I recently 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 to be given by a member of my community. I am a big U2 fan, and that album continues to be one of my favourites, and 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, given a new feel whilst retaining the flavour and feel of the originals. It felt fresh, whilst being familiar. It felt as though the band weren’t reliving glory days, but recognising their history whilst doing something new. Quite a feat.
It may surprise many of those 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 which 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 which 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’s 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 human beings, 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 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 focussed on what I need to do today. And like U2 – I hope I can breathe new life into old things, and move forward too!
Alastair McCollum is Rector of St. John the Divine Anglican Church in Victoria. He has a passion for the Gospel, motorbikes and bike culture, worship, philosophy, theology, guitars, single malt whisky, real ale, cinema and all things French. You can find Alastair at the church website: www.stjohnthedivine.bc.ca and on his blog: fracme.blogspot.ca
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* This article was published in the print edition of the Times Colonist on Saturday, May 20 2017
