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faith_builder 5

 

Faith & Rules

 

 

 

The famous American orphanage, Boys’ Town near Omaha, has made capital of a poster showing a wee boy carrying a tyke nearly as big as he is, saying, "He’s not heavy; he’s my brother."

 

And was that that child looking for a medal? No - he was only doing his duty. For, just as any parent knows who has got up repeatedly in the night for a sick child - with love comes responsibility. The responsibility of doing dutiful service for the one we love.

 

Well so far in our faith builder series, we have looked at why we bother to have faith then how we find and cultivate that faith. And at each stage we have seen faith as our primary response to Christ‘s love for us. And the duty to which that love calls all Christians is to do what Jesus asks of us; in a nutshell – obeying the Lord’s rules.

 

However, there is more to following God’s laws than just our sense of duty.  And to help us to think what that might be, we hear an extract of the gospel of Matthew read to us by…………

 

Matt 5.17-20

 

 

 

Now, the law, as derived from the Old Testament, was very important to Matthew. Because, he was most probably a Jewish Christian under severe pressure from the religious community he was leaving. Not least would be his social grouping’s demand that he to continue in the practice of their dietary and life style regulations. Therefore, Matthew had to work out what were the benefits of religious rules to those now faithful to Christ. Well, it seems in the passage we heard that he had, at least, come to the conclusion that observance of God’s tenets had a protective quality.

 

Certainly, he knew that the Jewish nation had developed their laws into fence to barrier off a sacred space for themselves. In fact, the Hebrew people have always used the religious observance  to create in invisible monastery excluding the profane. The umbrella of their life-encompassing regulations for them then was the original temple without walls yet secure doors.

 

Now whilst, Matthew did not see the future Christian church wanting such an excluding function in rules & regulations, he did see the obedience of a moral code as having a huge role in faith building. Because, firstly, they do have the same purpose as to the Jews and that is one of guarding. After all, if we saw that small child was close to pulling down a pan of boiling water upon itself who would out shout a warning admonishment. Who would not say afterwards– don’t go near the cooker again– who would not tell children that they could be hurt by their wrong behaviour?  So too obedience to the example and words of Christ keep us from harm and the subsequent damage to our faith. Not only that but our moral lifestyle should always be the protective wrapper to a personal purity that is essential for spiritual gifts to grow. Moreover, in this world that has multilayered self-interest, greed and corrupting power, God’s requirement to look to his desires means a sense of separateness from these dangerous influences. And this sense of alienation from worldliness nurtures our faith that the kingdom is attainable and that in Christ we have an assured place in it. That through faith we will be acquitted to righteousness and that out of our saving from badness, faith will inevitably blossom.

 

Therefore, in the keeping a moral code then – let then our watch words be – believe through  doing the right

 

 

 

However, Matthew’s understanding of morality did not just stop at it being a cornerstone of our own faith building. He did not purely see our desire to follow God’s laws as part of the pathway to the nurturing of our personal faith.  He did not just see such behaviour as having only an impact on our own lives  – important as this is. He also saw the living of the good life as a huge advert. Indeed, for him how we do what Christ wants is as important as the action itself. More to the point he knew the method of our applying our morality would either attract or repel others who are seeking faith. And to prove that point, ………….. will now read to us

 

Matt 15.1-10

 

I suffered as a child from being a offspring of a teacher. For whenever I did something right – it was always dismissed with – of course, he is a teacher’s son. But on the very rare occasions I did anything wrong – the response was – and he’s a teachers son!!

 

Well, as Christians we are in the same boat entirely. For be in no doubt all we do is monitored. Too easily people see what is false, what is done from self-interest, worse still what is inflicted on others from petty mindedness even self-righteousness.  Isaiah saw it when he talked of ‘hearts being far away from God’ and Jesus saw it when he warned about nullifying the word of God because of hypocrisy. In fact, Rabbie Burns caricatured it in his poem, holy willie’s pray:

 

 

 

I bless and praise thy matchless might

When thousands thou has left in night

That I am here before thy sight

For gifts and grace,

A burning and a shining light

To a this place!

 

 

Matthew then was making out a clear argument when he reported Christ’s words on what is clean and what is not. And it is this. Our moral behaviour can attract those outside our faith. It is purity can appeal to those who are world-weary and worn down by life’s tawdriness. Our separateness can be very attractive to those who want to believe in something bigger than themselves yet have found this world’s politics and philosophies as more pragmatic than principle. And our genuine difference from a material obsessed society is vastly interesting particularly to the young provided it is practiced with honesty, love and real understanding for the other’s situation.

 

Here then is how our faith building through obeying God’s commands can build the same faith in another. Here is how we protect another’s fledging faith by not being cynical and hypocritical. Here is how be bring into the temple of faith those who desperately want a sniff of Christ’s kingdom – a place of safety – a place of righteousness in the real sense of the word  and a place where God is honoured because ordinary humans are being respected.

 

Let us then listen again and understand Matthew – let our faith continue to be built on solid ground of right living and let that building offer a wide-open door and not a debarring wall to faith.

 

So from this moment on, may our Christianity not be a millstone but a always a cornerstone.

 

 

Matthew however, has one more thing to teach us in the relationship between faith and moral observance.  And it is illustrated in that old educational adage – tell me and I will forget – show me and I will remember – let me do and I will understand. For if we tell others of what God expects of human behaviour – they will forget. If we show others what a divinely obedient life can be, then doubtless they will remember it. But if we help them to live that life in faith then they will understand. Understand the why of what we are called though love to exhibit.

 

Let us in our final reading Matthew hear the underlying principle of all religious observance, all morality and all acts done in faith.

 

We find it at Matt 22.23-40

 

 

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and love your neighbour as yourself. Here then is the very core of the righteousness we heard of when Jesus talked not about abolishing the law. Here is the gateway to the kingdom that we are promised through Christ. Here is the only way we can honour God rather than man-made things. Here indeed is the founding moral commandment that is central also to faith.

 

For we need faith if we are to base all our actions upon this command and we need faith that others will obey it with respect to ourselves. And as important, we need faith that this guiding principle alone will keep our whole ethical and religious practice relevant to this ever changing era.

 

For if our way of applying the Christian faith is governed by this overarching Commandment then we will avoid the pitfall of seeing rules and regulations as the be all and end all of our communities life.

 

Since it is only when we constantly meditate together on the whole of scripture with love that we will reject heartless correctness. Instead, we will be enticed into a collective saintliness that will be so inviting to lost humanity. In all honesty, it is only when the greatest commandment truly rules our common faith will we be able to speak with any relevance to this perplexed era. Because God’s laws are eternal but the must church never fail in its duty. And that is to translate faith afresh into what God wants us to communicate today.  

 

 

Let then our final mantra be – love God, neighbour and Church into faith’s triangle.

 

 

Well as a faithful Christians we are, through our love of Jesus, called to a holy way of life. A life that keeps us safe from all that damages faith, prevents its growth and sows despondency about God’s promised Kingdom. Let us not forget then – believe through doing the right. Next, we must recall that the way we each do our Christianity can be hugely influential on the faith of others. When we are judgemental and self-righteous we repel those who most need our support and understanding. We do indeed destroy their vision of what faith can really offer. May our religious practices not be a milestone but a cornerstone.

 

Finally, may we never ever forget the eternal love triangle between God his people and his church. Let then all we do be from a love of Christ and love of neighbour. Because that alone is the way to show the outsider into the presence of Jesus. That is the only way to keep our mutual faith ever fresh and wielding a cutting edge significance. That is the only way to continue to channel the filling faith from God via the people of God to those who are still empty of God.

 

 

 

Amen

 

 

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