Change... or not?

2009-09-23

Our son once asked his grandad if his father had told bad jokes.  'Why?'  'Well, I want to know if it's hereditary.  You see, I tell bad jokes, my dad tells bad jokes, you tell bad jokes... I just wanted to know if it runs in the family.'  It was a question that had no answer.  With that warning, here goes.  Q: 'How many Anglicans does it take to change a light bulb?' A: 'What do you mean ... change?  My family donated that light bulb!'

The truth is that change is inevitable, whether or not we're Anglicans.  One expert on these matters once penned the thought that there's no such thing as standing still - if we aren't going forwards then we're going backwards.  That's certainly true, in my experience.

Talking to different people in our church family at St George's and hearing about how they came to faith that word change comes up really often.  'It changed my life' ... 'It changed the way I saw things.'  And that change continues.

As I looked around the other week, I thought about some of the people who had come to faith fairly recently.  How they have changed!  Physically, they all look so much more relaxed.  Spiritually, they've grown immensely.  As members of God's church, they are very much involved in the life of the fellowship.  And yet sometimes these changes are almost imperceptible.  There's not a lot to notice week by week.  But look back a year and it's all too obvious.

In among all the change, though, we need the bedrock of faith.  Much around us may change but our trust and faith in God need to remain constant.

I think of someone who was devastated at the death of a close relative and their grief was heartfelt.  And yet, time has moved on and, though no less real, the pain of loss is less.  It reminds me of another person who, in a similar situation, told me not to ask how her faith was being tested but how her faith was sutaining her.  How right she was!  And how grateful I was for that insight.

Yes, change with its joys and its sorrows is very much with us.  It is a constant.  What we often need to realise is that it's through change that we can often find ourselves growing as disciples.