Worship Notes

Something different this week -- Why does tradition get such a bad rap?  Theologian and Yale University professor, Jaroslav Pelikan, says it is traditionalism, not tradition, that is the real problem.  His lecture, The Vindication of Tradition, provides us with his most famous quote: “Tradition is the living faith of the dead, traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”

What does this have to do with this week’s Worship Notes?  This Sunday is our annual Hanging of the Green service which is a long-standing tradition in our church and in many others.  It is filled with tradition as we decorate the sanctuary while learning about the meaning of the many symbols we use during the Advent season.  The tradition, I believe, is a good one.  It connects us to the powerful, living faith of our ancestors who created many of these symbols as a way to teach their children about the meaning of Christmas.  We learn that Jesus was the light of the world, we learn of the evergreen as a symbol of everlasting life, we learn that Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph, and we learn that He was later visited by wisemen who brought Him three gifts representing His Kingship, His deity, and His death – and we learn it all from symbolism, song, and tradition.

When it comes to symbolic actions, there is no greater thing we can do than to use those symbols to pass along their truths to the next generation.  We encourage you to talk to your children and grandchildren during the service.  Help them understand what is being said.  When you hear from the pulpit that one of the symbols on the Christmas tree is an angel to announce the birth of Christ, remind them of how the angel Gabriel came to Mary in her home and told her that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit and give birth to Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God.  If they’re old enough, help them to understand why Jesus had to be conceived of the Holy Spirit – use the symbols as an opportunity to start a conversation.

For thousands of years, Christians and Jews have used symbols to teach their living faith to the next generation.  We don’t do Hanging of the Green because of some traditionalism that tells us we must -- these symbols are useless without the meaning behind them.  It’s not for the beauty of the service, although it is beautiful.  It’s not because we remember our parents and grandparents did it before us.  We do Hanging of the Green because it is a tradition that allows us to pass along our living faith to our families.  We remember the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. We wait anxiously for the coming of the Messiah.  We rejoice in His birth, the birth of the Son. We share in community, in worship, this Advent and Christmas part of God’s beautiful plan of salvation. 

Our faith, and the faith of our ancestors, is alive and well in this tradition.  Come help us Hang the Green!