What does it mean to Follow the Rules?

Proper 17B, St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, September 1, 2024 by Sr. Annette Fricke, OP As baptized children of God, according to Matthew, it is the ministry of every baptized Christian to go out into the world in the name of Christ, preaching and teaching and baptizing. In the Book of Common Prayer, p. 855, “The ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.” The Church, both Protestant and Catholic continues to be in great flux as it decides wither or not to maintain the long held hierarchical tradition handed down to us throughout the generations. The Church now celebrates the person of John Bunyun, who at one time was considered an itinerant and illegitimate preacher. I think John the Baptist would also have been seen by the Jews as an itinerant and illegitimate preacher, yet both of them have done what all Christians are called to do and that is to point others, both believers and non-believers, to Jesus Christ. That is our mission as Christians and has always been our mission as Christians. But how that has taken shape in the Church has, in face varied throughout history. However, Jesus tells us that time and again, just as he does in this gospel reading assigned for today: we are to point to him and what he has taught us. Jesus also bucks the Jewish tradition and laws by stating that we are called to follow the commandment of God, neither taking away from it, nor adding to it. There was once an early Lutheran leader in this country who believed that if you feel called by God to be a pastor, you should be a pastor. In his mind, it doesn’t matter what this or that person or congregation thinks. Jesus is highly critical of the rules of the Pharisees and seeks, it seems, more than anything else, to put everybody on a level playing field. All are equal in God’s sight. All were created in the image of God. None of us is better or worse than anyone else. All of us, even Job, must realize our humble position before God to be put right with God. We do not make the rules; God does. But if you do not follow the rules that people have placed before you, you can be truly out on a limb and sometimes that means that you may be feeling that you are all alone to face the world, that perhaps only God is your true friend. To that, I will quote one of my friend’s daily morning favorites, “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, he who formed you, Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you: For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 42:1-3) There are times in our lives when we will have trials that will cause us to become discouraged or even depressed about our situations in life. There are times when we need to be reminded that God still cares for us and will see us through every storm, wind, or tempest however great and overwhelming it may seem at the time. God will preserve us in both this life and the next. Almost every single great hymn in Christianity has been written by those who have been through huge storms in their lives, but their faith in God has brought them through to calm waters time and time again. There is no magic pill or magic formula, we will always have storms, but we can also always rest assured that God is still at the helm of our boats and will calm those storms, however unbearable they may seem now. This specific text from the Gospel of Mark is a difficult one for us to understand except from a non-literal rendition. It seems to be written from a Gentile perspective. Gentiles are being brought into Christianity, but do they need to observe all these laws of the Jews to be faithful to Christianity? It’s not just Paul’s word, but is here, too. Jesus declared all foods to be clean. Yet we live in a world where some Jews continue to follow only a Kosher diet and some Christians insist on being vegetarian. Jesus tells us that we can do what we want with food. And it is not up to us to tell others what kind of diet to follow. Listen also to the continuity Jesus is imploring from the prophets of the Old Testament. Does not Jesus echo the words of Jeremiah? Remember? “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me.” The notions that obedience to God must come from the heart, and that the disobedient heart is the source of all wicked actions that take us from God, are at the core of the Old Testament prophets. The gospel in Jesus’ words for us is that God wants our heartfelt response, our full-hearted obedience. “…for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.”