Wednesday, June 12, 2019

“When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (1 Corinthians 13:11, New Living Translation) 

                The older I get I am finding that my tastes are changing, both literally and figuratively.

                For instance, I used to enjoy sweet things like licorice all-sorts and milk chocolate and sweet desserts, but now these are far too sweet and I go for dark chocolate and like its slightly more bitter taste. I prefer dark, strong coffee.  I used to love spaghetti but tomato sauces are now unappealing and a turn-off. I like sour tastes like lemonade. I’d rather have fresh fruit than candy or cake.

                My taste in music is far different than when I was in my teens.  I never listen to pop music today and wouldn’t know a top ten artist or a song if my life depended on it. I grew up with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, the great music of the 60’s. Now I prefer Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and various Blues and Jazz artists, even though some of them were more my parent’s generation than mine. Oh, I still can’t stand most opera, so some things haven’t changed although Gilbert and Sullivan has always appealed somewhat. 

                Perhaps as I eventually drift into my second childhood, my tastes will shift even further.

                I have never been a big fan of nostalgia. I seldom ever lament the so-called “good ol’ days”. The past is the past as far as I am concerned and try to leave it there the best that I can. I don’t always like change but neither do I fight it or overtly resist it. I have always thought that change can be healthy, renewing, invigorating and an opportunity for something new to arise. Susan has accused me that I would deliberately instigate change in any of my churches if and whenever church-life became routine, predictable or safe. She may not be wrong.

                I know that Jesus once said that we should become like children in order to engage in the kingdom of God life. But I don’t think this was suggesting that we should be immature, childish, or stuck in a Sunday School-like faith only. It may be appealing to keep our walk of faith as simple as we can, to maintain a black-and-white creed, and desire that “old time religion”. After all, if it was good enough for Peter…

But a mature life needs a mature faith also, especially to meet the complex and complicated issues and challenges that make up our lives, our culture and politics in our world.

I wonder how Paul would have understood Jesus’ comment. Paul was one to commend a mature faith, steeped deeply in the principles of faith and practice.  He chastises the “saints” in Corinth, “But for right now, friends, I'm completely frustrated by your unspiritual dealings with each other and with God. You're acting like infants in relation to Christ, capable of nothing much more than nursing at the breast. Well, then, I'll nurse you since you don't seem capable of anything more,” (1 Corinthians 3: 1 -2, The Message Bible

The writer of Hebrews is also frustrated with the lack of Christian maturity among his readers. “By this time, you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one - baby's milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago! Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God's ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.” (Hebrews 5: 12 -15, The Message)

Our faith needs to grow, evolve, progress, ripen, and become richer and deeper as we grow older. Some of our ideas about God, Jesus or matters of faith may change or need to be altered as our understanding, appreciation and knowledge increases. That is the only way to have a tough enough, strong enough, lasting faith that leads us through all the days of being.

Dale