Rule 1: DO NO HARM
Colossians 3: 5-14
Galatians 5: 16-26

           Life is full of challenges. Some of these challenges are relatively minor; other challenges are more intense and require more time, energy, resources, etc. to meet them. A life of faith is also full of challenges--faith becomes challenging when circumstances in the world cause us to question our faith, faith becomes challenging when it seems to not make any sense or no longer seem relevant—just to name a few. One of the biggest challenges persons of faith face today, though, is the challenge of living our faith in a world that more and more does not share our faith.

           This is really not a new phenomenon or new challenge for persons of faith. We read throughout the Scriptures how our ancestors in faith struggled to live the faith they received from God in the face of their neighbors who worshipped false gods—there were just times when it seemed to them that the “faith” of their neighbors was more appealing.

           If we fast-forward a few thousand years, to 18th century England, we will once again see persons of faith looking for ways to authentically live their faith in everyday life in their society. It was during this time that the Methodist movement, under the leadership of John Wesley, began sweeping through England. (***DISCLAIMER: I am very fond of Wesley’s theology and thought and a student of Methodist history. I will reference them a good deal in my preaching***). Seeing the desire of those early Methodists, Wesley devised a set of rules (or suggestions, if you prefer) for them to follow, that they might have some direction in living their faith in a way that was genuine and authentic. Over the next three weeks, including today, we are going to be looking at these rules or suggestions, one by one, and see if God might have a word to speak to each of us as we seek to live our faith the other six days in the week.

           The first of Wesley’s Rules for the Methodist Societies is quite simple: Do no harm. It seems as if this is something that is applicable to any person, at any stage of life. It also immediately raises a question: what is meant by “harm”? We usually consider harm as something that is physical; yet, there is also mental harm that humans to cause one another, emotional harm, spiritual harm, and list goes on. We also often think of harm as something we do, e.g. throwing a punch, saying something hateful or untrue, taking what belongs to someone else. Harm, however, can also be done through silence or inaction. We cause or contribute to harm to others when we fail to speak up when injustice is done or someone is accused falsely. We cause harm when we fail to act when someone needs us. When I look around the world, I see humans, whether intentionally or otherwise, causing a lot of harm to one another—mostly through silence or inaction.

           One place where we can noticeably see harm done is during conflict. I define conflict as simply a loss of wholeness in a relationship. Conflict is all around us—we certainly have conflict throughout the world, but if we bring it a little closer to home, conflict shows up in our communities, in our homes, in our church. In times of conflict, it is so easy to allow harm to be done—after all, there is a failure to see eye-to-eye, and we are told to do all we can to gain the upper hand. What if we took a step back to consider the implications of “doing no harm”? It would mean an intentional lying aside of those things which we might use to inflict physical, mental, emotional, etc. harm to someone else: no longer gossiping, no longer stabbing in the back, no longer talking about someone behind their back, no longer manipulating the facts to ensure that “we” come out on top, the list, again, goes on and on.

           From the perspective of the “big picture”, resolving to “do no harm” causes us to lose fear of one another. For some reason, human beings are increasingly more and more suspicious and skeptical of one another, especially those who are, in one way or another, different from us. We have been encouraged to guard ourselves and ensure that “we” are not vulnerable. As we resolve to do no harm, however, the guard comes down and we are allowed to engage more fully the people and world around us and push the world more and more toward transformation back into the world God originally created.

           If we step back and think, this seems very “pie in the sky”, “in a perfect world” kind of thinking. It would be great if human beings could resolve to do no harm to one another. The benefits seem obvious—the world would certainly be a more peaceful place. Why don’t we do it then? Why can’t human beings just call a truce and agree to at least live peacefully with one another, accept one another, and take care of one another? Let me count the ways…

           First and foremost, I believe, is that this way of living demands more self-discipline than many are willing to exercise. Let’s be honest with ourselves…it is so much easier to subscribe to “an eye for eye” than to subscribe to “turn the other cheek”. It is so much easier to respond to negativity with negativity, to fight back, to defend ourselves. To respond with love and grace, to say “slander me, abuse me, neglect me, ignore me all you want, but I will treat you with dignity and respect”, demands a radical trust in God and obedience to the ways in which God would have us live and relate to one another. It is a discipline that is, more often than not, difficult to exercise.

           Human ideologies form a second reason as to why human beings seem to be in the business of harming one another. Too often, we are more bound to our way of thinking than we are to Jesus Christ! We are so sure that “our” way is the right way and that trumps any loyalty we might have for Christ. I cannot help but think of Nazi Germany or the relationship between racial groups, especially African-Americans and Caucasians in this country. The Nazis believed the German people to be the superior race, even though the Scriptures declare that all people were made in the image of God. As a result of this ideology, unspeakable horrors were reaped upon those who were non-German Protestants. Consider, too, what was done and said to those who were enslaved or whose ancestors were slaves: they were treated and told they were subhuman, not worthy of being called a “person”. In some places, this ideology persists. Here is my question though, is it possible that God’s ways of thinking or acting might be different than our way? Might we need to unlearn or change our way of thinking or acting to be more in line with God’s idea of how we should think and act?

           Finally, humans hesitate to fully commit to “doing no harm” because we are afraid of its consequences. To abandon the ways of the world and embrace the way of Jesus and life in the Spirit is a radical step. Anyone who says differently hasn’t tried it. As is often the cause, our natural reaction to the radical is fear. In this case, we are afraid of where it might lead us; we are afraid of what it might ask us to do. So we draw back, willing to go only so far down the path Jesus lead us.

           To be sure, the encouragement to “do no harm” is a challenge for us. A challenge that asks us to set aside the ways of the world and follow the ways of Jesus. If we take it seriously, it means that we must be on guard that all our words or silence, our actions or inactions do not cause any sort of injury to God’s children. As we make this resolution though, we do not go at it alone. There is always One there to support us and invade us with the power and presence and the Holy Spirit. The good news is that it is possible to live like Jesus, to survive and thrive in this world. As we do, our lives become more and more transformed in the life of Jesus Christ. It is a challenge, but it is a challenge that is ripe with joy and giving glory to God! AMEN.

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