A New Religion!

One of the many cultural quagmires are the shelves at the grocery check out lanes for the impulse buy. And behold! Ms. Aniston owns her life and has her own rules for life it seems! We can be enlightened by her rules for the magazine’s price! EVERYONE has their own rules, MY LIFE! Isn’t this one major reason for the chaos today? This magazine headline is similar to , “My body, my choice!” as a terrible slogan used to justify abortion (but not being used to justify NOT being vaccinated…it does not compute). If everyone has their own rules, we do a lot of bumping into each, verbally, emotionally, spiritually and physically. No law. Lawlessness except my rules. Now it seems though that the rich like Ms. Aniston can literally afford to make her own rules as she has the  money to make it happen. Even if we have a whole lot less cash at hand, we also act as if it is MY rules, as I want to RULE.  

This is not a new religion as it is as old as Adam.  When Eve and Adam bought the devil’s lie they could be like God, and then they started establishing their own rules.  But “my” life, however successful, fails many times a day. For instance, I cannot rule out what I am thinking:  hatred, lust, greed and the like, then the words can fly and so can actions.

First:  Moses has been called the giver of the law.  Jennifer Aniston might be prettier than Moses, but she is no law giver. If we do not have a common, civil law, at least (and we do by the way), then anything goes.  Look what happened in the summer of 2020 with all the riots and the police told to stand down. The loss from the chaos is affecting so many cities to this day. “My” rules…

Second:  if this self-rule rules keep going on, someone will step in to give ORDER and it will be political tyranny:  fascism, left or right is still fascism.

Third:  we need God’s Law to show us where we are amiss and the way to love our neighbor.  Then we begin to discover I tend toward the chaos of self-rule because I’m not too good at it. Finally, being a sinner at heart, the rule turns out to be enslavement to the flesh.  Yet God sent His Son into the midst of the chaos for those in rebellion to pay rebellion’s price by dying to atone and forgive.  Seek the Kingdom of God, that is, the Lord’s rule for His rule is by grace.

Tell of our Redeemer’s grace, Who, to save our human race And to pay rebellion’s price,Gave Himself as sacrifice

Tell of God the Spirit giv’n/Now to guide us on to heav’n/Strong and holy, just and true, Working both to will and do.

Enter, mighty Word, the field; Ripe the promise of its yield But the reapers, oh, how few/For the work there is to do

Lutheran Service Book, #830