Wesleyan Wisdom: Tradition Hebrews 1: 1-4, 2: 5-12

This past week a group of four pastors in our area gathered to discuss the upcoming year’s confirmation class. Because none of us were going to have enough confirmands to undertake a class ourselves, we decided to come together, in the spirit of cooperative ministry, and offer a joint class. During the course of our planning we started to ask ourselves what really matters, what really needs to be taught, in order to grow as Christian disciples. Everything we came up with fell into one of two areas - what we believe and how we live that out in our daily lives. When discussing how much of the class should focus on what we believe versus how we live it out, a colleague pointed out that when life starts to crumble and we don’t know where to turn, how to live out our faith is not going to be as meaningful for us as what we believe. 

That statement has stuck with me all week, especially as this week’s sermon is focusing on decision making in light of tradition. At first glance one would think that we learn the traditions and history of the church for the same reason we teach history in school, to keep from making the same mistakes because the past repeats itself. But really, that thought doesn’t line up with what we believe as Christians. So why do we need to learn tradition? So we know what we believe and can lean on it at all times. 

Most of what we believe comes directly from scripture, and other pieces come from teachings of important people throughout church history and creeds. Creeds are statements about what we believe. Throughout the course of the year we have read several different creeds in the context of our worship services, and there are even more found in the hymnal, but the two basic creeds are the Nicene Creed and the Apostles Creed which tell about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and why their relationship matters to the church. 

Today’s scripture passage from Hebrews also presents a creed of sorts, that specifically focuses on the saving act of Jesus Christ. The author of Hebrews is writing to second generation Christians, people who were not there themselves to witness the acts of Jesus Christ first hand and who had already started to forget why Christ was so important. So the author sets out with a text, to remind people about God’s mysterious and gracious act towards humanity in Jesus Christ. 

What exactly was the author trying to convey about Christ? First that God had tried other ways to communicate to people through the prophets of old, but then God choose to send Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is the source of all life in the world. He is of God’s very being and is a reflection of God’s glory, that we could actually see and witness as he walked among us, fully human and fully divine. He is all powerful, but humbled himself to suffering and death for the sins of humanity so that our salvation would be possible. Because of this ultimate sacrifice Christ is now crowned in all glory and we are able to be called God’s children and Christ’s brothers and sisters.

The author didn’t spend time mixing words. He knew exactly what needed to be convey, what needed to be reminded about Jesus Christ. Because if people didn’t have faith in Jesus Christ then how are they going to live their faith out. What we believe matters. 

People today continue to yearn for a faith founded in beliefs that matter. A faith that connects people to this powerful gift of salvation talked about in Hebrews and a God who would give everything just to be in relationship with us. Everything we do in the church is supposed to point us to this relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Tradition thus encompasses both what we believe AND how we live it out. Part of how we live out what we believe is in worship. Tradition tells us that the structure of worship should lead us into the presence of God through the Word, acts of response, and opportunities to pray to God out of both joy and contrition. But because we don’t know why we do what we do in worship, we often cut out pieces like creeds and prayers of confession, because we want to be filled in the way we want, not shaped into the disciples of Christ. In worship tradition is translated into rituals, but sometimes ritual exhausts us instead of excites us, because we forget that it is grounded in the foundation of the saving act of Jesus Christ. If worship isn’t helping us usher ourselves and others into the presence of this mighty God, then what is missing? What do we have in our service to remind us about the Christ that the author of Hebrews describes? 

We need tradition because it helps us to remember, but it can also be a roadblock to God because we forget that it is simply a metaphor for our relationship with God when it is lived out. None of us will fully understand the sacrifice of Christ in this life time or the fullness of the glory of God. Over the ages people have tried to capture this in different ways, ways that they personally found meaningful that were then transmitted down through the ages. One of the greatest symbols of our relationship with God we are going to celebrate this morning - the sacrament of Holy Communion. It is hard to explain exactly what communion means to each of us as individuals, because it can mean different things at different point in our life, but it is sacrament because it reminds Christians of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

When I was in seminary we celebrated communion every Thursday in chapel. While we were a Methodist school we had many different traditions represented at the table, so we offered both wine and juice. Every Thursday I examined my soul and asked myself how I was feeling in relationship to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ in that moment. Was I tasting the sweet victory of Christ over the grave and anticipating the heavenly banquet yet to come - I would dip my bread in the juice. Was I grieving over unconfessed sins - I would dip my bread in the bitter wine. What I found so powerful in this time of reflection each Thursday was the reminder that traditions were lived out in different ways by different people, and that I could even have a different relationship to the sacrament from one week to the next, but Christ was unchanging. I may change, but tradition remained the same. 

Today we are going to join with Christians around the world in celebrating World Communion Sunday. Some will use juice others wine. Some with kneel at the alter, some with dance up to the shared table, and others will be served in pews. Some will be fed by the priest, others will feed each other. Some believe that the elements represent the actual body and blood of Christ. Others that it is a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice. The particulars in and of themselves don’t matter, its what they point us to. Point us to the tradition of gathering around the table to be fed by Christ in order to serve the world. The tradition of remembering what Christ has done for us.

Brothers and sisters, that is what tradition really exists for. Because we, like the audience of the book of Hebrews, have forgotten about why Christ matters to our faith. Have forgotten the story of our faith. And once we forgot, living out our faith was no longer possible. John Wesley believed that tradition could be used in decision making when it agrees with the Biblical text in pointing us to the cross and leading us to praise God. Tradition does not mean that we continue to do something because we have always done it that way. Rather tradition gives us the freedom to experience Christ’s story afresh each and every day as we seek to grow in our relationship with God. May the traditions of this Church, point people to the saving story of Jesus Christ and may we be reminded anew this day of God’s grace that is extended towards us in love, especially as we celebrate together the tradition of the sacrament of Holy Communion. Amen.