The older I get, the more I appreciate tradition. There’s something very grounding about it. Tradition reminds me of who I am and that I’m part of a people.
However, I also know that some traditions need to stop. If a tradition hurts or hates or alienates, then it needs to stop. Then, there are traditions that just end because people and their circumstances change, or because new traditions crop up and replace the old ones.
I love the idea of creating tradition. Of being intentional with what we do and pass down to the next generation.
God created tradition like His appointed festivals and the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 23 & 25). Mordecai established the Feast of Purim to remember how God delivered His people from genocide.
Jesus did rebuke the teachers of the law for putting tradition before God, which makes it all the more important that we are intentional with our traditions. That they honor God instead of coming before Him. That they express and support our values instead of compromise them.
Christmas is filled with traditions. Why not take a good look at the traditions you celebrate. Perhaps a tradition needs to end or replaced with something else. Or maybe you’ve been trying to celebrate a tradition that has died years ago. Don’t mourn. Create a new tradition! Be intentional about it and celebrate!
In case you missed it, here’s a Christmas tradition in my life.
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