You Can't Do That In Church!
Preaching
Shaking Wolves Out Of Cherry Trees
And 149 Other Sermon Ideas
Purpose Statement: Getting out of ruts and old habits that have lost their purpose or meaning is difficult but necessary.
It is a common and often-repeated complaint that some churches are so entrenched in the "way we have always done it" that new life is squelched.
a. You can't do things differently. I remember how our church became incensed over the introduction of The Revised Standard Version in the 1940s. It was distorting the truth of the Bible. I once argued with the church about changing the altar cloths to reflect the season colors of the church year instead of the plan they had. Perhaps I was the one unable to change and grow. Custodians, due to their care of the church, get into a routine, even to a point of possessiveness, and fight changes in property use. Some churches cannot take Communion but one way. Resistance can be severe to learning new hymns. "We like the old favorites." We've all seen it happen: after learning some of the very beautiful and theologically impressive new hymns, they soon become the "favorites."
b. You can't believe things differently. Jesus changed our beliefs. He quoted the Old Testament several times (Matthew 5) and then proceeded to tell us something different. We have changed our beliefs concerning animal sacrifice, polygamy, and eating pork, to mention just a few, but yet sternly resist growing theologically in many ways. We will cling to the notion the Bible is perfect with no contradictions. Just yesterday I read a letter to the newspaper stating that God brought about the airplane attack on the World Trade Center to teach us a lesson, even though it cost thousands of lives. When we cling to such outrageous beliefs, we have some growing to do.
c. You can't be different. We must allow each other to become new creations even when it frightens us.
It is a common and often-repeated complaint that some churches are so entrenched in the "way we have always done it" that new life is squelched.
a. You can't do things differently. I remember how our church became incensed over the introduction of The Revised Standard Version in the 1940s. It was distorting the truth of the Bible. I once argued with the church about changing the altar cloths to reflect the season colors of the church year instead of the plan they had. Perhaps I was the one unable to change and grow. Custodians, due to their care of the church, get into a routine, even to a point of possessiveness, and fight changes in property use. Some churches cannot take Communion but one way. Resistance can be severe to learning new hymns. "We like the old favorites." We've all seen it happen: after learning some of the very beautiful and theologically impressive new hymns, they soon become the "favorites."
b. You can't believe things differently. Jesus changed our beliefs. He quoted the Old Testament several times (Matthew 5) and then proceeded to tell us something different. We have changed our beliefs concerning animal sacrifice, polygamy, and eating pork, to mention just a few, but yet sternly resist growing theologically in many ways. We will cling to the notion the Bible is perfect with no contradictions. Just yesterday I read a letter to the newspaper stating that God brought about the airplane attack on the World Trade Center to teach us a lesson, even though it cost thousands of lives. When we cling to such outrageous beliefs, we have some growing to do.
c. You can't be different. We must allow each other to become new creations even when it frightens us.
