A Necessary Pairing
by Rev. Bill Ireland
One of Luke’s tendencies both in his Gospel and the book of Acts is to pair stories of males and females. In other words, if Luke tells a story about a woman, the next story will feature a man and vice versa. That’s one of the ways Luke communicates the inclusive nature of Jesus’ ministry.
One of the best examples of this tendency occurs early in the Gospel with the story of Jesus’ presentation at the Temple as an infant. As Mary and Joseph sought to fulfill the requirements of the law regarding a firstborn son, an aged saint named Simeon was drawn to this couple out of all the other people in the Temple that day. Inspired by the Spirit, Simeon believed Mary and Joseph’s son was indeed the promised Messiah. Simeon took the infant Jesus in his arms, pronounced a blessing, and concluded his life’s mission had been fulfilled. No sooner had Simeon offered his blessing than Anna, a prophet, showed up on the scene. She was quite elderly and a widow; nevertheless, she was diligent in her worship. Anna instinctively recognized that Mary and Joseph’s child had a divinely ordained destiny. As a result, she offered praise to God and spoke to everyone about the child. Thus, at the outset his life, Jesus received a blessing from both a man and a woman.
Another, less obvious, pairing is also at work here. In describing Mary and Joseph’s appearance in the Temple, Luke stresses that all of their actions were rooted in their faithfulness to the law and tradition. Mary and Joseph are devout and dedicated, and their identity is tied up with faithfulness to their tradition. By contrast, Luke emphasized the presence of the Spirit in Simeon and Anna. The Holy Spirit rested on Simeon; that same Spirit promised him he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Although the description of Anna is more subdued, her status as a prophet strongly suggests that the power of the Spirit rested on her. By means of these deft characterizations, Luke pairs tradition with spirit.
Tradition and Spirit are a necessary pairing in congregational life and in our efforts to lead a congregation. Every church has a tradition typically rooted in the church’s founding story. That tradition shows up in the way a church tells its story and in the way it worships or ministers within its community. Tradition gives a church a sense of identity, and the reliance on tradition often provides stability in hard moments. But by adhering to tradition alone, church runs the risk of going stale and losing its effectiveness. In that kind of environment, we quickly learn that yesterday’s tradition may not be adequate for today’s challenges. That’s where the Spirit must be invited in. When we seek the presence and leading of God’s Spirit, we may find new ways to innovate without losing our identity. The Spirit can give us a new line of sight to see opportunities we had overlooked. The Spirit can nudge us to take some risks, to try new things even if they don’t work. The Spirit can indeed breathe new life into old ways of thinking and doing. In this manner, then, tradition and Spirit belong together.
One way of getting a clearer picture of which way a congregation leans is to take a look at the church’s calendar. Compare this year’s calendar with two or three from previous years. How much of the calendar is devoted to doing the same programs and events over and over? If that describes our church, then we are likely bound by tradition. If that’s the case, then it’s time to ask some important questions. Are these activities taking us where we want to go? Do we keep doing them because we know the routine and we’re comfortable with that? Have we ever thought about taking a look at what should be left behind in order to embrace something new? I contend a church’s calendar should have some blank spaces to give room for the Spirit to work. The church’s calendar hopefully reflects a reliance on tradition but also an openness to the Spirit.
The same holds true for our work as ministers and leaders. Again, take a look at our personal calendar. How much of it is devoted to the same old, same old? Where are we spending our energy? A time/energy audit may reveal that our ministry is all about reduplicating what we did last year or the year before. I understand completely the necessity of doing the weekly work that keeps a church running. But I also understand the importance of stopping and asking myself some pointed questions: why am I doing this? What is the stuff I do weekly adding up to? The siren song of tradition is alluring because it offers us stability. Nevertheless, we will serve our churches better by asking ourselves, “What am I called to do here?”
All this to say that congregations and the ministers who lead them—both need this necessary pairing of tradition and Spirit. Both are the means for God to lead the leader and a church forward. If we and the congregations we lead are to thrive in these challenging days, we need the anchor of tradition to hold our stuff together. But we also need an openness to the Spirit in order to innovate, create, and adapt.