Familiar or new

Luke 5 : 33 - 38

.....no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for he says, ' The old is better.'

I guess we are creatures of habit. Someone once pointed out how people usually sit in the same pew in church week after week. Somehow that familiar 'view' of the pulpit gives a sense of comfort. I must admit that I also automatically seek out my usual seat in church. The familiar gives us a sense of security and as behavioral psychologists have found, it just takes a short period to form habits, whether good or bad.

The spiritual life is one of constant change because to be alive is to be open to change and growth. We say that God does not 'change' but it refers more to his essence than to his activity in the midst of his creation. All through the Bible we see a God who is always doing a 'new thing' for his people. He is always doing something and inviting our response, hoping to lead us closer to his purposes for us as individuals and for his church. However, human persons being creatures of habit often resist change of any sort. The old ways are always more comfortable, even if they are no longer life giving.

A great challenge for me at this time is to 'see' what God is doing in the lives of my growing children who are in their late teens. I can no longer decide what is good for them.....although I would prefer to....it is far more secure to work on the premise that a parent is much more wise. They still require guidance, but not the sort that leads to unhealthy dependency. They need to try out their wings and even make the mistakes they have to, in order to learn. And I believe that God is doing something in their lives and inviting their response. My role may be to help them listen to God's voice and not mine!

I have experienced growth as painful even though it brings much fulfilment. To grow I have had to let go of those things that chain me to the 'old ways'. The familiar has an allure that is difficult to resist (even though we don't identify ourselves with the hard hearted Pharisees). The Lord has led me along several different paths in recent years........one of them was to explore the contemplative tradition of Christian spirituality. Through spiritual direction, I have been encouraged to listen to the Spirit's unique leading for me and to trust it (of course after appropriate discernment). I find myself at home in contemplative spirituality, but it is always difficult to find companions among evangelicals who also hear such a call. Sometimes I wonder how useful it is to share about the journey into silence and solitude with those whose lives are activity oriented. Recently, I wrote a short brief for a group who are asking about it but have not experienced it themselves. They hope to take a quiet day retreat sometime in October.
Jesus makes an ironic statement about old and new wine. Those who like old wine are not ready and open to try the new. Their minds are settled. Jesus knows that many, especially leaders in the religious establishment of his time will not respond to the good news that he proclaims. Yet he goes on faithfully proclaiming what he has come for.

The journey towards becoming the beloved invites ever greater openness and response to the new thing God is constantly doing in our lives.