Devotion for the Week

… week of August 24, 2025

Break the Rules

Have you ever encountered a rule or regulation that just didn’t make any sense to you? What did you do? Did you follow the rule, or did you break it? And if you broke it, did you tell anyone that you did? Or did you quietly chafe against the norm?

In the reading from Luke for today, we find Jesus preaching in the temple on the day of rest and, seemingly on a whim, deciding to break the rules in front of everyone. The outrage of some people in the crowd might have come honestly, of course. Practicing their faith was a serious matter, and for many that meant carefully following the rules.

For many people today in our own communities of faith, following the rules is still a serious matter. But what if the rules prevent God’s love from being shared or prevent grace from being shown? What if the rules effectively exclude rather than include?

God’s loving grace is wild and free, overcoming obstacles and breaking through boundaries. Death cannot stop God’s resurrecting love. Locked doors cannot stop the risen Christ. And today we see that not even religious rules can or should limit God’s freeing grace.

Our gospel reading for today doesn’t invite us to break the rules per se, but it does invite us to look at the rules, especially those related to our faith, and to think critically about them. How do the ways we organize ourselves and our communities extend God’s grace and love, and in what ways might they prevent God’s love from being shown and shared?

The God seen in Jesus intends to free humanity from the things that bind us. We see that clearly in Christ, who not only preaches God’s grace but publicly reaches out with that same grace to heal and help and love. Even if it means breaking some rules.