We were driving back from our Connecting with God retreat on Sunday afternoon, when conversation in the car turned to a local ranch that was being sold for only $42 million.  The stipulations on this ranch is that the ranch has to be maintained according to the 'old way'.  No new machinery or technology is allowed; No modern-day processes; nothin new under the sun. Things have to be done 'as they have always been done'. 

Sitting in the car, the impression that I got was that these stipulations were not good for the future of that property; that the strict adherance to traditions past were  actually hindering the growth and future enjoyment of that land.  After all, no one will want to spend $42 Million on a peice of property they are not able to make their own. Thus, these stipulations were talked about with a kind of 'what were they thinking' attitude.

Is this the trap that modern day churches find themselves in?  Have we placed stipulations upon ourselves that restrict our growth, our development, and the future enjoyment of the church life?  Have we been expecting people to join a church which they are not able to put their own 'stamp' on?  Are we holding too strongly onto 'the way things were' at the expense of entering into the glory of the future?  To be honest, part of me says "Yes."  I think this is something that many churches are struggling with today.  I have seen a teenager refused communion becasue he wore a hat at the altar rail.  I have seen churches single out 'ministry to children' as a key component of their mission - but not do one thing to make the service accessible or enjoyable to 4 and  5 year olds.  I have seen congregations proclaim that there is no money in the budget for youth work - but then raise $50,000 at the drop of a hat to purchase a new organ.

In each of these cases, I would argue that the church's desire to be what it always was effectively cut them off of being what they could be.  What ends up being left when we do this is the holding up of traditions and 'anglican ways', amidst the uncomfortable cries of 'where is everyone.'

None of these examples above are about Holy Cross, by the way.  I should also mention that I have chosen to do ministry within the Anglican context for a reason.  I love the Anglican Church.  I love our liturgical style.  I love the hymns that have formed and shaped the worship of Christians for centuries.  By no means am I suggesting that we need to become the leading congregation in 'happy-clappy charismatic, non-liturgial worship".  This is not what  I am saying.  But enjoying a sense of tradition for the church does not mean that we should avoid looking at ourselves and our practices to see where God may be calling us to move forward.  We should ask ourselves that very serious question:  have we been forsaking our call to minister to others because we have been too busy trying to keep up 'the way things have always been'?  Have we placed the need for liturgical correctness over the call to be a loving body?  Has mainting the structures of the church's life and worship taken a greater role than the call of Christ to reach out to those in need.  Does 'being Anglican' mean more to us that 'being a follower of Jesus?' What is more, if the answer to any of these questions is a 'yes', what are we called to do?

 What are the answers to these questions?  You tell me.