Fear not, it is ok to change

Tuesday March 2nd, Genesis 15: 9 So the LORD said to him, "Bring me a heifer, a goat and a ram, each three years old, along with a dove and a young pigeon." 10 Abram brought all these to him, cut them in two and arranged the halves opposite each other; the birds, however, he did not cut in half. 11 Then birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. God did not need animal sacrifice any more that God needs many of the traditions and rituals and liturgies in our worship. We have them because We Need them to help us see and know and feel and hold onto the promises of God. As we change over time, our needs, and correspondingly our traditions and rituals and liturgies in our worship change. We no longer feel the need for the sacrifice of heifers, goats and rams, but each generation does get a bit uneasy when the hymns change into the language of the next generation. When we realize that all these things are just props to help us grasp the wonder of the grace of God, when we begin to realize our sacred hymns and rituals, our ancestors hymns and rituals, and our childrens hymns and rituals are all gifts from God to help us grasp the enormity of God’s grace, it is easier to let others have their props also. Most church fights are about the props, perceptions and last generation’s sacred cows, not the promise. When I talk about the issues of GLBT clergy, my children look at me as if I am a dinosaur, and say “Dad, you do realize that our generation doesn’t even care we are so far past that, don’t you?” that I realize that God’s idea of grace is far beyond my ability to grasp also. The promise is for me, but it is also for my children, grandchildren, and the generations yet to come, and all my sacred cows are simply chattel to be consumed in the passing of the torch.