tradition, Tradition, TRADITION

In the Protestant denominations of the Methodist movements, tradition is considered one of the 4 elements on which the church stands:  Scripture, Tradition, Reason and Experience.  But institutional memory often seems short, going back maybe 60 years, until the "good old days" of the 50's when a post-war church boom was alive and well.  People remember when Sunday Schools were full as well as the pews on Sunday mornings, we remember rummage sales, holiday pageants and potlucks.  These are fond memories that warm our hearts and take us back to a sweeter time.  But what really makes a time sweet?  Is it the focus on our needs, our wants, our desires?  The church of the 1950's was doing an amazing job of healing a broken country in the aftermath of World War II, but at some point we felt that that this was our pinnacle, yet the traditions of the church which were set aside in the wake of needing healing, seemed to be forgotten, and what was self-care became self-serving.  We forgot our spiritual and sacred roots, we forgot the practices that nurtured communities of faith for centuries and were the hallmark of the Methodist movement.
One of the reasons that John Wesley included tradition in the 4 principles of the Methodist movement, was his keen insight into inviting the wisdom of those who came before him into the fullness of faith that was essential to this movement that encouraged its people to worship in any church on a Sunday, but experience the fullness of a life of faith within spiritual "methods."  Daily prayer, scripture and a gathering of small groups for support in a real world encompassing all from pain to joy, were the essentials for Methodism, this methodical group who encouraged one another in faith.  His greatest worry was that this movement would become institutional, forgetting who and whose they are.
But if we think woe to the denominational church, let's face it, it is merely a reflection of a culture that has formed in this country of great newness.  United States of America is one of the youngest nations, having pushed the natives of this land to the margins, and brought in new people for this new country.  As a good chef I know once said, "we don't ask for a good restaurant when seeking a recommendation, we ask for a new one."  We are a people who move from house to house on average every 3 years, who change our wardrobe on average of 6 months to a year as fashion demands, and who fill garage sales, thrift stores and land-fills with our cast-off "old stuff."  We are taught by politicians, advertisers, and economic "experts" that we are not people, but consumers, who must buy, buy, buy new, New, NEW everyday in order to make things well, it is our responsibility.  Little room here to be informed by tradition.
Yet what does this all do for our sense of meaning and purpose?  It seems as if our culture is denying that there is a wide and awesome possibility of existence here in God's creation, we lose some things that have been essential to human tradition, and more so, traditions of faith.  Our meaning and purpose get tied to things like economy, work, and "getting away."  We are so dragged down by daily life that we need to get away.
This was precisely what our early founder was seeking to remedy with the foundation of Methodist practices, the grinding daily life that pushes us to get away, to seek what is missing in our lives.  Daily practices of communication in small groups where the highs and lows of life were not only shared, but all were surrounded by loving support of one another.  Where the greatest part of this circle of people was the awareness that God IS present, through prayer and spirit this was reinforced each day.  The constant reminder that One, mysterious, all-knowing, all-loving is always present.  God above all names is with us in times of trouble and times of celebration.
Wesley borrowed ideas for his faith groups, for his movement from the traditions of old, he did not invent something "new" in the 1700's - it should be a reminder to us all that what worked so well for early Methodists was not even new then.  The essentials of tradition have as much to teach us now as then.
In the past months I've been writing much of my time in Italy, a land where people seem to be drawn to when seeking their souls, seeking deeper meaning.  Just look at the books and movies that are so popular these days: " Under the Tuscan Sun", "Eat, Pray, Love", "A Thousand Days in Venice," "Letters from Juliette".....  What does Italy have that we don't?   It has tradition, rich tradition that the people embrace fully, in their daily lives, in their food, in maintaining culture.  For me, coming from the life of pastor,  the greatest elements of this traditional culture was the life lived publicly, where all stories of life are shared among friends who consult, comfort, and celebrate with one another.  And of course, the amazing depth of worship, traditional celebration of the sacred, and the ever present witness to faith of the people via their art.  The wonder of the art was that it was often used as a means for social commentary, criticism of institutional church, and the awesomeness of a God beyond explanation.  Most Italians I met, even those who don't formally attend church are intensely spiritual, it is a good place to seek spirit and healing.
In such a new nation, can we find a depth of spirit that seems to leave us seeking other places to find it?  Can we dig deeper into our souls to move us beyond the trappings of our culture into a sense of eternal that looks both the the past as well as to the future?  Can we reclaim in our churches and institutions the heart and soul of what was so alive in the early church, in the renaissance, in the reformation??  Are we desperate enough for depth of meaning to make profound changes in our world that take us back to what is so important, the Love of God, others and self - sustained in community???