I've been really fortunate lately to have had a number of conversations about what it means to be Christian. Not about being A Christian - but about the ongoing practice that we all share about what it means to live the Christian life.
Because: it ain't always easy. It's not always popular.
Not when we come right down to it. when we need to put into practice some particular tenets by which we live our life. Imagine a set of rules for life, that inspired us to Love God, and to Love one another. Hmm. What a great idea!
Well, that was the topic of conversation I had with a spiritual companion THIS week... A Rule of Life.
Do you have one? My friend wasn't sure - so we started to unpack it.
A Rule of Life is not some vague overarching concept about the day to day realities of this earthly existence. Rather, it is an intentional articulation of spiritual practices. It's the commitment to maintain contact with God every day - and at a number of times, and in a number of ways.
Martin Thornton, Anglican priest and theologian, stressed the importance of developing such a rule - for him, it wasn't enough to do the morning and evening prayer: there needed to be definitive reference to weekly corporate prayer - like we're doing now; and the casual conversations with God that just take place throughout the day - like the grace before a meal or a thanksgiving for an unexpected sunbeam. It was being counter-cultural in such a way that the beauty of the Christian experience and expression was known in every aspect of life.
A Rule of Life helps us to keep ourselves grounded, in our relationships with ourselves, with our communities, and above all - with God. It becomes the stabilising presence when things are going well, a rhythm that we notice when we veer away. And it becomes the sustaining force when we are in a dry spell, a time of spiritual desert-wilderness, when our earthly lives are a struggle and we just don't know where to turn.
Our Rule of Life nourishes us - because we are consistently connecting to the source of all we need. Now, admittedly, sometimes that nourishment may feel like a granola bar on-the-go, and sometimes it may feel like a 10-course meal with our loved ones. It will depend - like the literal food we take - how we will feast on the presence of God in our lives. But nourish us it will; without fail.
A Rule of Life becomes more than just a frame on which to build a Christian life; it is also a foundation for the spiritual journey. It will grant us the confidence and comfort to face the difficult questions that life will throw at us...
Questions like: How do we love God? How do we love our neighbour? Sure we can read the Ten Commandments, but what does that look like in concrete actions in my life?
Questions like: How much of your earthly self would you give up for God? Would I be willing to give up my family and identity for a new life in Christ, like Paul is telling the Philippians about in this letter?
Questions like: What would I do with the wicked tenant slaves in the vineyard? And how do I value the lives and livelihoods of those whose work I benefit from?
They are difficult questions. But they are ones that need to be asked, if we are to profess ourselves as Christian. The Christian Life calls for us to leave the vices of this world - the greed and selfishness and deceit - the list goes on. Even those these are things that are common, and even normalised - they are of this world. And so Christ calls us beyond. Jesus calls us to the Christian Life, where kindness and generosity and compassion rule the day.
This is how it's so hard, and how we need that stabilising and fortifying Rule of Life. Because these Christian virtues are not the practice of everyone we meet - it's why we have need for a Rule of Life that keeps our focus on the Cornerstone.
Yes, the Christ - the Cornerstone that was rejected by the builders. The Messiah who was rejected by the elite of the day. Because his message was (and still is!) to turn away from the earthly temptations that cause harm... harm to God, harm to community, harm to the planet, harm to life. Christ calls us to be in the world but not OF the world - to be the ones who reject the temptation leads us to focus on earthly things. What we can build, collect, produce, etc. It's a system of economics that exists on a buy-and-sell, produce and consume It's the framework for the world in which we live. The cornerstones of this can change in the blink of an eye, however - or the rapid transmission of a virus, for example.
And when this happens - the whole world gets shaken up - turned upside down. Unsettled.
And so we need to be settled, and grounded. We need to be in the right direction, depending on the solid reality of the one who supports us. We need the guidance and stability of the CHIEF cornerstone - who will never be upturned or unearthed. We need the cornerstone of Christ.
And so, we turn to God. In all things, at all times, following a Rule of Life that is as unique to us as our relationship to God. And that is how we will build our Christian life - with Christ as the Cornerstone, with love of God and love of others as a starting framework, with compassion and grace as solid foundation. With a relationship with the divine that is so full of trust and respect and integrity that the psalmist's prayer - that the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts - are always received by our strength and our redeemer. For the redeemer knows us, and delights in sharing our journey - a journey that is a Christian life.
No comments:
Post a Comment