Learn from the past, but you don’t have to live in it
Irecently had the great joy of going to see the 30th anniversary tour of The Joshua Tree by U2 in Vancouver. It was great — the music, the show, the stadium full of people, the atmosphere — all of it made for an exceptional night and it was a fantastic gift from a member of my community. I am a big U2 fan, and that album continues to be one of my favourites. It was certainly a crowd-pleaser.
What I loved was that it didn’t feel like a tribute act playing a favourite set of songs. Many of the tracks were reworked and given a new feel, while retaining the flavour and feel of the originals. It felt fresh, while being familiar. It felt as though the band was not reliving glory days, but recognizing its history, while doing something new — quite a feat.
It may surprise many who know me, but I am something of a traditionalist. Perhaps I should be clearer on what I mean. I mean that I love the rites and traditions of the faith of which I am a part.
I enjoy what is called “the drama of the liturgy” — the shape of worship, and the way we do our services in the particular (Anglican) expression of Christian community to which I belong.
I don’t believe, however, in saying it all by rote, or by always using the same words or prayers, but exploring within my tradition the rich variety of ways in which worship has been expressed over many years. Composer Gustav Mahler wrote: “Tradition is the spreading of fire and not the veneration of ashes.” In our worship, in our faith, as in all of life, we shouldn’t live in the past, nor worry about the future, but be grounded in the needs and concerns of today.
Jesus said to his followers: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” telling them to keep their focus on the moment, the things that were important. He goes on in that same passage of Matthew’s Gospel to say that worrying about things doesn’t add a moment to our lives, so his followers should not waste their time and energy on worrying.
It is easy to lose our focus on the everyday, particularly when we are under strain or distracted. Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a little nostalgia, or go over our memories, particularly the happier ones. We also need to take note of the lessons of history, and learn from where people, governments and nations have hurt themselves and others through allowing the powerful to abuse their position, or where the inaction of the majority has brought about the perpetration of injustice. As the philosopher George Santayana wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But if we spend all of our time in the past, then we don’t see the opportunities or the challenges of the present clearly.
As a follower of Christ, I want to be fully and deeply rooted in the past, the traditions, the Scriptures, the life of Jesus, the achievements of the Church at its best, the lessons learned from its failures. I also look forward in hope to a time when faith transforms people and the world. But I also long to have a spirituality and active faith focused on what I need to do today. And, like U2, I hope I can breathe new life into old things, and move forward, too.