Do we really need to change?

Change is hard

We know this saying to be true. It goes with the other saying, “People don’t like change.” Now, many of us probably wouldn’t say that about ourselves. We’re progressive. We’re intelligent. We can learn new things, and do new things. When something changes in the world around us, we’re smart enough and adaptable enough to be able to deal with it.

Right?

Then why, did I get an email on Friday from a City Councillor doing damage control because leaf pick-up has changed in the city? We’re smart enough to understand that when it gets cold, there’s a greater chance of snow than when it is warm. We can learn from the wisdom of City Staff who say they can’t just take the plows off the front of vehicles and return them to dump-trucks as often as it might snow and then warm-up during a time that the Farmer’s Almanac has predicted is the beginning of an historically cold winter. We can also understand that private contractors have done the same thing locally — gotten ready for winter. I mean it all makes sense.

Yet, people have been calling City Councillors and City Hall to express their PROFOUND DISAPPOINTMENT in how City Staff have handled this — handled what? Winter? How exactly does one handle winter? Well, by having snow removal equipment ready in a city like this.

But that doesn’t get my leaves picked up — and now we’re back to change being hard. We forget the reasonable thing that some of the City Staff live in this city, and they want their leaves picked up too, and it is a pain for them to have to bag their leaves, and it is a bigger pain for them to have to do that and then go to work and be subjected to “a full operational review” to make sure this doesn’t happen again. To make sure what doesn’t happen again? Snow?

Some of the leaves are still on the trees on our street. If the city can undertake an operational review to create the conditions to ensure snow only comes when ALL the leaves have fallen and after they’ve all been picked up, then city staff are a lot more powerful than I thought.

Josiah has a much bigger problem

If you think the city staff and councilors here have a big problem on their hands with the leaves that are not being picked up, Josiah has a much bigger problem.

God has promised destruction of his land. He’s only 26 years old (became King at eight, and the story is set in his eighteenth year of reign). Imagine if we elected a mayor who was 26, or a regional chair, or premier, or prime minister. Oh, we’re smart enough to know that age isn’t always the biggest predictor of ability — but we’re also smart enough to know that with youth comes a desire to test boundaries and make change — and since we don’t like change (unless it is the change we pick) we wouldn’t want a ruler who was 26 — even if he has been in charge for 18 years because we know someone else had to have really been in charge for a good portion of those years.

But Josiah’s problems are huge.

2 Kings 22:16–17 NRSV

Thus says the Lord, I will indeed bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. Because they have abandoned me and have made offerings to other gods, so that they have provoked me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched.

If it is hard for us to believe that competent, experienced, seasoned city staff can make the right decisions about snow and leaves — imagine the people of Judah wondering how their youthful king will be able to deal with God’s wrath, and the resulting disaster.

Josiah’s big changes

Josiah didn’t just complete an operational review because of God’s wrath — he cleaned house — literally.

We don’t read it as part of today’s reading because it is so long. It would actually take me an additional six minutes to read it all to you.

Here’s a summary:

++destroyed offensive holy hardware

++fired priests who had opposing views

++destroyed images of other gods

++destroyed houses of people who didn’t worship as God commanded

++defiled worship sites that weren’t for worship of God

++burned chariots because they had been used in worship other than to God

++destroyed altars

++cut down sacred artifacts

++scattered human bones over holy sites

++disinterred relics

This isn’t a picture so much of reform as it is one of holy destruction — kind of what God was predicting was going to happen.

Then, near the end of Josiah’s reform (destruction) we read this:

2 Kings 23:17–18 NRSV

Then he said, “What is that monument that I see?” The people of the city told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel.” He said, “Let him rest; let no one move his bones.” So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria.

Let him rest

Josiah’s devotion to God’s word was so strong, that while he had destroyed just about everything else, he let this one monument stand — not because it was a monument that was dedicated to God — it was a monument dedicated to one who spoke about God.

How we view things

How we view things depends on our vantage point. If we looked at the list of destruction of Josiah’s “reform” from the vantage point of war, we might want Josiah to be taken to the Hague today. Our history though has this story being written as one that is righteous.

So, why is change hard? Well … often because of how we view things. We like what we have. We like what we know. We like what we do. Only when we no longer like those things do we desire change.

While we’re smart enough, progressive enough, adaptable enough to know that the only constant in life is change, we really don’t want it at times.

May we do one thing like Josiah though — find the source of change to be the source of our being — find the source of change to be our God. For if our change comes from God, there’s no need for fearing the change … as God will be with us … and for that we give thanks.