Grandma's Ham Two young newlyweds were preparing to enjoy their first baked ham dinner in their new apartment. After unwrapping the meat and setting it on the cutting board, the wife chopped off both ends of the ham with a butcher knife, tossing the two small ends in the garbage can. "Wait a minute," said the mystified husband. "Why did you do that? Why did you just cut off the ends of the ham like that?" "I don't know. My mother always did," answered the wife. "Maybe it helps bring out the flavor." Unsatisfied with this answer, the husband called his mother-in-law. "Can you tell me why you cut the two ends off of a ham before you cook it?" "Well," said the mother, "I'm not really sure why. That's just the way my mother did her ham, and it was always delicious." As soon as he hung up he called his wife's grandmother. "Grandma, we have an important question for you. Can you tell us why you cut the ends off of a ham before you cook it?" "Oh my yes, dear," answered Grandma in her quiet, thin voice. "I cut the ends of the ham off so it would fit in my pan."

Where to take it from here...

Traditions shape our lives, but it's important to know why we do them. "Because we've always done it that way" doesn't provide enough meaning to keep our traditions from becoming stale and meaningless. We may have received our worship traditions from great great grandparents, but for us to offer authentic worship we want to understand the meaning behind the traditions. Jesus urged his followers to "worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24). If worship seems lifeless and dull to us, perhaps we're just going through the motions instead of being empowered by the Holy Spirit. Similarly, God welcomes creativity and fresh approaches to serving him. God wants to use you in ways that he has never used anyone before. Let God's Holy Spirit lead you to take risks and try new ways of serving him. by Wayne Rice