Devotional Reading from the Daily Common Lectionary: Luke 1: 57-66

Text: They said to her, “But none of your relatives has this name.” (v.61)

A colleague once told me that when Tradition conflicts with Truth, it needs to be dismantled. Traditions for traditions’ sake is hallow.

I thought of my friend’s wise words when I read that  Elizabeth and Zechariah named their son “John”. They were breaking with Tradition in order to live toward Truth.

Just because something hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be done. The birth of John was the beginning of something new. And when John’s kinsman, Jesus, was born a few months later, God did something totally new, something that theologians call the incarnation. God became one of us as well as with us in an entirely new way.

As Advent rapidly draws to a close, take time to reflect upon the Traditions in your life that conflict with Truth. What are you going to do about it?

O Lord, do not let me allow Tradition to make me small. Let me honor the Past while living the in Present and moving toward the Future. May in my Past, Present, and Future may You be glorified. Amen.