It may seem difficult to believe, but I used to play football. I was a Split End. (Well, actually, I wore the uniform, and was assigned to the third string/kickoff and punt return team.) But our team won its division that year, and I still have the first place trophy to prove it. (Did I mention that I was only about nine years old when this happened?) It was a formative time in my life, and there were many things that I learned that year. For instance, I learned that I liked Gatorade more than water; and I learned that it is extremely difficult to catch a football when your shoulder pads won't allow you to bring your arms together in front of you. I also learned that "doing one's best really is good enough."
Another thing that I learned was that if you stick to the basic fundamentals, learn them, know them, and practice them, you cannot go wrong. It doesn't matter at the end of the game what the score is, as long as you tried your very best to do what you had learned about the basics. You were a winner. And we were winners that year. Not because we were more polished, or fancier than the other teams. I believe that we won that year because we practiced the basics. I've never forgotten that lesson. Stick to the fundamentals.
The Church is in a world of transition right now. All about us the world is changing. We've seen more technological advancements in the last ten years than in the previous hundred years - and more in the last hundred years than in the previous two thousand years. But we've seen other changes as well: changes in the ways that we treat one another. Hatred and violence today is more easily recognized for what it is. Bullying has recently made the headlines as teens have been bullied to the point of suicide. We've learned that how we treat one another is important. Self-respect is only as important as the dignity we give to others.
Sounds familiar. Sounds like something a rabbi said two millenia ago. He was asked a question: What is the most important of all the laws? He responded with "Shema, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul." To Jesus, this was the most important law. No other is more important than keeping ourselves in that deep, passionate relationship with our Creator.
But he didn't stop there. He went on to say, "And love your neighbor as yourself." While that first one we can almost all agree on, many folks have a difficult time with the second. Even the fellow that asked the question had a problem with it, and wanted clarification about the word "neighbor". But Jesus was adamant. Love is not conditional. Love is not selective. Love is absolute. In fact, Jesus even summarized his selection of these two with the comment, "Upon all these hang the law and the prophets." In other words, everything points to these two laws as being the basic fundamentals of the faith. Everything else is "commentary."
Maybe this is oversimplification. Or maybe we are so accustomed to looking for a "catch" that we can't seem to wrap our minds around these simple rules. John Wesley put them into three simple rules that he called the "General Rules": Do No Harm; Do Good; Stay in Love with God. When we abide by these simple rules, we're following the will of God. We're doing what we're supposed to be doing, and not doing what we're not supposed to be doing.
If the world seems to be getting out of hand lately, or if your life seems to be somehow getting lost in the shuffle, perhaps its time for you to consider getting back in touch with the basics of the faith. Following these fundamentals will give you a clear sense of direction; a convicting sense of calling; and an absolute resolve to make it through. Get back to the basics. Be grounded in the fundamentals of the faith again, and renew your spirit in the One who loves you most. See you in Church!
Grace and peace,
Brad
