Do Rules Matter?

“Therefore, do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food or drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths.” (Colossians 2:16)

Paul’s letter to the church at Colossae includes some of the craziest stuff he ever wrote. This week he’s rattling off a list of things that he considers inconsequential for people of faith, and that list not only includes food and drink (which had always been heavily regulated in Paul’s faith community) but THE SABBATH!

“Don’t let anyone condemn you”, Paul says, ‘in matters of food or drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths.’ Some commentators think Paul must have been referring to special Sabbath rest days tied to Jewish festivals. I think that’s a bit like suggesting that his food and drink reference couldn’t have included non-kosher foods. No! Paul’s whole point is that salvation is a one-way street – a gift from God – and that we don’t contribute anything to that process through being religious. Even so, ‘Remember the Sabbath Day’ – it’s one of THE TEN. You can’t get any more ‘it is written’ than that. If Paul is abandoning The Ten Commandments, are there any rules left? Is Paul, in fact, an anarchist?!

Back in the 1970’s I fell in love with the Sex Pistols. “Anarchy in the UK” was my anthem. I didn’t live in the UK, of course, but the idea of a world without rules sounded really good to me as a lost teenager. Nowadays, when I think of anarchy, my mind goes to Gaza, where only the fittest survive – those who can reach the ever-diminishing supplies of food that are being rationed out – and even then, of course, you risk being picked off by snipers on your way back to you family!

Laws exist to protect us, or they should. Yes, most of the laws in our society are focused on protecting property rather than people and, more seriously still, you can’t have law without lawyers, and even Jesus couldn’t get on with lawyers (Luke 11:37–54, Matthew 23 and Mark 7:1–13). Even so, I don’t believe Paul supported anarchy, and certainly not the anarchy we see in Gaza. What Paul was opposed to, I believe, was a sterile obedience to a set of rules, and that included obedience to THE TEN.

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in him” (Colossians 2:6)

The spiritual life, as Paul understood it, wasn’t just about trying to follow what Jesus taught. Rather, Paul says, we walk “in Him”. This sort of language – of ‘walking in Christ’ and ‘being in Christ’ and ‘living in Christ’ turns up a lot in Paul’s writings and Colossians is saturated with it. Paul isn’t just being poetic. It’s ontological! Paul believed that we truly participate in Christ’s death, resurrection and glory!

Perhaps this does sound like crazy talk, but it’s actually the language of intimacy. I think of my relationship with my partner and with my children. Many of us experience relationships where we find that we are ‘no longer two but one’ (Genesis 2:24) – where it’s unclear sometimes where one of us ends and the other begins. Paul, likewise, discovered a relationship with Christ that was so intimate and deep that he could say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20)

And just as when you’re in an intimate relationship with someone, you don’t need anyone to tell you to be nice to them, so likewise, when we are in an intimate relationship with Christ, we don’t need the old rules and regulations to tell us what to do. We live in Christ’s love, and so we live out Christ’s love!

Of course, none of this means that society doesn’t need laws, and Colossians 2:16 doesn’t say that we shouldn’t follow laws – even the laws about food and drink and festivals and the keeping of the Sabbath. What the verse says is, “do not let anyone condemn you” if you find that on some occasions, you’re not following the rules because sometimes, when the love of Christ controls us, we’ll have other priorities.

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

For Further Reading:

The Meaning of “Sabbath” in Colossians 2:16 by Jacob Reaume
Life Without Rules by Rev. David B. Smith

Our Sunday Eucharist

We did have a wonderful Sunday Eucharist last weekend though it didn’t quite turn out as we had planned. I’d lined up my old University buddy (and Uniting Church Minister), John Queripel, to join us on the panel but the technology seemed to fail us on the day. Even so, Karyn Hemming was with me, and I think the two of us did a fine job, supported, as we were, by a solid online team. You’ll find the shorts below.

As usual, you can see all the shorts on our Sunday Eucharist Instagram page or watch the entire broadcast on our YouTube channel.

This Sunday we’ll have two our old friends on the panel with me – Robert Gilland and Rev. John Jegasothy. I can’t wait! 😊❤️

We broadcast, as usual, from noon (Sydney time) via TheSundayEucharist.com, Facebook , YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Faithia and Streamyard. Please come, and please invite your friends by referring them to the Facebook Event Page or the Streamyard event page.

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Saturday, August 2nd – Boxing at Legends Gym in Kensington from 3 pm

The pics above are from our last few boxing sessions, and I must say I’ve been feeling especially thankful for my ring-buddies this week.

When I turned up to the gym last Tuesday night, no one was there to train with me.
I thought, “Well …I knew this day would come.” I’m 63. I won’t be able to box forever. When people stop showing up, it’s time to pack away the gloves. It was a sobering thought, but then it was replaced by a rather joyous realisation – ‘This is the first time no one has shown up to train with me since 1997’

I remember that day in 1997 well. I was standing alone in my gym when one of my neighbours walked in and threatened to shoot me. I’m not speaking figuratively. Dulwich Hill was a rough area in those days, and this guy was a bit drug affected.

I won’t go into details except to say that this guy was a bit of a mob boss, and he had a large, blonde enforcer dude with him. Then one of my boys did walk into the gym, and let’s just say that this guy had a criminal history that both of the other men seriously respected. They both changed their tone immediately. The high guy left, and the enforcer started apologising for the boss’s behavior.

As it turned out, I did end up having one guy to train with on that Tuesday night in 1997, and there ended up being three of us boxing last Tuesday night! We were all just running a bit late, but we still had a great time (see pic top-left).

Sorry for the ramble but I’ve been trying to focus on the many things I am thankful for this week. There is so much injustice and suffering in the world at the moment that we can feel tempted to give up. We need to see the light shining in the darkness., so I remind myself that I have many friends, and by the grace of God those friends continue to support me and allow me to do what I feel called to do.

Is that how Saint Paul got through his struggles – by focusing on the light? I think he focused more on how his own life was in sync with the life of Jesus – “If we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:12). Perhaps it’s not an either/or.

“‘The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”

Your brother in the Good Fight,