Janita Krayniak

According to Google, the definition of tradition is: “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.”  

The Broadway musical “Fiddler on the Roof” kind of pokes a little fun at the idea of tradition in the song that is titled … you guessed it … “Tradition!” It is a lighthearted look at how the Jewish faith and family has long been defined by roles and traditions.

Traditions can be a source of great comfort. It is what Tevye holds onto dearly as the main character of this story and musical. A Jewish milkman. A husband to Golde. A father of five daughters. Tevye is also a leader in his community and like many of us, he struggles to uphold his faith traditions, in his case Jewish, especially when it comes to his daughters’ marriages. We, like Tevye, enjoy the comfort of traditions. 

Traditions can be a guide. We learn about history when we practice traditions. We also learn about who we are and who we can be. Traditions guide us through the tough times and the good times, but sometimes traditions reveal that it is time for a change in the way we understand things, in the ways we act or think, or even in the ways we choose to respond. In this way traditions can become a challenge!

If the early church leaders had simply never questioned the way things were, we would never have become the rich and diverse church throughout the world today. We would all either be Jewish or Gentile. But somewhere along the way, the early Church leaders realized that traditions as important as they are, sometimes need to be changed. 

The character of Fiddler in this musical, represents the deep desire for survival in a life of uncertainty while trying to maintain … tradition. In the message version of the Bible, found in the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 7 it says: 

“Jesus answered, ‘Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact: These people make a big show of saying the right thing, but their heart isn’t in it. They act like they are worshiping me, but they don’t mean it. They just use me as a cover for teaching whatever suits their fancy, ditching God’s command and taking up the latest fads.’ He went on, ‘Well, good for you. You get rid of God’s command so you won’t be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions!’”

In every aspect of life we have traditions. Families and even we as individuals have traditions. Sports teams and even individual players have traditions. Schools and universities have traditions. There are even traditions in the workplace! And yes, churches have traditions. You might call them habits, or routines, or the way we have always done it, but whatever we name them, they are good and necessary. But not when they become problematic to living God’s commandment of love. In that Mark passage Jesus is holding the church to the fire warning them that religious tradition is not more important than God’s law of love.  

Traditions! They are good and important to us all, but not if it gets in the way of loving God and each other. The choice is ours. What will we pass down to the next generation?  

(Janita Krayniak is the pastor of the First United Methodist Church and Union Presbryterian Church in Powell and United Methodist Church in Lovell.)