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“Hear, my child, and accept my words,
that the years of your life may be many.
I have taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
When you walk, your step will not be hampered;
and if you run, you will not stumble.” (Proverbs 4: 10-12, NRSV)
I have just returned from vacationing with my daughter and her family up in northern Minnesota. We spent time at the Smith family cabin which is located near the town of Detroit Lakes. Although I have spent many a summer exploring that region and so know it well, this time there was something new to be had.
The leaders of this community had commissioned Thomas Danbo, a Danish recycling artist and activist, to create five giant trolls hidden in the woods in that area. One of the trolls he created was 36 feet tall, so they were fun to find. Each troll carried a clue that helped visitors discover the ultimate prize -- the giant golden rabbit.
It was quite the sensation. It seemed everyone wanted to have a part of the troll adventure. People of all ages were hiking through the woods in search of the trolls and golden rabbit.
Of course, like everyone else, we were also on a mission to find them all and we were doing quite well until it came to finding the third troll. This troll was one of the easier ones to find as it was only about ½ mile from the road and was situated near a stream. But as you and I know, “easier” doesn’t necessarily always pan out the way you think it should.
Did I mention it had been raining a lot in the previous weeks?
As we neared the troll, we, unfortunately, failed to notice the new path that provided a safe route around the swollen waters of the stream and so instead chose the stepping stones that went straight through the stream to the troll. A bad choice on our part. My daughter went first, then my 4-year-old granddaughter, and then me – bringing up the rear. My grandson and son-in-law were ahead of us and had already made it across.
Did I mention I was wearing sandals that day?
Well, as fate would have it, while going across, my granddaughter suddenly got scared and froze on the rock that I was trying to step to. Unbalanced (because of those sandals), I was faced with two choices – push my granddaughter into the stream so that I could step on her rock or fall into the stream myself. You can guess what I chose. Down I went, while my ever-loving granddaughter laughed her head off about how Nana was now sitting in the middle of the stream — soaked.
A memory-making experience, for sure! A story that will be told again and again and again at family gatherings. Do you remember when Nana fell in the stream? Truth be told that is what family vacations are all about – creating life-long memories.
Of course, the same sorts of memory-making experiences happen within the church. We are also in the business of creating life-long memories. My daughter will never forget her middle-school mission trip to Thunder Bay because it was on that trip that she jumped into the ice-cold waters of Lake Superior to help a friend who had fallen in. I can still remember the joy of the congregation as they were greeted by hundreds of origami butterflies hanging from the sanctuary ceiling one Easter morning. People remember the baptisms, the singing of their favorite hymns, the meals shared, and the candlelit Christmas Eve services and other special services.
Yes, the church is definitely in the business of creating treasured memories that we often hold onto and cherish. And this can be so good until that holding on becomes a hindrance for growth. Sometimes we cling so tightly to our memories that we become resistant to change; to doing anything differently. We become so attached to the ways we have always done things that the church becomes stagnant, rather than vibrant; archaic, rather than current; and dead, rather than alive.
I am a firm believer that the things that happen within a church have a life cycle. There will always be those occasions when it is time to bless something and then let it go. Letting go doesn’t mean that it wasn’t important, rather it is a necessary step in creating a new space that allows for the church to be open to different possibilities and new growth. It is okay to do things in a new way. It helps to keep a church or for that matter, a denomination, vital.
And yes, I get it, change can be hard. It is challenging to put aside those cherished ways of doing things simply because there are so many complicated emotions associated with those memories. But we never really lose those things. We will always have those memories. We will always have the stories. We always have the messy emotions. They are close to heart and easy to access.
Yes, we are in the business of creating life-long memories. However, we are also in a new season of being the church. We can’t be afraid to start creating some new and different memory-making experiences.
Nan Smith
The Rev. Nan Smith
The Rev. Nan Smith is a retired clergy member of the Iowa Annual Conference.