There are some holiday traditions that remain important and timely, and others that no longer bring me closer to my family or the teachings of Jesus during the Christmas season. In Luke’s gospel, we see Jesus responding to traditions in two ways: breaking them to become closer to God, or starting new rituals to teach more about God’s compassion.
Even though Jesus broke with some traditions that stood in the way of him practicing God’s teachings, he also created life-giving traditions that he shared with his disciples. One of the aspects I love about Luke’s Gospel is how he shares these new traditions with us, describing Jesus’ mercy and grace.
Throughout the gospel, we see how Jesus was brave enough to open his arms and welcome people that society deemed unclean or unworthy. Jesus knows we must break the traditions of social castes and classes to fully live into God’s word and promise.
This message is adapted from “Traditions to break and create” by SommerAnn McCullough in the November 2018 issue of Café magazine.
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