Change

In my lifetime, I've seen so much change. I've seen the price of gasoline go from 65 cents to $3.65, and gone from buying that gas at a service station where I never got out of the car to a "convenience" store where I do all the work and pay for the privilege of doing it! I've seen the microwave go from a new phenomenon that my grandmother swore would kill us all to a household staple we all take for granted. I've watched phones go from party lines to private lines to bag phones to cell phones. I've owned 78's, 33 1/3's, and 45's in vinyl; 8 tracks and cassette tapes; CDs and now mp3s. I've gone from 8 mm films to VHS to DVD to Blu-ray to 3D. And when I was in college, this article would have been done on a typewriter or punch cards, not a PC. There are probably others I've forgotten! The point is - there's been a great deal that has changed over my lifetime. In fact, the only constant has been change!

Therefore, it has always stymied my that church people resist change so much. Someone who has the latest fashion and the newest appliances for themselves thinks that the church should "make do" with the ancient 19th century technology it's used forever. I could never understand that. The people with the newest luxury cars never wanted to spend the money to upgrade the computer system or buy the new hymnals. I couldn't understand it. Until today.

Recently, I've been listening to a radio station from somewhere in South Carolina (Richland, I think.) It's an oldies station. Their playlist is from 1954 to 1984. I LOVE it! I only get it in the car for some reason, so I only hear it when I am out and about. Today, I happened to be in the car at 1PM and heard the daily on-air obituaries. WOW! That took me back! When I was a little girl, my grandmother and all my great aunts used to gather around the radio at lunch time to listen to the obituaries. I know this because I always had to get quiet at this time out of respect (and I suspect so they could hear!) I reached to change the station, and then I paused and let myself go back there. As the dead-pan voice transported me back to my grandmother's kitchen, I felt a warmth and kinship with her and the many summers I spent with her in Lexington, NC. I wondered why she always listened to those obituaries. I still do. Maybe it was because she was a part time florist. Maybe it was because she was older, and many of her friends were beginning to pass away. All I know is, before I knew it, I was back in 1960 something, in my grandmother's kitchen, driving down highway 75, with tears rolling down my cheeks and fond memories in my heart.

I think one reason church people like their things to stay the same is so they can touch their memories. Isn't that what our Lord taught us in the Last Supper? "Do this in remembrance of me." Yes, sometimes we go overboard in refusing to change anything. Yet, there are some things that need to stay the same, or at least be practiced regularly enough to remind us of who we are and whose we are. Traditions can take us back to the place where we first gave our lives to Christ. Traditions can teach us the basic tenets of our faith. Traditions can bring us to our knees when we have fallen short or gone too far off course. It's a fine line, though. Traditions can also become a prison - keeping us stuck in a system of rules and regulations.  Or a sanctuary - a place to hide from the challenges of life. We still have to move forward. We cannot stay in the memories.

I was rudely awakened by Frankie Valley and the Four Seasons' rendition of "Cherry Baby" that thrust back into reality. I soon reached my destination. Yet, before I got out of my car, I paused to thank God for "Grannie" and all the wonderful childhood memories at her home. I prayed that my own grandchildren would one day remember me as fondly. I prayed that most of all, I would be an understanding pastor to those in my congregation who resist change.