Have you ever been on holiday with someone who packs absolutely everything? (I may or may not be guilty of this….)

Three pairs of shoes.

Five coats.

A travel iron.

Half the bathroom cabinet.

And then, when the suitcase refuses to close, they sit on top of it and hope for the best.

I’ve been thinking that actually, we Christians can sometimes do something similar.

Not with suitcases.

But with the gospel.

Over the years, we can gradually add things that were never meant to carry the same weight as Jesus Himself.

Our traditions.

Our preferences.

Our favourite worship style.

The way we’ve always done things.

And before long, what began as something beautifully simple can start to feel rather heavy.

Now, don’t misunderstand me.

Traditions are not bad, many of them are wonderful and live giving.

Some have sustained the church for centuries and have helped countless people encounter God.

But traditions are just that…..traditions…..secondary to the saving grace of God. traditions are meant to serve the gospel, not replace it.

Jesus seemed to encounter this problem regularly.

The religious leaders of His day had accumulated layers upon layers of rules and expectations. What had originally been intended to help people know God had, in some cases, become a burden instead.

Jesus was never interested in making it harder for people to come to God.

In fact, He said:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Not more burdens.

Rest.

Of course, every generation has preferences.

Some love hymns.

Some love modern worship.

Some prefer liturgy.

Others prefer spontaneity.

Some find God in silence.

Others find Him in celebration.

And perhaps that’s okay.

Because the organ is not the gospel.

Neither is the guitar.

The order of service is not the gospel.

Neither is the length of the sermon.

Even our denominational labels are not the gospel.

Only Jesus is.

I sometimes wonder whether we accidentally make Christianity sound far more complicated than Jesus did.

People ask questions like:

“What do I have to do to become a Christian?”

And sometimes our answers can become surprisingly long.

Yet when the jailer asked Paul that question in Acts 16, the answer was beautifully simple:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

Simple.

Not simplistic.

But simple.

Perhaps that’s because the heart of Christianity has never been about mastering a complicated system.

It’s about knowing a person.

Jesus.

Everything else matters only insofar as it helps us know Him more.

And perhaps that’s a good question for all of us.

Are there things I hold tightly that Jesus holds more lightly?

Have I confused preference with truth?

Have I mistaken tradition for the gospel itself?

Because whilst traditions can be precious, they should never become barriers.

After all, Jesus didn’t come to invite us into a particular style.

He came to invite us into a relationship.

And maybe, just maybe, some of us need permission to unpack a few things we’ve been carrying for far too long.

Because Jesus never asked us to carry extra luggage.

He simply said:

“Follow me.”

And perhaps that has always been enough.

So the question is – what extra baggage have you put in your suitcase of life?