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In the musical Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye is the Jewish father of five girls living in a Russian village who finds himself going through a period that is continually challenging his traditions. First, his oldest daughter, Tzeitel does not want to accept the man picked for her by the village matchmaker. But Tevye has already struck up a deal with this man to marry his daughter. And so Tevye goes through a mental wrestling match with himself that goes something like this: "On the one hand ... I'm the papa, and I'm supposed to decide on the daughter's husband. But on the other hand ... she doesn't love the man that I've arranged for her to marry." So on and on he goes, with "on the one hand this" and "on the other hand that" until he comes to a conclusion that "they love each other." Ultimately Tzeitel is engaged and married to Motel the Tailor, her choice for a husband.

Then, just when Tevye thinks things have settled down, his second daughter, Hodel, along with Perchik, a modern--thinking student from Kiev, announce that they have become engaged. This comes without any discussion with her father. Tevye replies, "Oh, so now the daughter is telling the papa that she is engaged. What has happened to tradition?" Here we go again! Tevye starts on the one hand and then the other hand, until he convinces himself that maybe it's not all bad, because after all, "they love each other."

The straw that breaks the camel's back comes when Chava, the third daughter, confides to her father that she is in love with Fyedka, a Russian villager, who is not of the Jewish faith. As hard as he tries with his "on the one hand, but on the other hand," Tevye cannot accept his daughter marrying someone outside the faith. At this point, tradition has to stand. He cannot give in to any more reform. So when Chava defies him and marries Fyedka anyway, he announces that Chava no longer exists. In Tevye's mind, he now has only four daughters.

Tevye's struggles with tradition, and with his changing, modern world, exemplify the obstacles that exist between the old and the new, and the changes that have to take place to be able to let go of the old and embrace the new.

Saint Paul talks about the old and the new in this section from Romans. On the one hand is Adam, the first man created, who introduced sin and death into the world. On the other hand is Jesus, who, though sinless himself, was able to sacrifice his life for the lives of all those who have sinned.

I can just hear Tevye going back and forth on this one: "On the one hand, God created Adam. And Adam was created in the image of God. And God said it was good. On the other hand, Adam disobeyed God. And everyone since Adam has had a difficult time keeping God's Law. So, on the one hand, it was Adam who first sinned, but on the other hand, we've been doing it ever since."

However, it was God who gave Adam a mind with which to make a choice. Of course, on the other hand, having created Adam in his own image, Adam could have chosen to obey God. On the other hand, since Adam, sin has been a tradition for all humans. But on the other hand, God demands obedience. It would be hard for even Tevye to come up with a suitable resolution to this dilemma. But God has a solution.

Now, on the one hand, Adam, who represents us all, being the first created in the form that we exist, has carried a bad reputation throughout history. Granted, he knew what God told him, but he had no experience from which to draw. He was the first sinner, so there was no record of sin. We, on the other hand, have all chosen sin over God at some point in our lives. We have a whole history of sin and consequences to draw from when we make our decisions to sin. On the other hand, Jesus also represents us all and has shown us that we can choose right over wrong, good over evil, God's way over our own way. As Tevye might say, "What's a papa to do?" On the one hand, God loves us. On the other hand, God hates sin. What is a papa to do?

The pastor of a small, country church moved to the pulpit at the appropriate time for the sermon. "Before the sermon," he announced, "I'd like to introduce a guest minister who is with us today." The pastor told the congregation that the guest was one of his dearest childhood friends and that he wanted him to greet the church and share whatever he wanted.

With that, an elderly man stepped up to the pulpit and began to speak. "A father, his son, and a friend of his son were sailing off the Pacific coast," he began, "when a fast--approaching storm blocked any attempt to get back to the shore. The waves were so high that, even though the father was an experienced sailor, he could not keep the boat upright and the three were swept into the ocean as the boat capsized."

The old man hesitated for a moment, making eye contact with two teenagers who were, for the first time since the service began, looking somewhat interested in what was being said. He continued his story, "Grabbing a rescue line, the father had to make the most excruciating decision of his life: Which boy would he save with the lifeline? Would he throw the line to his son, whom he loved beyond comparison, or would he throw it to the other boy? He only had seconds to make the decision and knew that he most likely could not save them both. The father knew that his son was a Christian. He also knew that his son's friend was not. The agony of his decision could not be matched by the torrent of waves.

"As the father yelled out, 'I love you, son!' he threw out the lifeline to his son's friend. By the time the father had pulled the boy back to the capsized boat, his son had disappeared beneath the raging swells into the black of night. His body was never recovered."

By this time, the two teenagers were sitting up straight in the pew, anxiously waiting for the next words to come out of the old minister's mouth. "The father," he continued, "knew his son would step into eternity with Jesus. But he could not bear the thought of his son's friend dying without knowing Jesus as his Savior. So, he sacrificed his own son to save the son's friend."

The old minister paused and looked over those seated before him. Then he continued, "How great is the love of God that he should do the same for us. Our Heavenly Father sacrificed his only begotten son so that we could be saved. If you do not yet know him, I urge you to accept his offer to rescue you and take hold of the lifeline he is throwing out to you today."

The old man turned and sat back down in his chair as silence filled the room. The pastor again walked slowly to the pulpit and delivered a brief sermon with an invitation at the end. But no one responded to the appeal, and soon, the service ended and everyone was leaving the church.

Immediately, the two teenagers were at the old man's side. "That was a nice story," one of the boys said politely, "but I don't think it was very realistic for a father to give up his only son's life with just a hope that the other boy would become a Christian."

"Well, you've got a point there," the old man replied, glancing down at his worn Bible. Then a peaceful smile broke out on his narrow face. "It sure isn't very realistic, is it?" he said to the boys. "But I'm standing here today to tell you that story gives me a glimpse of what it must have been like for God to give up his Son for you and me. All in the name of hope.

"You see - I was that father and your pastor is my son's friend."

What's a papa to do? On the one hand, God loved his only begotten son. On the other hand, God loves us. But God, being God, can't live with our sinfulness. Somebody had to pay the price for our sins. Somebody had to redeem us from the clutches of death. Otherwise, we would spend eternity separated from God. God chose salvation for all of his creation over the suffering of his own son. That's what a good papa does. He takes care of all his children, no matter what the cost.

Professor Lowell of Harvard University was speaking to a gathering on Columbus Day. He told the crowd that there were three profound things about Christopher Columbus' discovery of America. First, when he left Spain he didn't know where he was going. Second, when he arrived in the New World he didn't know where he was. Third, when he returned to King Ferdinand in Spain he didn't know where he had been. Someone later added to Professor Lowell's speculation: "And he did it all on borrowed money!"

First, when we started our journey in this life, we didn't know where we were going. Most of our lives, we don't know where we are. And when we return to where we started, we won't know where we have been. But we'll have made the whole trip on borrowed money, the body and blood of Jesus Christ!

On the one hand, Adam left a legacy of sin and death, born from Adam's disobedience. On the other hand, Adam left a legacy of Jesus Christ, born from his own offspring. On the one hand, we are children of Adam's legacy of sin. But ... on the other hand, the hand marked by the nail of the cross, we are the children of Adam's legacy in Jesus Christ. And it is that legacy that will last forever and ever.