"RULES" FOR CHRISTIANS TO LIVE BY

     
      "Take the club back slowly. Keep your head down. Don't follow the car in front of you so closely. Drink plenty of water. Keep your huge cart of groceries out of the express lane. Never return for what was left behind. Put things back where you found them. Never treat anyone as if he or she is insignificant. Call your parents once in a while. Donate it to charity if you haven't used it in six months. Embrace 'today' as a sacred 'present' from God. Be a cheerleader. Follow your heart. Learn the difference between what's important and what's not. Always leave at least one urinal between you and the other guy. Be on time. Embrace change. Love yourself." Rules, rules, rules. Some are trivial, some are important. Some are self-imposed, some are imposed upon us. Some are universal, some are familial, some are individual, and some define us a part of a community or culture. As a Christian, for instance, I try to live in a way that reflects well on the One I believe in... because being a Christian has much more to do with the way in which we live than it does with the place in which we worship. Being a Christian calls me to embrace a way of life that non-Christians don't need to embrace. It requires me to pick up my cross and march to a different drummer. It requires me to embrace a set of "rules" that define me as a person of faith.
      According to the Bible, God has always called His people to a way of life that defines them as his people. God has always expected his people to live as if they are his people, and with that mind, he gave them a number of rules that they are expected to obey. In the book of Genesis, God set forth his first rules, which called the first couple to tend to his garden and invited them to eat freely of its produce, except for the fruit that he had forbidden. From the beginning, God gave us permission... and boundaries... and he set his rules for living even more clearly when he wrote on the tablets that Moses carried down the mountain. My people, God said, will have no other God before them, nor will they fashion any sort of idol to worship. My people will not worship golden calves! Others might, and others may well worship the lesser gods of power, pleasure, prestige, and wealth. But the people of God will not...because God has chosen them to be His people.
      People of faith are obliged to behave themselves and neither covet, nor seize, their neighbor's property. They are also to avoid gossip, lies, and false testimony. From the beginning, God gave his people rules that set them apart as His people. Some of the rules were "red lights" that shouted "STOP," and others were "green lights," that directed people in the way they should go. But they were all rules that were to be obeyed because they defined God's people... as a people. According to the Leviticus code (Lev. 19), God's people are obliged to stand when a "grey-haired" person enters the room and to rest on the Sabbath. Others may or may not choose to do these things, but God's people were expected to follow His rules... which called them to control their base instincts... and to show both respect and compassion to those who were vulnerable and in need. For instance, even in a primitive world, way back in Leviticus, God called his people to leave part of their fields and vineyards untouched... for the poor and the vulnerable, native-born and foreign alike. He expected his people to look after those who needed a little help, and it had nothing to do with American politics. It was a rule born of love and grace, and God expected his people to obey it! Likewise, God expected His people to treat their workers fairly... and to avoid doing anything that would make the lives of the deaf and the blind more difficult than they were. He expected his people to make life better for others, and it had nothing to do with being "soft" or "liberal." It was a rule born of grace and shared humanity... and God's people were expected to obey it.
      Indeed, God's people have always been identified as a people who march to a different drummer. When Christianity appeared in the Roman world, men who mocked it at every turn, would still remark, "Look at those Christians. My, how they love one another." Yes, the earliest Christians attracted others by the love they shared... and they shared this love because they followed Christ- the One who loved them, even to the point of death. Christians... were expected to live their lives by a unique set of rules, born of loving obedience, and with this in mind, Jesus gathered a group of followers around him one day... and delivered a message that we call "the Sermon on the Mount." Look, he said (in my words), if you choose to live as my people, you must also choose to be meek... in a world that doesn't reward meekness and considers it to be a weakness. And if you choose to be mine, you must choose to be merciful, just because your Father has been merciful to you. Moreover, in a world filled with sin, you are called to seek purity and righteousness... because God's Will resides in these things. Yes, you will see tempting sights, and your ears will be filled with a cacophony of lies from any number of lesser gods. These things will surely happen, but you must fill your mind, your spirit, and your friendship circles with people and things that build you up. And what is more, I also expect you... to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Knowing that you may be the only Christian that someone will ever know or listen to, you must let my light shine on them. This is an important rule. And, while others trust in themselves and what they own, I want you to trust in God for all things. As a matter of fact, I want you to get rid of anything that bogs you down, and store up your treasure in heaven. Others will laugh at you and say that you are "fanatical," but it is a rule for living that "kingdom people" follow.
      Live by my rules...and people will know that you are in me and that I am in you. Love one another- in ways that the world cannot understand. Love one another without judging (which is beyond your pay grade) and learn to see others as I see them. Love one another- this is a rule that will make you complete. Love your enemies too. And your neighbor as yourself. Give him or her the same wide tolerance, the same excuses, and the same slack that you give yourself. Friends, the word "Christian" is a noun and not an adjective! A Christian is a person who follows Christ and lives for him in what he or she does and says. Period. Jesus said that those who hear his words and obey them.. are those who love him. We must obey- that's the challenging part- but love makes it easy to do. That's the good news! We think that we're free when we're unattached... but it's a great lie because we are chained to ourself- to our pride, our sins, our secrets, and our fears. This is the truth of it: we will discover the fullness of life when we yoke ourselves to Jesus. If we follow his rules and live as his people, we will give light to the world, discover a peace that passes all understanding, and finally be free to live in the joyful obedience that heaven promises. Amen.