Paul, Tevye, and Tradition

Well, it's back to the grind for me. Vacation over. :0( But I am glad to be back and sleeping in my own bed again. Lots of phone calls and emails and visits to catch up on. But first, questions and answers for you . . .

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Mon, March 9: What was the name of the man who came down from Judea, took Paul’s belt and bound himself? (Acts 21)
Acts 21:10-11 0 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'"

And here's the question of the day:
Tues, March 10: What two people did God say would be left after all the other Israelites had died in the desert? (Num 26)


And here's the reflection of the day:
Paul is at it again, in Acts 22, stirring up the people and getting himself into scrapes. Paul continues to be a radical. We tend to think that a radical is an agent of change, one who is interested in throwing the current establishment and its traditions out the window.

But the root of "radical" is from the Latin root radix, which actually means root. To be a radical is not to change everything for the sake of change; it is actually to return to one's roots.

Paul believes that his mission to those "unclean Gentiles" is directly tied to the roots of Israel's faith (Willimon, Acts, 163). Paul was eager to include the whole world into God's plan of salvation. But in the religious world, the "unclean Gentile" tradition prevailed over the "share the faith" tradition. Paul is challenging the traditions which develop as the product of human invention rather than the hand of God.

Sometimes the radical change that is needed should encourage us to return to our roots and to evaluate our traditions in light of the roots of faith. The issue at hand is not so much about whether or not our traditions honor the past, but rather "which tradition is worth our whole mind and soul and strength?" (Willimon, Acts, 164). Think about your church for a moment. What are its traditions and rituals? Do they honor the past or do they honor God? Can they do both faithfully?

And for as much as Paul does not care for some of the religious traditions, he does not seem to mind using some of the political traditions in his favor, namely by invoking his right as a Roman citizen to a trial, rather than immediate punishment. Think about your own life--what traditions do you follow? Who or what do they honor?

I've mentioned in the past how a song frequently pops into my mind. Today it is "Tradition" sung by Tevye in "Fiddler on the Roof." In case you need a refresher, here's the song with the lyrics:



Traditions are meant to guide us and to call us back when we begin to get lost. Can you think of some new traditions to create in your life? in your family? in your church?


Have a great day!
Allison