The WHY of Tradition

Tradition Illustration

Tradition - It’s What We Do

Paul continues - “Imitate me”

1) The “Good”

PAUL: Good! “You follow traditions I’ve taught”

Good traditions

Prayer, worship, giving, meeting first Sunday ()

Traditions come from habit

Traditions begin with meaning

Traditions support, help remember

CORNERSTONE:

Good traditions

Fellowship meal (w/ “Bind Us Together”), 10:00 service time, others?

New traditions (Candlelight service, Good Friday)

Habit, meaning, support, help remember

2) The “Not So Good”

PAUL: “You go through the motions” and you forget the meaning behind the tradition, or you ignore the meaning

You have the “HOW” but you are missing the “WHY” (Adverb issue :))

CORNERSTONE: Can this be us?

Common in church, tradition with no meaning. Which do you think upsets people more?

Drop the tradition (people will leave a church over tradition, even if the tradition is empty and meaningless)

Teach the meaning (kill joy, right?)

What if the tradition is completely wrong, non-Biblical? Yeah, people still get upset and leave.

See, tradition helps people feel good, comfortable, like all is right with the world. In the most stressful times for some people, even just going through the motions can help soothe, for a very short time.

ASIDE: Head coverings and hair length.

Tradition: NT Corinthian understanding

Men were to leave head uncovered, not good to be “veiled”

Women were to leave head covered, not good to be “unveiled”

Creation order is in play, roles defined

God - Man - Woman

Man to love wife, wife submit to husband, both answer directly to Christ

The veil or covering on the head of a Corinthian wife showed that she was under the authority of her husband, and therefore under submission to God.

But notice: She PRAYS, she has same access to that Creator. It’s a beautiful picture if we don’t distort it.

Ask a Mennonite wife why she wears a head covering

A man’s uncovered head showed his service to God (perhaps why we remove hats when we come to church, or when we pray)

The covering, or lack of covering, itself, does NOT make one pious or “holy”

Some say they wear prayer caps so they can pray anywhere, any time. We don’t need this to pray.

“HOW” vs “WHY” So.......

3) Why We Practice Communion

The context in - AGAPE FEAST

Communal meal, “love” feast shared among Christians

Not just for sustenance and social activity

For fellowship, spiritual gathering

They chose this meal as a good time to do Communion

The wealthy, or “better-off” brought food for the poor

But then they ate first, as gluttons, and drank so much as to get drunk

Opposite of selfless

And then they do Lord’s Supper and remember Christ? Really????

Lord’s Supper is to remember and honor Christ.

They distorted the “how” and completely disrespected the “why”

“You come together, and instead of enjoying this fellowship meal and remember Christ, you argue, divide, and fight”

Pretenders existed - - “hidden reefs”

Abuses of Agape Feast - gluttony and favoritism

Remembering Christ - the reason

Abusing this feast with Communion was horrific

CORNERSTONE: Communion today, and next time Palm Sunday

The HOW - preference

We may adjust the “how” here and there, alternate some ways

That change may encourage some, may upset others, may confuse some.

The HOW could be more important than the WHY

For some, the WHY may not be understood, so they do the HOW to feel better, to fit in, and maybe hope to receive some sort of blessing for obedience in taking Communion

The WHY - Commanded - Account

To remember Christ - “Do this in remembrance” of me

“Remember” = “Call Christ to mind”

What He’s done, and why He did it (reconcile sinners)

What He still does, and why He does it (advocate, 1 John 2)

What He will do, and why (We proclaim His death, His work, UNTIL HE COMES again)

BIG, HUGE QUESTIONS:

1) How could we be ABUSING our Communion, and/or our Fellowship Meal

Communion

Unbelievers taking it, people not yet saved

People saved, knowing they should be baptized, but openly refusing to be, not willing to obey that step

Thinking that we do it for forgiveness of sins (my upbringing)

Living in open rebellion against God’s Word, and just going through the motions

“Why are you taking communion today?”

“Because it’s the first Sunday” - Hmmmmmm

Fellowship Meal

Only coming because we have a meal

No spiritual component to the meal and together time

2) How could we be USING, or PROPERLY PARTICIPATING in Communion and our Fellowship Meal?

Ask forgiveness, become a believer

Ask forgiveness daily,

At meal, talk about God, Jesus, church, with each other

LET THE CHURCH BE THE CHURCH

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?

warning

Could the way we take communion, the reasons we do, on an individual basis, be harming our church?

Could people be sick, struggling, etc. because of a failure to do this in a way that pleases God?

If we only come and go through the motions, if we come infrequently and just come to have a meal, does that edify the church, others here?

IT WAS CRUCIAL, IMPORTANT TO CORINTH - IT NEEDS TO BE FOR US, TOO!