The human heart, like clay, is soft and pliable; throughout our lives it is conformed and shaped. The question is, into what? How will your life take on the contours of Christ and not be pressed into the mould of the surrounding culture?
This is a critical matter because in the well documented crumbling of Christendom, the church has lost its central place not only in the physical landscape and cultural imagination of the West, but also in the functional economy of many Christians’ lives. We are now mostly discipled by our secular culture even though our stated creed remains orthodox.
The cultural influences of consumerism, individualism, technology and pluralism are so dominant. Does the church possess a coherent and contextual structure and process for ongoing and enduring Christian formation to counter such shaping forces and cultural liturgies?
We need to discern ways that form Christians into a holy community that inhabits the world as distinct citizens of God’s Kingdom. There are great resources in our ancient past, a whole infrastructure of habits and practices that once formed and nourished faith. For the past several months I’ve been spotlighting Christian practices as some of the best “old/new” resources for the church in these “in-between” times. For my final instalment, I want to leave you with one last treasure from our Christian past: a rule of life.
A rule of life (don’t let the word “rule” scare you) is a structure for life to grow, much like the skeleton of our bodies. Behind the word “rule” (Latin: regula) is the image of a trellis, picturing a rule as a framework of practices that supports and guides our growth as disciples of Jesus.
As author Ruth Haley Barton defines it: “A Rule of Life is a simple pattern of attitudes, behaviours, and practices that are a regular routine and are intended to produce a certain quality of life and character.” It is a chosen set of habits and practices that we organize our lives around. It is the intentional, grace-moved, lived out answer to the question: how do I want to live so I can be who Jesus calls me to be?
But why would we even consider something like this? The biblical story of Daniel is helpful for understanding its importance to us. Exported to Babylon during his teen years, Daniel was steeped in the ways of pagan Babylonian culture for the remainder of his life. How, then, did Daniel’s distinct calling as a servant of the one true God survive the spiritual bazaar of Babylon, with little to support and nurture his faith?
In Chapter 1, we read how Daniel made a small choice, forgoing the King’s table, instead choosing vegetables and water. But why make a big deal about such an insignificant matter when he was fully immersed in far bigger cultural influences? This daily practice of diet was, writes Andy Crouch, a deliberate act of reorientation, a small act that daily kept his heart centred on the true King.
Then in the classic lion’s den narrative, Daniel is an old man, having watched kings come and go, empires rise and fall. In response to a royal edict to pray only to Darius, Daniel instead did what had been routine for years. He went to his room, where “three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to God, just as he had done before” (Daniel 6:10).
Again, a small, daily practice that serves to reorient his heart and shape his life, showing us that being counter-cultural consists in surprisingly small acts of reorientation. Daniel survived the massively formative influence of the dominant culture through simple practices—what Christians later would call “a rule of life.”
It seems so deceptively simple but we need to remember that whatever we do repeatedly (think of your daily habits like savouring the first cup of coffee, a kiss to loved ones as you head out the door, habitual email or Facebook checks, the daily walk) shapes the kind of people we are. A rule of life taps into this formative reality, helping us to allow the good news of Christ to seep into our lives through our daily rhythms, rituals and routines.
May we find a good future as distinctive Christians in all those simple daily acts of reorientation in the way
of Jesus.
For Further Reading:
- Ruth Haley Barton, Sacred Rhythms (includes a helpful chapter on a rule of life)
- Ken Shigematsu, God in My Everything: How an ancient rhythm helps busy people enjoy God
