"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" (Isaiah 43:19). Change can be frightening. Traditions give us stability and a sense of who we are. But when we cling to them without asking why, they can stop us from growing.
These two stories about change, retold in our own words, include a humorous family tale and a thoughtful film. Each ends with a takeaway for sermons or reflection.
Stories in this collection:
Why We Cut the End off the Roast
A traditional story, told in many versions; its author is unknown.
A little girl noticed something curious about the way her mother cooked the Sunday roast. Every time, before putting the meat in the oven, her mother cut a piece off the end of it.
One day the girl asked her why.
Well, to be honest, her mother said, I do it because that's the way my mother always did it. I'm sure she must have had a good reason.
At the next family gathering, the girl decided to get to the bottom of it. Grandma, she asked, why do you always cut the end off the roast before you cook it?
Her grandmother gave exactly the same answer. Well, to be honest, I do it because that's how my mother always did it. I'm sure she had a good reason.
A week or so later, the girl went to visit her great-grandmother, who was ninety years old. She explained that her mother and her grandmother always cut the end off the roast, but neither of them could remember why. Did she know?
Her great-grandmother stared at her, then burst out laughing. Good heavens! she said. Imagine the two of them still doing that! I only cut the end off because my roasting pan was too small!
It is a funny story, but a revealing one. Every family, every church and every community has habits that began for a good reason. Over time, though, the reason can be forgotten while the habit lives on. Some traditions carry deep wisdom and are worth keeping. Others are simply the shape of an old roasting pan. Growing wisely means learning to ask which is which.
Takeaway: Jesus warned against holding on to human traditions in place of God's purposes (Mark 7:8). Ask why you do what you do, and keep the wisdom while letting go of the habits that no longer serve.
Source: Traditional story; author unknown.
Living in Colour: What Pleasantville Teaches About Change
This film deals with changing attitudes to sex, gender roles and race, and Christians will reflect on its message in different ways. We describe it in general terms.
Do you ever wish we could go back to a simpler, more wholesome time, a world where everything seemed stable and easy?
That longing is at the heart of the 1998 film Pleasantville. Its main characters are teenage twins, David and Jennifer, played by Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. Both are struggling with the pressures of modern life and with a family broken by divorce.
Jennifer throws herself into parties and relationships. David retreats into his room and spends as much time as he can watching reruns of his favourite television show, a 1950s black-and-white sitcom called Pleasantville. The show seems to offer everything he wants: simplicity, happy families, safety and clear community values.
One day the twins fight over the remote control and break it. A strange television repairman appears and gives them a new remote. When they press the button, they find themselves transported into the world of the sitcom itself, a town where everything is neat, orderly and literally black and white.
They become part of a traditional 1950s family. Their mother stays home to cook and clean, and their father comes home from work each evening calling out that he is home. David knows every episode by heart and decides to play along. Jennifer is horrified and refuses to follow the rules. David warns her that she will destroy these people's way of life.
In a sense, she does. But in many ways the change she brings is for the better. The reason everything in Pleasantville is so pleasant is that no one is allowed to be different. Everyone conforms. The mother has buried her own longings. The owner of the soda shop has hidden his dream of becoming a painter. The high-school basketball team wins every game but has no idea how to cope with failure.
As people begin to discover their own dreams and feelings, they start to turn from black and white into colour. Some of the change is messy and impulsive; not all of it is wise. But the soda-shop owner begins to paint, the mother discovers a life of her own, and the town begins to come alive.
The reaction from those in power is swift. At first confused, the town's leaders soon become convinced that society is falling apart. They hold meetings, pass laws against the "coloured" people, shame those who have changed, and even burn books. A darker side appears as some who resent the changes turn to intimidation and violence. But the change cannot be stopped.
By the end, the colourful world is more complicated, more uncertain and in some ways more dangerous than the black-and-white one. People have to work out new roles and wrestle with moral choices they were never allowed to face before. Yet they are more fully alive.
The film raises hard questions about change. Some changes are losses, and Christians will not agree with every change the film celebrates. But it also shows how a society that looks orderly can be built on keeping some people silent, and how fear of change can turn into harsh judgement and even cruelty. Change always needs wisdom. It does not need fear.
Takeaway: Paul urged believers not to conform to the pattern of this world but to be transformed (Romans 12:2). Faith does not mean freezing life in black and white; it means letting God bring us fully to life.
Source: Pleasantville (1998), written and directed by Gary Ross.
Final thoughts
A roast cut short for no reason, and a town slowly turning to colour. Together they invite us to hold on to what is truly good, and to let go of what is merely familiar.
For related stories, see our stories about wisdom and growth.
Is there a tradition in your life that needs a closer look?
More stories you may like:
These stories are retold in our own words for teaching and reflection. Sources are credited under each story.
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