Explain the Why

You’ve undoubtedly heard the story of the husband and the ham. It’s a must-do illustration for all pastors. So much so, that all Southern Baptist seminaries require graduates to sign a contract stipulating that they will use the ham story in at least three sermons per year.

Doesn’t ring any bells? Let me indulge you: a newlywed notices that every time his wife cooks a ham for dinner, she cuts 6-8 inches off of the end before putting it in a pan and tossing it in the oven. His curiosity gets the best of him, and he asks why she performs this particular ritual. The answer: “That’s the way my mom always did it.”

So the husband goes to his mother-in-law. He explains the situation, tells of his intrigue, and asks her the same question. And again, the same answer: “That’s the way my mom cooked her hams.”

On to the grandmother. He tells her of his bewilderment and begs for a better answer. The wise grandmother replies, “I don’t know why my daughter or granddaughter cuts the end off of their hams, but I did it because mine would never fit in my pan.”

(ba-dum-bum)

Traditions are great and there’s nothing inherently wrong with routine. Both give us a sense of history, of place, and of familiarity. But there is usually a “why” behind our traditions, and along with that why, a good reason to explain the why.

Here are three.... Read More

I once asked why the church where I now minister recites the Nicene Creed at Morning Prayer rather than the Apostles' Creed. While the rubrics of the 1928 Book of Common Prayer permit the recitation of the Nicene Creed, it is more appropriate - at least in my way of thinking - to recite the Apostles' Creed since it has traditionally been a part of the Daily Offices of the Western Church from the fifth century on, if not earlier. On the other hand the Nicene Creed has traditionally been a part of the Eucharist from around the same time although the Latin version of the Nicene Creed printed in the 1928 Prayer Book was not officially adopted by the Church of Rome until the eleventh century.

The explanation that I was given was that one of the service leaders when he read the service had a habit of dropping his eyes to the bottom of the page after leading the congregation in reciting the Canticle after the Second Lesson and reading the Nicene Creed. While the person who offered this explanation to me attributed this habit to poor eye sight, I concluded that the service leader in question might have preferred the Nicene Creed over the Apostles' Creed. After he was killed in a highway accident, the congregation continued to do what he had done. Reading the Nicene Creed became the default setting for Morning Prayer at that church in place of the Apostles' Creed.

On the mission field I believe that it is more appropriate to recite the Apostles Creed since it is not only a traditional part of the Anglican Daily Offices but more importantly it is the creed that is first introduced to catechumens. When a congregation is composed of first time guests, returning guests, and inquirers as well as believing Christians, the Apostles' Creed is the more logical choice.

To those who have not been instructed in the doctrine of the Nicene Creed, its recitation is a pointless and wearisome exercise. To those who have received such instruction, its recitation reinforces that instruction.