Breaking the Rules

 

When is it OK to break the rules?

I am thankful that I was raised in a house where I was taught manners and respect for other people. I was taught, in keeping with the teaching of Jesus to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. This kind of mutual respect and honor is in part what keeps any human group or human society from turning into chaos. Today, in the United States, in the broader sense of our popular culture and our national debates, good manners seem be the exception rather than the rule.

But at what point does a person’s or societies’ view of “good manners” or “appropriate behavior” become manipulative, unduly restrictive, and/or downright abusive? Every human family or group, no matter how large or how small, has unwritten expectations and “acceptable manners”. This does not mean that their definitions are healthy or to be adopted.

When Jesus came to live among us, he walked into both civil and religious structures with many assumed and expected manners and rules. Those under the power of these leaders knew the consequences of thinking outside of their holy and elevated rules and used their so-called prestige and knowledge for their own selfish desires. This not only bothered Jesus, but it also often infuriated him to the point of rebuke and at times even name-calling for specific theological application.

Jesus knew the importance of the Law of God in the Old Testament, and he knew the authority and power of the truths of the Old Testament Scripture in general. However, he also knew, that human rules, established to give limits and boundaries to facilitate structure and order, were to be contextually applied based on the core, Godly characteristics of righteousness/justice, mercy, and shalom as God had revealed it to his people.

However, those who love POWER over their love for God, revel in rigidity and simplicity – laying aside a patient, gracious, and thoughtful discerning of truth and error or right and wrong. Jesus never pursued the leadership of Israel to change them. They pursued him as a threat. When Jesus pushed back at their duplicity and parasitic behaviors, the Jewish leaders saw Jesus as a disrespectful, rebellious, and dangerous prophet. Of course, any prophet in the Old or New Testaments that pushed against corruption, injustice, or the disobedience to God’s Word also faced these same responses.

Our text for Sunday comes from the Gospel of Luke chapter 13 (see the link below). Jesus again, chooses mercy over the strict interpretation of current man-made applications regarding the sabbath. The RIGHT group, the POWERFUL group was non-too-pleased. But the powerless, marginalized, and ill woman who was healed were ecstatic and gave praise to God!

How might we be a people who give this “gospel” news and love to others who know only the marginalization and power structures so valued by the world? How can we avoid this kind of off-putting, Holy Spirit dousing, and selfish approach to leadership at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church? To the Church of Christ?

"Controlling the Rules" - Luke 13:10-17

Waiting on God

So, why is it so hard to wait for things? The first, although admittedly shallow, example that comes to my mind is a child who is waiting for Christmas to come. Finally, the week before Christmas arrives, and then Christmas Eve. Growing up, our family opened gifts on Christmas Eve. As a young elementary student, I found that day almost unbearable in its slowness.

And, yet, learning to wait for things that we so desperately want (or have convinced ourselves that we need) continues as a challenge (and often a problem) into adulthood.

We, the redeemed, are also called to wait: for God’s strength, healing, encouragement, and especially for the final return of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is with His return that we will know a final healing, joy, and the fulness of human life in reconciliation to God.

But the good news is that we are not alone. The human beings and central characters in the story of God's Covenant People also struggled with waiting on God - even when God miraculously delivered His promises in overwhelming and shocking ways. The reality is that our gracious and dependable God always keeps His promises. However, He is rarely in a hurry, nor is He often moved to placate our childish behavior.

In the sermon below, we look at the "waiting" required of Abram. May it comfort us to know that God is right in the middle of the "waiting" that consumes so much of this life, just like he was with Sarai and Abram. And, our Lord tells us - over and over again - that, in the end, our waiting will be well worth it.

Waiting on God - Genesis 15:1-6 - Video Sermon

Navigating the Heavenly

 

Have you ever heard the statement about certain Christians that they are "so heavenly minded, that they are no earthly good"? The idea is that the theology of some seems so focused on the future glory of heaven, that they tend only to emphasize the ethereal or spiritual. Thus, these believers are vastly detached or impractical about everyday Christian living and/or the needs of others around them.

However, many in response to this culture of "doing church" over-react (for a host of complex historic and cultural reasons) with a similarly poor approach to theology, believing only what is done practically and literally in this life matters. Helping the needy and marginalized and leading them to the American Dream = heaven. The End.

As our texts on Sunday (see below link) will emphasize, neither of these extremes is remotely scriptural. Our "heavenly mindedness" is what fuels our loving, earthy, and faithful living. We love others now as we will love them for all eternity. We are to be living examples, and a taste of heaven for those who are exposed to our transformed character and actions. We embrace the temporary nature of all of our material blessings and our wealth. When we die, we leave as poor and vulnerable as we entered.

But to live this new life, our old ways and perspectives (fueled and informed by the disobedient of this world) have to be put to death. Thanks be to God, our old lives and their rulers and authorities have been defeated, and in our baptism, we are given the power to be Christ to the world around us. However, we must claim and rely on this change in our character through the power of the Holy Spirit. It takes effort and determination to live in such a heavenly way.

 

 “Living Above it All” – Video Sermon, Colossians 3:1-14

Living or Fabricated?

 

Authentic people discern reality and truth as they present themselves, so that love and wisdom may be rightly applied. 

Inauthentic people create the narratives they must have, and then desperately try to manipulate others and situations for their own happy returns. One approach reflects the character of God. The other, the power brokers of this world.

Loving and Hating Truth

 

From Confessions, by St. Augustine, Chapter 23.