For decades The Reader’s Digest has taken articles and stories, distilled them down to their core, and published them in a monthly magazine.  Some might say that this condensation does violence to the literary integrity of the works, but it does enable people with limited time to have a quick survey of current literature on a variety of topics.

The Bible and our historical faith traditions are rich and complex.  There are countless nuances that provide guidance for almost every circumstance of life.  But what is basic?  What is the core?  What is The Reader’s Digest condensed version of the guidebook for living a Christian faith?

We have that guidance from an impeccable source.  While the Pharisees’ motives may not have been good, I am eternally grateful to them for asking this question:  “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”  Jesus’ answer is the essence of what it means to be a person of faith in our Judeo-Christian context.  It sums up what we might learn from study of the Old Testament’s revelations through the law and the prophets and from Jesus’ teaching in words and actions while he lived with us on earth. 

That core is all about God and neighbor.  Some have spoken of this guide for a life of faith as being cross shaped, with vertical and horizontal dimensions.  I might add that, for us, these dimensions cross each other at the point of self.

The vertical dimension, loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind, is necessarily first because everything else flows out of that.  We cannot have a truly effective relationship with our neighbor without first being centered in God.  A deepening relationship with God gets us past fearful childish images of a distant, wrathful and vindictive God to the knowledge of God as a source of grace and pure, intense love. 

This personal relationship and understanding of God are essential because they enable us to know that we are God’s much loved children.  Knowing God’s passionate love for us brings us to a place of healing; a place of discovery of our real self worth, not the wall of pretend self-confidence we sometimes put up to fool others.  When we know that we are loved by the creator of the universe we can begin to love and respect ourselves and give up all that clutter that gets in the way of our human relationships ¾ things like insecurity, cynicism, a need for control, and self destructive behavior. 

Paying primary attention to the vertical dimension takes care of the horizontal dimension.  Surrendering and letting God clean out all our “stuff” leads naturally to being able to follow the second great commandment, loving our neighbor as we are now able to love ourselves.  When all the walls we have built up to keep others from knowing how little we really love ourselves begin to crumble in the security of knowing ourselves as God’s child, then God’s love can begin to flow through us to others.  Elaborate systems of rules and regulations become totally unnecessary when God’s love is in control of our dealings with others.  They can all be replaced with a simple question:  “Does this reflect God’s equal love for me and for this person?”

So what is the secret of a successful Christian life?  It is getting back to basics.  Getting rid of whatever it may be that prevents you from putting God first and seeking God with every fiber of your being takes care of everything else.  As usual, Jesus said it best:  “But strive first for the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

revclay

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When the Pharisees heard that [Jesus] had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it:  ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  [NRSV]