About four hours from my parents’ home in Germany is the city of Leipzig, where Johann Sebastian Bach did most of his work and composing. He was the cantor (music director) at two churches that are just a few blocks from each other, St Thomas and St Nicolai. Whenever I go home, I try to take the train to Leipzig for a day or two to simply sit in the two churches and listen to the music and sermons there. As with many buildings in Europe, St Thomas (the main church) is several centuries old, and even has a lectern where Martin Luther preached a sermon in 1539! Besides Bach being the music director for 27 years, Mozart played an organ concert while on a European tour, and Richard Wagner was not only baptized there, but received music lessons from the music director at the church. Overall, it is a place steeped in history, tradition, religion, and in classical music.
And yet, the church always finds a way to move forward, to change with the times, to grow and challenge itself. While the liturgy is what has been sung for decades, if not centuries (it is so comforting to stand in the pew and know that the Lamb of God being sung is the same as an ELCA church is singing that day, just in a different language!), the music is not always traditional. Besides countless classical concerts, they host jazz and contemporary music. The dress of the those attending the services and concerts goes from today’s styles to conservative coverings. Everyone is welcome just as they are. Children are welcome and participate in worship and also have their own space. And the sanctuary itself, while itself centuries old and covered in beautiful historical stained glass windows, has one stained glass window that is wildly modern – it was installed in 2009 and is called the Peace Window, reminding people of the peaceful way of Christ and commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution.
We tend to get used to the way we do things are, both in our life and in our church. Change can seem scary, and yet it is so often necessary. Sometimes, next to something that may be centuries old, we need to include something that is brand-new, to make new ways to move forward. Changing things doesn’t necessarily mean that the way things are are wrong, but that we may have outgrown them. Beliefs we may have held have evolved, spaces may have to be altered to create new ways of worshiping, hymnals may include new liturgy and hymnody. Often, we need to have a little reformation (or every 500 years or so, a big one!) to refresh and grow our faith. May we be open to change, whatever form it is. May we honor our past, but be open in the present to spread seeds for the future. May we sing to the Lord a new song (Psalm 150:1), whatever form that may take! Pauline
