new doc

Yesterday - for those of us in the US and who are Doctor Who fans - was a big night - the Doctor regenerated. For those of you not familiar with the show - the Doctor is a Time Lord - he can travel through time but with that ability he bears a mixture of wisdom and responsibility gleaned from over 900 years of traveling around in his "ship" the Tardis.

Every few years he had to change - regenerate his body - it is a clever dramatic creation for it means that how ever much a viewer likes the current actor playing the Doctor we know that we must enjoy it whilst it lasts because eventually the day will come when another actor takes on the role. The Doctor changes with each new incarnation - the most recent actor to take on the role, David Tennant, has been great - reviving the tradition of Doctor Who to a new generation, including my own children.

I have mentioned this whole storyline in my blog before - but predictably the comments in the living room last night when the new Doctor appeared on the screen ranged from "He doesn't look very good, I don't think he will do a good job..." to "I think he looks interesting." I kept quiet, remembering years of watching this show and feeling that mix of disappointment at losing the familiar and excitement at something new.

It is this motif that I want to grab a hold of - disappointment and excitement - both key elements of change. My guess is that the producers of the show have to be very careful not to put off the bad feeing of disappointment too long, they have to show discipline before the storylines get bogged down and dominated by one way of doing things. And it is a discipline - it is a discipline asked of the viewer as well, as we watch the new guy find his feet and grip on to the role in his own way. To forgive the clumsiness of the new and enjoy its perspectives.

Perhaps seeing change as a discipline to which we are called might be a better way that dragging ourselves might be better than dragging ourselves through it kicking and screaming. Change is as inevitable as breathing. That we will not like all change is also inevitable - but the discipline is in holding on long enough to discern God's hand in the things which shape our lives, in the things in which we take part. The discipline is understanding that the new is often clumsy and does not fit as comfortably as the old and at the same time not holding up the old as perfect, especially when it is broken and damaged ( and damaging). The discipline, in TV terms, is to watch a few new episodes before casting judgment and not simply spend the rest of our lives watching the same old DVDs of our favorites - until we know every line and laugh on cue.

Christmas, God coming, is not a historical reenactment, it is a current reality. Jesus has come this year, to this place - not as a character on TV payed by numerous actors, but as who He is in a world which moves and to people who are called to move and change and grow. Christmas is not just a re-run year after year, it is not a story which we can claim to know - not if we enter into incarnation - not if we allow God to be God of change, God of surprises.