Break the rules!
Luke 10:13-16
The season of Lent is almost always full of wonderful spiritual practice routines to experience. From the traditional habit of giving up, well, habits, that distract us, to adding daily prayer or meditation. There are many great resources out there to help us turn inward and dig deep into our hearts as we prepare for the coming Holy Week. This year, however, my church community has been exploring what it means to break rules. That doesn’t seem very lent-like. Lent is about following rules, or guides, or prescribed bible readings. It’s about being good, focusing on the path and not straying from it. Lent is about putting away those things that distract us and getting down the hard work of doing the right things. Breaking the rules seems to be the antithesis of Lent.
But, Jesus was a rule breaker, wasn’t he? Our scripture passage is just one of many where Jesus broke rules that had developed over the centuries, such as picking grain on the Sabbath, healing on the Sabbath, carrying mats on the Sabbath, not washing before eating, touching people who were considered unclean, and so forth. Even at the last supper, we read that Jesus deviates from what would have been a very scripted, tradition-filled Passover meal. The disciples knew what to expect at Passover, and they got something completely different.
Are there rules that we follow, rules that have been set up over years that guide our interactions with each other that need to be broken? Are there rules we should break that might show God’s love in our world and in our community? How might you follow Jesus’ example of rule breaking to bring love to someone in your world? What would it cost? It’s possible that what Jesus calls us to do might be momentarily painful, or uncomfortable. By this world’s standard, it might be costly to reach out in love and touch someone who is “unclean.” It might be expensive to feed someone who is hungry. It might be uncomfortable to get into the messy middle of real people’s hurt. But, that’s what Jesus calls us to do.
In the spirit of rule breaking, instead of a closing prayer, I leave you with a prayer of confession, written by the Iona Community and adapted by my friend, Suzanne Castle.
Great God, I know you said we should be aware of the hungry and thirsty, that we should feed them and share what we have. But the situation seems so enormous, and what difference would my little bit make to so many? They are so far away, and anyway I have enough to do without taking them all on board as well.
God, forgive us.
Compassionate One, it is all very well saying we should welcome strangers, but they are scary, they sometimes smell, and I don’t know if I can trust them— and they might not like the way I do things. So it might be better if I leave that to someone else.
God, forgive us.
Loving God, I am sure I would help those who sleep in the streets at night if I were trained. They do look cold and some new clothes might well help. but I wouldn’t know what to say to them. I am sure it is better to leave that to the experts.
God, forgive us.
Creator, I sometimes wonder why it is that people abuse their bodies with alcohol and drugs. It makes me wonder if they really should be given treatment, for it costs so much and the decisions they make are so poor. The hospital beds are too few, and the costs so high. It really doesn’t seem right.
God, forgive us.
God of Community, have you heard how comfy prisons are these days? Do you know they have TVs and radios in their rooms? I’m glad I don’t have to be there.
God, forgive us.
Sometimes, Lord, it is hard to forget self.
God, forgive us.
Sometimes it is hard to be different.
God, forgive us.
Sometimes we get hurt, Healing God, and we don’t want to be Your disciples
God, forgive us.
Sometimes we forget You are there always holding us, and we grow weak and helpless, and turn away from You.
God, forgive us.
Sometimes we do not trust that ‘all shall be well.’
God, forgive us.
Sometimes we forget You said that, if we follow You, we have to take up our cross. You didn’t say it would be easy.
God, forgive us.
But sometimes, Lord of Love, we remember what Life You offer us and that, by following You, we have everything. Help us to love those who are hard to love, to welcome those who are hard to welcome, and to be generous with our many gifts of both time and money. Help us to welcome Your love. May Your love be the love between us and each person we meet. Help us to shine as light in Your world and to be worthy of being called Your disciples.
O Lord, hear our prayer.
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