And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.
Acts 10:10-16 ESV
What a jarring experience for Peter! God spoke to him in a vision, telling him to eat what he considered unclean. It was such a shock to Peter that he argued with the Lord. After three tries, God made His point: If God cleans it, it’s clean. Peter was about to be asked to preach to Gentiles. God was getting Peter ready for the idea that Gentiles could be accepted by God even if they weren’t circumcised. If God cleans them, they’re good to go!
When we have strong beliefs that we’ve held onto for a long time, it can take a really powerful event to make us change. Webster says that a tradition is “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior.” We all have our own. I eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day because my parents told me it was good luck, and my grandmother confirmed it. It’s a southern tradition.
Traditions aren’t necessarily a bad thing. In church, they can help build unity and foster devotion. I love Christmas Eve services. They’re not mandatory, but there’s something special about celebrating the incarnation with other believers. On the other hand, when we find ourselves doing things out of habit, it’s good to take time to remember why we do it that way.
Any Christian activity done without faith is just a meaningless ritual. Ritual for ritual’s sake is pointless. We can have ritual song services, ritual prophecies, ritual prayer (even in tongues), ritual communion, and ritual baptisms. Do you ever get annoyed when a new person takes your usual (ritual) seat? If so, it might be time to examine your heart.
As we go to church today, let’s take a look at why we do what we do. Is it for my convenience or comfort, or out of fealty to the Lord? Is it to please or impress others, or to be a blessing to them? Am I obeying God, or am I just trying to appease Him?
Faith takes action based on the instruction of the Lord and expects the fulfillment of the attached promise. Why do I go to church? Why do I sing? Why do I pray? Why do I sit and listen to a sermon? Why do we take communion? Why do we baptize new believers? There are instructions, purposes and promises for all of these activities. If you’re not familiar with them, then it’s time you found out. If you do know but are not exercising your faith when you do them, it’s time for a re-boot. There’s so much more than ritual!
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