I was reading an article a few years ago with a title that has stayed with me, and it has become a question I ask myself on a regular basis: “Are your memories greater than your dreams”?

 This is not only a great personal question, but it is a great question to ask when it comes to worship services and church vision. Many Army churches are still sorting out issues regarding tradition and innovation. How much tradition do we keep? How much innovation can our congregation handle without becoming too disgruntled?

 This balancing act is actually played out in scripture in a variety of ways. In the Old Testament tradition was established through the Levitical laws. Tradition was played out through the daily sacrifices and rituals, and annual festivals such as Passover and Day of Atonement.

 Yet throughout the Psalms we never find King David beginning with “Let us sing an old song unto the Lord.” He was definitely a believer in continually introducing new songs and prayers.

 God Himself harbors the dichotomy of being an unchanging God whose attributes include creativity. When He created man in His own image, we inherited this creative drive to be continually inventing, and trying out the new.

 One of the most interesting scripture passages takes place in Isaiah 43. To put verses 18 and 19 in context, one must begin at verse 16: “This is what the Lord says – He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!’ Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

 It is as if God is saying, “Remember all the great things I did for you in the past? Well, forget about them! You are spending so much time looking back that you are missing out on what I am doing for you now, and what I about to do for you in the future!”

 This pattern of tradition and innovation is continued in the New Testament, at the table of the Last Supper. In John 13:34 Jesus says to His disciples, “A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” It is at this same table that Jesus introduces us to a ‘new’ tradition, that of communion: “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19).

 Peter and Paul, also, do away with old traditions by not requiring circumcision for the Gentiles (Acts 15:5-11; Romans 2:17-29; Galatians 5:6 & 6:15, 1 Corinthians 7:19), but endorse the ‘new’ traditions of communion and baptism (1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Acts 10:46-48).

 Paul, in Hebrews 8, discusses the Levitical sacrifices by quoting from Jeremiah 31 where it says, “The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel…” and finishes the chapter with “By calling this covenant ‘new’ he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.”

 But perhaps the connection between old and new is best summed up by Jesus Himself in Matthew 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Thus the new covenant sheds light on the old, and the old is best understood through the lens of the new.

 So how does all this relate to worship? I like to use a metaphor of ‘anchors’ and ‘sails’ to illustrate. Pretend you have signed up for a cruise. Exciting, eh? But if the whole cruise entailed of sailing from port to port without stopping, after awhile you may feel like you’re missing out on something. Likewise, if you got on the ship and it didn’t go anywhere, but stayed anchored right in the port where you embarked, you would be pretty disappointed – how boring! The whole point of the cruise is the balance between sailing and seeing new sights, and taking time to anchor now and again in order to thoroughly investigate and appreciate the port you are sailing through.

In our worship we need enough ‘sails’ – new experiences, new music, new formats, new instrumentation, etc. – to keep us from becoming bored. Too much repetition causes people to ‘tune out’, to recite by rote, and a loss of appreciation for the meaning in the worship.

 But we also need ‘anchors’ – traditions, familiarity, and predictability – in order to feel a sense of belonging and security. Too few anchors causes confusion and alienation – a worship service may be exciting with all the new stuff happening, but I can’t participate because I don’t know any of the songs or the liturgy. I am out of my comfort zone.

 The challenge in creating a meaningful worship environment for your congregation is to find this balance between ‘anchors’ and ‘sails’. Are there enough sails to prevent boredom? Are there enough anchors to prevent alienation? In future THEME articles we will explore some creative and practical ways to find that balance.

- written by Kim Garreffa, Contemporary Music Consultant, THQ