X M A Smessage
Transcript of X M A Smessage
So Time Again For Another Christmas Message
Tradition: A Fine Balance
Now This is NOT the message…
The Thoughts For this Message as some of you know…
Started out in May 09When an observation in church
bothered me (since when have I become sensitive and
aware of my surroundings???)
So the question that arose and Bothered me was
Can/should Holy Communion be denied in Church
to a believer ?Who
Dressed in a non traditional fashion or wore bodily decoration that maybe considered
sacrilegious by someBut
The believer was unaware of the symbolic nature of the adornment which for some reason
was considered unacceptable
Was this violation of TraditionOR
a regulatory breach based on written/ taught code of conduct of the Church suggesting disrespect of the Sacred ?
ORWas there something in THE WORD that clearly spelled out exclusionary criteria related to unorthodox dress
and adorning?
Tough questions…..
Alas bro’s..BUT No right answers….But… Was I asking the right question
in response to the observation? …
Jesus himself wrestled with the question of Tradition with the Izzy’s
He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God
for the sake of your tradition? Matthew 15:6
THE “P BOYZ” ACCUSED HIM OF VIOLATING TRADITION
• Bro Paul – entrenched in Jewish tradition by birth – Confused us a bit with these words to the
Thessy’s• “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold
to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”
• 2 Thessalonians 2:15
So I scratched my head and said……..
This is too difficult and distracting..
I amGettingMyself
Into a Tangle
We will sort this out later …
JAANE DO YAARBIT BIDDU APPA!
I am Wrapping
Myself In a tangle
Maybe when we get to Heaven…….???We will get the answers there?
OR Will it matter?
The birth of our Lord was preceded by TRADITION:
Rich Tradition that is still cherished around the world
All the way from Papa Abe (PBUH)To
Bro Joe (PBUH)
Now it was Tradition (and a Roman decree- for Lazy Izzy’s)
that took Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem from Nazareth
But…..
Everything else about thatFIRST CHRISTMAS
was quite Non Traditional….
• The Virgin Conception• The Birth in a Manger• The lowly shepherds being the ones called to
worship• Angels singing from heaven• And then a jealous King…trying to get rid of the
baby….– ALL FAR FROM OUR IMAGE OF TRADITIONAL BIRTH OF
A KING!!
But Again ….
I am getting distracted from the TRUE MESSAGE of Christmas.DON’T THINKWe can WAIT
Till we get to heaven to sort this one out.COZ
Getting to heaven depends on THE MESSAGE….
The message is SIMPLE Clearly Spelled Out
In John 3:16
For those of you Lazy to pick up your Biblesor Claim Memory Loss
IT SAYS
The True Message is that of
HOPE…hope that we will be OK despite our weaknesses and not
because of our strengths
The True Message is that of
PEACE: Peace on earth will be here someday but starts in our minds and
souls
The True Message is that of
JOY: an experience beyond the feeling and emotion associated with
IT.
Ah…So Is Tradition Important?
Now this is a different question…And the answer emphatically is
YESThe Good kind of Tradition….
ASK the FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Tevye the Milkman says
“And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one WORD
... Tradition."
AND….• “Because of our Traditions, we've kept our balance for
many, many years. • Here in Anatevka we have Traditions for everything...
– How to eat, how to sleep, – Even, how to wear clothes.
• For instance, we always keep our heads covered and always wear a little prayer shawl... This shows our constant devotion to God.
• You may ask, how did this Tradition start? • I'll tell you - I don't know.• But it's a tradition...• Because of our traditions, everyone knows who he is • AND• What God expects him to do."
S0…Which are the Good Traditions?
• The one that keeps families together• Help us Remember and Pass on Values• In the END• The GOOD T’s• Bring– Love
• Harmony– Peace
» Joy
AND THAT FINE BALANCE IN LIFE!!!
And the BAAAD ONE”S
Lets not talk bout it? We all know those ones!!!
THE DBLOCK BRO”S
• Are deep into tradition• It is what keeps us together–Helps keep our balance
• Where did our traditions start?–In the milkman's words..who knows?
• The story will change every time we meet!!
So Dear Brothers
Enjoy your Christmas Traditions, make memories, spread Love, give Hope, make
Peace, and experience the sheer Joy of the season in your hearts
Have a Blessed Christmas
Until We Meet Again…..
Bro Dee and Familee