Lessons from Cars 2

Lesson 3: New or Used

Over the 42 years that I have been driving, I have owned eleven vehicles—eight cars and three mini-vans. Of these, five were bought new, five came off a used car lot, and one I bought from a friend. When purchasing a vehicle one question that has to be answered early in the process is whether to buy new or used. My father used to say, “Don’t buy someone else’s junk.” His opinion was forged from his experiences with a few lemons he purchased used over the years. While his advice is still valid, I have learned to appreciate the fact that there is value in both new and used cars. Conversely, “junk” can come in new packaging as well as old.

In our Christian life we should not be too hasty to label anything as “junk.” I have known Christians to dismiss old hymns and traditional worship services as being broken down and ineffective. I have also known Christians to label contemporary worship songs as been all show and no substance. The truth is that there are some old hymns that should be thrown out and there are some new songs that should never be sung. On the other hand there are some old songs and old traditions that carry a lot of meaning and should be treasured. Likewise there are some beautiful, new worship songs that need to be learned and adopted. What holds true for worship songs, also holds true for people. It’s not age, but quality that counts.

Matthew 13:52

 He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”