Janus, the Roman god of gates, doors and new beginnings – after which the month of January gets its name – is often portrayed as having two faces, one looking backward and the other looking forward. Christians believe God is the God of the past, the present, and the future (Exod. 3:14a), as well as the God of new beginnings (Rev. 21:5b). Jesus, our Saviour and Lord, portrayed by John as being “the door” by which we enter into new life (Jn. 10:1-10), is also spoken of as being “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8). It's helpful to meditate on the faithfulness of God's mercies through the seasons of life (Lam. 3:21, 22), and the ability of God to bring us into new beginnings through Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-18a) as we observe another transition from the Old to the New Year.
It's good to look back, to reminisce about the good old times, as well as to recollect the sad events which we may have suffered. Looking back gives perspective. But it's also important to look forward to the future. New hopes and dreams beckon. New challenges await our active consideration. New wineskins must accommodate the new wine of the gospel (Matt. 9:17).
I have the impression Presbyterians are better at looking backward than they are at looking forward. It's easier to go with what we've known than to strike out into an uncertain future. Also, history is a fascinating subject. Presbyterians love their history. We even have a Presbyterian museum!
I've had the privilege of preaching in services of worship and thanksgiving to God which celebrated a number of congregational anniversaries. Among these, four different congregations have marked 50, 100, 160 and 175 years of history. Much has happened during those years; much has changed; but each of these congregations has borne faithful witness to the faithfulness of God. I'm sure each of them not only want to look backward but also forward, in faith, to their future. Surely all congregations want their future to be as bright as their past. But this will not always be easy.
In his book, The Future That Has Come, Kennon L. Callahan reminds us of several major paradigm shifts. We used to think, plan, behave and live as institutions but it's clear we need to operate as movements. People don't trust institutions. People want to move forward. We used to focus on the motivations of challenge, reasonability and commitment but we need to share the motivations of compassion, community and hope. These are different values than the values of previous generations.
We used to pay little attention to the discoveries of the universe but today we encourage people to make sense of life in this God-given universe and on this fragile planet earth. Further, we used to have all kinds of long distance “marathon runners” in our congregations and we used to deprecate “sprinters” but today we also value excellent sprinters. People participate in short sprints; it is difficult to recruit people for the long haul. That means shorter time spans for any series of instruction or study.
We used to be able to count on people to support denominational mission but now we encourage people to participate in mission that is direct and grassroots. Short-term mission trips and local projects will flourish and bear much fruit. We are God's missionaries together. We used to think we knew what was best for people but now we help people discover their own gifts, creativity and objectives within the larger whole. We used to have a focus on the parts and emphasized an inside-the-church life but now we encourage people to live the whole of life, wherever they may be.
Things are different because the generations have changed. The veteran generation (before 1945), has been superseded by the baby boomer generation (1946-1964), and will soon be superseded by the “baby busters” (1965 on). This means change in the way we do things at church, as well as in our communities.
I'm fortunate to work in a congregation that is aware of these challenges and open to make changes to reach the next generation for Christ. Are the people you work with ready for change? I pray they are. Otherwise we may not have much more history to celebrate or share. Happy New Year!
