We WORSHIP God…not Tradition
PLC Core Value #1 | Pastor Sean Kelly
A while back, someone asked me why we don't often sing the "old favorites" at church anymore. You know the ones…the hymns that echo in your bones and bring back memories of your childhood church or your mom’s voice floating through the kitchen. It was an honest question. It was a good question.
I smiled and said, “Because we’re not trying to relive the past. We’re trying to meet God in the present.” (If you’re wondering why I had a black eye a few weeks ago, it’s purely coincidental.)
Don’t get me wrong. I love a solid hymn like “Lift High the Cross!” or a praise song like “Shine, Jesus, Shine!” I’ve got plenty of these tucked in my heart. Tradition can be beautiful. Sacred, even. But here’s the thing…we don’t worship tradition. We worship God.
And that is a big difference.
Tradition is a tool, not the target. It's like scaffolding. Helpful for building something beautiful but not meant to be permanent. At some point, the scaffolding comes down so you can actually see what has been built. If tradition helps us draw closer to Jesus, let’s celebrate it. But if it starts blocking the view…well…it’s time to move it out of the way.
This is not a new problem. The Pharisees in Jesus' day were the gatekeepers of religious tradition. But somewhere along the way, they forgot why the tradition existed in the first place. They clung so tightly to their system that when God Himself showed up in the flesh, they missed Him. Rejected Him, even. He healed a blind man on the Sabbath, and instead of rejoicing, they filed a complaint. (See John 9. You’ll either laugh or cry.)
Jesus was never anti-tradition. He observed Passover. He read the scrolls in the synagogue. But He refused to let tradition become a fence between people and the heart of God. When worship stops being about relationship and becomes about the ritual, it loses its soul. You can count me out.
That is why at PLC we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and His mission. If something we have “always done” is no longer helping people connect with Jesus, then we lovingly, prayerfully, and maybe even a little nervously, set it aside and ask the Spirit, “What now?”
This kind of flexibility is not always comfortable and it’s definitely not easy. It means some of us have to let go of what we prefer. It means others have to take risks and try new things that might not work the first time. It means giving up our favorite seat, our favorite style, or our favorite rhythm of how church “should” feel.
But it also means making space for the Spirit to move in fresh, creative, surprising ways. It means younger generations get to meet Jesus in their own language. It means someone walking in for the first time doesn’t have to learn a whole new culture just to understand what’s going on.
It means worship becomes about God…not us.
And when that happens, something powerful is released. Worship becomes alive. Not because it sounds better or looks flashier, but because it’s filled with real people having real encounters with the living God.
So yes, we value our history. We honor our heritage. But we refuse to get stuck there. Because God is always doing a new thing. Not a trendy thing. Not a gimmicky thing. A kingdom thing.
If you ever wonder why we do things the way we do at PLC…why we change things up, add new elements, or stretch ourselves outside our comfort zones (even in our traditional worship services!), here’s the answer:
And we will keep doing whatever it takes to help people meet Him.