Adaptability
Do you remember when rewinding was just a normal part of the movie rental experience? It can be challenging to explain how things used to be to someone who has never known anything different. For example, I was lost just two-seconds into a conversation where someone was explaining to me what a U-Matic was. I gather that’s how movies were viewed in the 70’s? It’s not just the film industry, changes happen in every aspect of life. Some changes are easy to cope with, other changes have major implications and garner a great deal of frustration. Either way, the only constant in life is change.
All change comes with loss. To be sure, we do not just grieve the loss of people. We can also grieve the change of an era, music styles, cultural viewpoints, habits, and traditions. We grieve all kinds of things. Anything new is a loss of what was. I often recall my grandpa, who was something of a film collector. He had an entire closet filled with VHS tapes. When I opened that closet door, he came running to unbury me from the tower of movies that had crashed down on my head and onto the floor. To this day, I can’t see a VHS tape and not remember my grandpa. You see, that is why movie streaming services can seem so threatening today, because in a strange way, they are replacing my grandpa. It is important to understand, that reluctance to change is a reflection of me, and not an objective assessment of the new streaming service. Our biases, stemmed from our experiences, can prevent us from stepping into the future. If our aim is to reset the clock, to travel backward and reclaim the world of old, then we will fail. And if we’re not careful, our grief can turn into bitterness.
My question is, how can the church process grief in healthy ways? How can we bring closure to a world that is no longer, so that we can adapt and evolve? These questions are necessary if we’re serious about our desires to grow and thrive. Recently, Messiah’s council leadership determined that our goal for the upcoming year was to “welcome a new generation of members.” Even one new person in a community, changes that community. New folks bring change with them. As always, with change comes loss, and with loss comes grief. Together, as difficult as grief may be, we are collectively claiming that the quest toward literal and spiritual growth is worth it.
No one can take away from me the association with my grandpa and VHS tapes. That memory is sacred. With that as a given, how can the church cherish our past and step into new ways of thinking and living? I’m not asking you to abandon your principles or betray what once was, I’m asking you to trust in the Holy Spirit. To trust that God is continuing to build and create. I’m asking you to trust me when I tell you that this whole streaming service thing isn’t so bad. The way I see it, the church has two options, adapt or wither. Either way, the journey is messy and filled with all kinds of emotional baggage.
The Prophets all throughout Scripture were urging God’s people to trust in the Lord. That challenge is never finished and the need to trust God is always relevant. God is continuing to build and create something new. "See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah 43:19). Grab God’s hand and let the Spirit lead the way. Christ will remain beside us always.
Hitting the play button,
Pr. Lucas McSurley
Photo by Jeremy Bezanger