Hold Fast to the Traditions

You might fear the future because you don’t know what it holds. The future, however, belongs to God. Traditions connect past present and future to God. So hold fast to the traditions.

Fear of the future, a need for tradition

We were driving in the middle of the road. The tires of the minivan symmetrically straddled the double yellow lines. I white knuckled while the driver, a member of the church, was squarely in the lane of oncoming traffic. The driver suddenly realized what he was doing and calmly moved back into the lane. “Sorry,” he said, “I’m getting used to driving in California.”

My look of profound confusion prompted him to say more, “For the past year we were living on my in-laws farm and nobody really cared that I drove in the middle of the road…ever since I was discharged from the Army and came home from Iraq.” I must have looked confused. He laughed and simply said, “I.E.D.s You know, Improvised Explosive Devices. You were more likely to get blown up if you drove on the side of the road . When I came back to the U.S. I was on the farm and I just kept driving in the middle of the road. Now that I’m in California I have to figure out how to drive like a civilian again.”

My friend went on to share with me his fear of the future, immediately down the road and beyond. He wasn’t sure what job he would find, and how he would provide for his family. He needed to hold fast to the traditions.

You Don’t Know What the Future Holds

Perhaps you have some fear of the future too. Trauma in particular can trigger fear, but the fact is no matter who you are you do not know what the future holds. In Jesus’ day some people believed in life after death and others did not, such as the Sadducees. If you do believe in life after death, then there are some interesting questions to ponder. What will marriage and love be like in heaven? The Sadducees give an extreme example: 

Some Sadducees, those who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him a question, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, the man shall marry the widow and raise up children for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married, and died childless; then the second and the third married her, and so in the same way all seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had married her.” Luke 20:27-33

This example illustrates a basic fact. We don’t know what the future holds. We don’t know what heaven will be like, and we don’t know what tomorrow will be like. Jesus didn’t go into detail as to what exactly the resurrection will be like. He did, however, make a point that the future belongs to God. Whether you think about the future on Earth, or in Heaven, all ages belong to God: past, present, and future. That’s why we hold fast to the traditions.

The Future Belongs to God

Job is a tremendous person of faith from the Bible, and the journey of his life and faith illustrates the power of God’s presence in every age. Job had a large family, was very wealthy, and was very faithful to God. Satan tested Job to see if he truly loved God arguing that Job only appeared to love God because of his material possessions, and large healthy family. Satan argued that Job and God merely had a “quid pro quo” relationship, and that Job only appeared to love God.

So the devil tormented and tested Job. He destroyed his property and wealth. Satan killed Job’s family. Disease struck Job. He suffered physical, emotional, and spiritual trauma. Job was angry and sad with God. He questioned God’s goodness and faithfulness. God eventually spoke to Job and communicated a profound sovereignty. God said to Job in so many words, “You cannot control me, and you cannot understand me. But I have always been God, and I will always be God.” Ultimately faith in God isn’t about you and your life. It’s about trusting God’s activity throughout time. Job expresses his wonder and faith in God when he says,

“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at the last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” Job 19:25-27

Job has faith that even when he completely wastes away God will be there, and therefore he is totally secure. It is the tradition of worship and faith that connects him to God. Job shows how to hold fast to the traditions.

Traditions Connect Past, Present, and Future to God

One way to stay connected to God is to hold fast to the traditions. A tradition is a repeated action over time. Traditions are powerful because you can depend on them to remain the same when other things change all around you. Jesus illustrates the power of tradition when he tells the story of Moses,

“And the fact that the dead are raised Moses himself showed, in the story about the bush, where he speaks of the Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.” Luke 20:37-38

By simply recalling the names of the great Patriarch: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; Jesus connects his audience to the traditions of law and God’s story. He reminds them that each generation has a relationship to God going all the way back. Even if you don’t understand heaven, life after death, or what tomorrow will bring, you can be sure that God will be there. When you practice the tradition of telling their story, and remembering what they taught us, you practice a tradition that connects you to God in every age. 

One of the great responsibilities of the church and religion is to be keepers of tradition throughout the ages especially when fear about the future bubbles up an debilitates. Paul writes in 2 Thesselonians chapter 2 verse 15, “So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.”

Hold Fast to the Traditions

Veterans who have served in the armed forces often suffer from lingering effects of trauma. “Moral Injury” is the trauma a soldier experiences when they are commanded to do something that violates their sense of right and wrong. 

For a while psychological health professionals that worked with veterans who suffered from Moral Injury would attempt to convince these men and women that they were not guilty, because they were following orders. Some soldiers could not move past their guilt no matter how many times a doctor told them they were innocent. Then there was a breakthrough.

Chaplains have a unique capability to work with soldiers who suffer from moral injury. They are keepers of the ancient traditions: confession and forgiveness. Some soldiers who have trouble moving past trauma have found that confessing to a chaplain and asking for forgiveness from God is a tradition that can open a door to healing. 

The world in which you live seems to grow increasingly complex and complicated. Life doesn’t go according to plan. It is traditions that can hold you fast to God and God’s healing love. So hold fast to traditions, they will keep you connected to God. God will be with you no matter what. The future belongs to God. Amen.