18 months later, I realize I never posted the other two sermons in this series. I'll take care of that. - Scott (3/21/2017)
Time for a new sermon series. This 1 of 3 in a series on John Wesley's "General Rules".
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Today, we are
starting a new sermon series. Over the next 3 weeks, we are going to look at
something called the “General Rules”. These date back to John Wesley and the
Methodist societies in England in the 18th century. They are still a
part of our theological beliefs as stated in the Book of Discipline.
Wesley said
that everyone in the Methodist societies should show evidence of “their desire
of salvation.” They would show this evidence, he said, by holding to these
three rules. 1) Do no harm, 2) Do good, & 3) Attend to the ordinances of
God.
In
these three rules we find a guide for what it means to live the life of
discipleship.
For these next
three weeks, we will look at these rules, why they are still relevant, what
they mean for us, and how we can live them out in our lives.
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Galatians 5:13-21
13 For
you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use
your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve
one another in love. 14 For
the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.” 15 But
if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of
destroying one another.
16 So
I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your
sinful nature craves. 17 The
sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit
wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful
nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are
not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But
when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of
Moses.
19 When
you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear:
sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry,
sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition,
dissension, division,21 envy,
drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as
I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the
Kingdom of God.
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Today we are examining the first of these three rules –
Do no harm. In this passage, Paul gives us a glimpse of what it means to Do No
Harm. Don’t serve the sinful nature, but serve one another in love. Paul tells
us, though that these two things are in a constant struggle against one
another.
Our selfish, sinful nature is in perpetual conflict with
the Holy Spirit. We desire to be led by the Spirit, but the sinful nature
fights back. The Spirit leads us to follow the command that Paul says sums us
all the law – “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
But our response is not always love. Instead, we respond
by biting and devouring one another. We respond to the world with words and
actions that bring pain and division. We spend more time destroying one another
rather than loving one another.
Of course, that’s not true of all of us all the time.
It’s not how we respond to everyone around us. We are all guilty of harming
others – probably this week.
So, our first rule is, do no harm. What does it mean to
“do no harm”? In the publishing of the General Rules, John Wesley gave several
examples of what it means to do no harm. We do no harm “by avoiding evil of
every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced, such as: Taking
the name of God in vain. Profaning the day of the Lord, either by doing
ordinary work therein or by buying or selling. Drunkenness. Slaveholding (which
may have been added later); buying or selling slaves. Fighting, quarreling, or
brawling. Returning evil for evil. Uncharitable or unprofitable conversation, particularly
speaking evil of magistrates or (this is the one I really like) ministers.
Buying or selling goods that have not paid the duty. Giving or taking things on
usury – unlawful interest. Borrowing or buying on credit without probability of
paying. Laying up treasure on earth.”
That is just part of the list. Now obviously, some of
those things don’t apply to us. When is the last time you bought or sold
something without paying the duty? And I know that thing about speaking evil of
the minister doesn’t apply today.
But the list also includes things like not fighting or
quarreling. Not speaking in a hurtful way. Not returning evil for evil. Those
absolutely apply to our modern world – and they definitely speak to our current
culture. They also show us that we are not doing a great job with this rule of
doing no harm.
When we think through that list of things and what it
means to do no harm, we can think about it on three levels.
First, do no harm to yourself. Do you ever think that in
those terms? I will do no harm to myself. How do we harm ourselves?
By eating and drinking things that harm our bodies – or
eating and drinking too much of things that harm us. Not taking care of
ourselves. We harm ourselves when we listen to those who demean us, objectify
us, or treat us as less than them. We harm ourselves when we see ourselves as
less than others. We harm ourselves when we think of ourselves as anything less
than God’s child, cherished by God, deserving of love and respect.
Maybe a good way to do no harm to ourselves is a little
daily affirmation. You may want to write this down and repeat it every morning
– “Today, I will love myself. I am God’s child, loved and cherished. I am
deserving of love and respect. I will not harm myself and I will not allow
others to harm me.” What would it do for your day? For your self-image to say
those words every day, and mean them?
Second, we are to do no harm to others. Think of the ways
you have hurt others in your past. Think of the times you have spoken
carelessly. The times you have acted with only your interests in mind. The
times you have intentionally said hurtful things. We have all done it.
As I look around the world, I don’t see this rule
practiced very often – do no harm. Instead, I see people who say and do things,
often intentionally and purposefully, that cause hurt. Often it comes down to
selfishness.
“This is what I believe, this is what I want to do, and
if you don’t like or if it hurts you, tough! You need to get a thicker skin.”
We focus so much on our own interests, our own ideas, and
our own agenda that we leave a trail of hurt and anger in our wake. And that
hurt and anger usually leads to more hurt and anger.
We, as a society, maybe as a species, don’t disagree
well. At some point, we began to believe that anyone who disagrees with us to
be our enemy. At some point, it became accepted, even expected, that if you
disagree with me and you are my enemy, I can say anything about you, do
anything to you, to prove you wrong and me right – to prove you to be lesser
and me to be more.
Bishop Rueben Job wrote a book a few years ago on these
General Rules. He wrote about this tendency we have to tear down those with
whom we disagree. He said when I seek to do no harm, “I will guard my lips, my
mind, and my heart so that my language will not disparage, injure, or wound
another child of God.”
We don’t like to guard our lips, hearts, or minds. We’d
rather just speak our mind. Doing no harm means that we consider the impact our
words and actions will have on others. Bishop Job wrote, “When our words and
actions are guarded by this first…rule, we have time and space to think about
consequences before a word is spoken or an action taken.”
Maybe this is the pessimist in me, but we seem to be
getting more and more divided as a society. Whether it’s politics or social
issues or foreign relations – racism, nuclear deals, police shootings and
shooting police, marriage certificates, white and gold or black and blue. (You
remember that dress, right?) They are issues that separate us, that divides us,
that cause passionate debate.
There is nothing wrong with disagreeing. There is nothing
wrong with a difference of opinions, but when we let those differences divide
us to the point that we lash out at the other side – when we let differences
push us so far apart that the other side becomes a stereotype or a punch line –
we lose sight of our purpose.
When we let differences push us so far apart, we fail as
disciples – we fail as the church. Bishop Job says this, “Our witness to the
redeeming love of God loses its authenticity and its power as our unwillingness
to be reconciled continues.”
As followers of Christ, we are called to build relationships, not destroy them.
We are called to reconciliation. We are called to bring healing.
That healing and reconciliation can start when we commit
ourselves to “do no harm.” Actively seeking to do no harm can lead us to
reconciliation. It can lead us to disagreeing well. To relationships of mutual
respect and admiration. Then we begin to listen to one another to hear the
concerns of those who disagree with us. Job writes, “When I am determined to do
you no harm, I lose my fear of you; and I am able to see you and hear you more
clearly.”
Henri Nouwen says that when we love and follow Jesus, “we
cannot do other than bring healing, reconciliation, new life, and hope wherever
we go.”
Doing no harm we allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us to lead and
guide us in ways that bring nothing other than healing and reconciliation and
hope. And to convict us and lead us to repentance when we bring hurt and
agitation and despair.
Maybe we need to add to our morning affirmation. Maybe we
add this, “Today, I will do no harm to others. I will love others as I love
myself. My words and my actions will echo the heart of Jesus and reveal God’s
love. I will bring only healing, reconciliation, new life, and hope.”
Doing no harm means doing no harm to ourselves, doing no
harm to others, and, finally, doing no harm to God. Doing no harm to God, means
doing those first two. When we harm ourselves and we harm others, we harm God.
When we treat or think of ourselves and others as less than cherished children
of God, we hurt God.
Wesley used the example of “taking the name of God in
vain” – which is more than a curse word, by the way. When we use the name of
God to justify injustice, or to condemn others because they don’t believe exactly
the way we believe, we take God’s name in vain and we do harm to God.
Let’s add one more sentence to our affirmation. “Today, I
will do my best to do no harm to God – to God’s children, to God’s creation, to
God’s kingdom.”
Why do we want to live in ways that do no harm? Because
that’s how Jesus lived. When you read the gospel, notice how Jesus treated
others. Notice how he talked to them. Nicodemus the Pharisee came to Jesus and
Jesus treated him respectfully. Zacchaeus, the tax-collector, came to Jesus and
Jesus went to his home to eat with him. A woman caught in adultery was brought
to Jesus and he didn’t condemn her, he saved her and invited her to a life of
freedom.
How do we live in such a way that we “do no harm”?
Pay attention. Pay attention to what you do and what you
say. Think about the consequences of what you say and do, before you say or do
anything.
Practice seeing the good in others. Practice seeing them
as cherished children of God – even those with whom you disagree – even those
you might consider evil or no good – God loves them the same as God loves you.
Remember the words of Jesus – “Do to others what you want
them to do to you.” Treat them how you want to be treated. “Take the log out of
your eye before you worry about the speck in someone else’s eye.” Worry about
you. When we honestly examine our behavior, we can’t judge others too harshly.
As Paul wrote to the Galatians, live “led by the Spirit.”
Let love be your guide. Let love be the lens through which you see everyone.
And maybe a little daily reminder. “Today, I will do no
harm. Today, I will love myself. I am God’s child loved and cherished. I am
deserving of love and respect. I will not harm myself and I will not allow
others to harm me. Today, I will do no harm to others. I will love others as I
love myself. My words and my actions will echo the heart of Jesus and reveal
God’s love. I will bring only healing, reconciliation, new life, and hope.
Today, I will do my best to do no harm to God – to God’s children, to God’s
creation, to God’s kingdom.”
