. It is in our baptismal call of
being instruments in God’s hands that brings about change, thank God. If
it were about us, why change? It’s not that the church has “not done it
that way before,” it’s that “the God of the church has not done it that
way before here in this place.”
Change is good for God, by God.
Pastor
Colley
August
24, 2006
Bartholomew, apostle |
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