Pastoral prayer

Pastoral Prayer 05/31/2026

I wonder whether you come across online slang words and nervously look them up to find out what they mean. “mog,” “merk,” “looksmaxxing.” Priscilla and I were disagreeing the other day about whether “tradwife” is always disparaging.

Language is always changing, and one of the hardest things as we grow older is to keep up with the language. American English just slowly changes out from under us, and in 30 years things can become very different. This can happen in the church and it can happen when the church speaks to the world.

The changes are sometimes the way a group differentiates itself, and it is, in fact, kind of ridiculous for outsiders to use the slang when they are not part of the group.

Or new words may be a way of expressing ideas that don’t fit in the old vocabulary. Though God’s truth does not change, what seems critical and how it is explained does change.

When I was a young Christian in say 1973, I recall two tracts, one called “Jesus didn’t have long hair” (Whaaat?) and one titled “Mary didn’t wear pants” (Okaaaay). I guess the first one was a reaction to the ’60s and I don’t know the second was a reaction to . . . the ’40s?

I don’t think those tracts are particularly relevant today. Maybe the issues are still important – we still discuss gender roles – but those tracts no longer communicate a serious message to most people. The writers were speaking a different language to a different world.

Frederick Buechner used to say that the preacher – the person charged with the responsibility of communicating God’s truth – can’t just speak the old language loudly, distinctly and slowly:

Unfortunately, the only language people really understand is their own language, and unless preachers are prepared to translate the ancient [truths] into it, they might as well save their breath.

I think that’s right.

Really, sometimes it is hard to want to learn a new language, a new culture, a new way of translating the old truths into words that people who aren’t already on the inside can comprehend. It is hard to care like Jesus cared.

As a child of the ’70s, I need to learn a new language don’t I? Only then will I be able to speak the ancient truths to those who only speak “2026.” But that’s okay, I belong to a God who delights to have his children speak in tongues that can be understood by those on the outside. Think of Pentecost.