Rules & Rulers
Dear Mosaic Family,
In 2018, Jordan Peterson, a Canadian professor, wrote an international blockbuster entitled "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos." The rules were really basic, but revealed how oblivious lots of people are to basic wisdom about life and themselves.
Rule #2 "Treat yourself life someone you are responsible for helping"
Rule #6 "Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world"
Rule #9 "Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you don't"
Rule #11 "Do not bother children when they are skateboarding"
Lots of people have tried to figure out just why the book became so popular. It's a book about rules. We don't like rules, right? Apparently we do. We don't like the rules themselves, but we do like and enjoy the freedom they promise. Without rules, we quickly devolve into slavery. Slavery to our passions. Slavery to our appetites. Slavery to our fears. But rules are only part of the solution. Who's making the rules? Does the rule-giver know me? Does the rule-giver love me? Does the rule-giver want what's best for me? Without a benevolent rule-giver, the rules don't free from slavery; the rules become slavery.
True freedom is only possible if the Ruler loves you.
God offers us more than rules. God offers us Himself. God offers us a relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He doesn't just offer the relationship, He effects it. With the same power God used to create you, He recreates you.
"For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)
How does one become a Christian? God turns the lights on inside your soul. So you can see. See what? See the face of Jesus Christ. Once gifting us spiritual life, God gives us rules to keep us enjoying Him with the full freedom of a satisfied soul.
As Jonathan Edwards put it: "“The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams, but God is the ocean.”
Join us tomorrow as we enjoy 2 Corinthians 4.
Praying for you!
Pastor Jan
This Week's Announcements
Baptism Seminar
Sunday, October 3rd, 1:00 pm
Want to be baptized? The first step toward baptism at Mosaic is to attend our baptism class. For more information or to sign up, visit Brookline.MosaicBoston.com/Baptism.
Worship Night
Saturday, October 9th, 4:00 pm
Join us in celebration of Mosaic Boston's 10th birthday for a night of thanksgiving to God for his faithfulness. A time of food and fellowship will follow the service. Please RSVP here.
Quarterly Members' Meeting
Sunday, October 17th at 3:00 pm
If you are a covenant member of Mosaic or have been notified that you are being voted into membership, please join us for our next quarterly meeting!
Songs for Sunday
If you would like to know what we'll be singing on Sunday, you can find the playlist here.