In this final and fourth section of the Rule of Life we are piloting at our local church, you will notice that I have intentionally kept this section short (It contains only 3 of the Rule’s 16 points!) I will conclude with a little example of how this is working out in my own life. Work/Activity • Savor the sacred in all I do — at work, rest or play. Psalm 104; Eph. 6:5-8; I Tim. 4:3-4. All of life is a gift from God. The word savor carries the notion of pausing to taste the deliciousness of our work, rest and play. It is the God-like celebration of delighting over His creation, exclaiming that it is “very good” (Gen. 1:31). • Remember the poor and marginalized. Exodus 2:23-25; Matthew 25:31-46; James 1:27.This is about a heart that carries the poor and marginalized, that remembers them like God. We are referring to a passion, not so much about a specific behavior or action. God remembered the Israelites in their groaning and suffering while in Egypt. His heart is with the poor, the orphans and the widows in a unique way since they cannot speak for or defend themselves. • Share my gifts, talents and resources, in and beyond our community. Deut. 15:7-11; Matthew 25:14-30; Ephesians 4:7-13. An encounter with Jesus transforms our views of possessions, goals, and time. In a culture absorbed with hoarding and fear, we give freely of our time, energy, and resources to others, trusting God to take care of our needs as He sees fit. Geri and I have been involved with a two families in our church the last few months that are in serious crisis. One has had a child in the hospital in Manhattan hanging on for life for almost two months. Imagine the stress of working, taking care of your other children, dealing with doctors and insurances, and being with your child 24 hours a day in shifts to ensure your child gets proper medical care and lives! Another family has such significant crisis that they could lose their children, marriage and house. Sometimes I would watch Geri on the phone, or getting up to bring a meal to a family, or mobilizing other families and I say, “Geri, what are you doing? Isn’t your life full enough?” She simply looks at me and says, “What’s the church all about? Why live in New York if we are not about this?” All I can say is that it preaches and reads more easily in a Rule of Life or a sermon than it lives. The Rule (with a little help from Geri) helps keep me centered.
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