Availability and Vulnerability

There are two simple words at the center of the Rule of Life for the Northumbria Community – availability and vulnerability. Since discovering that Rule several years ago, I have tried to live my own life with availability and vulnerability.

Let me backtrack. Many years ago, David found a prayer book developed by the Northumbria Community in England. The Northumbria Community is a geographically dispersed community that has its home on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.  It is shaped by a spirituality based in the history and experience of the Celts. What holds that community together is their Rule of Life, summarized by the values of availability and vulnerability. As Richard Foster states in the introduction of Celtic Daily Prayer:

These are vows that extend both vertically and horizontally: available to God, available to others; vulnerable to God, vulnerable to others.

While I make no claim to be a member of the community, nor have I ever visited there, I have tried to adopt those values into my life, with their challenge and hope. I continually find myself returning to them over and over again, because they seem to be at the core of my struggles to live a life centered on God. This year, I will consciously bring those challenges of availability and vulnerability into this week between Palm Sunday and Easter.

Holy Week was a time when Jesus was fully available to those who needed him, while becoming totally vulnerable to the fear and cruelty of those who controlled the religious and government institutions. In his acts of availability, such as washing the disciple’s feet, Jesus turns around the expectations of his friends by caring for them. In his interactions with those in power, he refuses to return violence for violence, hatred for hatred. During this week, we recall his betrayal by one of his disciples, beatings by soldiers, abandonment by his friends, crucifixion by an oppressive state, and death.

So, in continuing on my Lenten discipline of what if it’s all true, what can I hope to learn from Jesus tragic, and ultimately triumphant, journey? I don’t know. Maybe nothing. But if I can find a way to stay available and vulnerable to reliving his story, I hope to be able embrace those values more fully in the power of resurrection and Easter.  

A Rule of Life

As we approach the end of Lent, and the beginning of Holy Week, a question may rise in your mind, “What next?” Whether you have given up some food item or bad habit, or taken on additional activities such as prayer, Bible reading, or service as part of your Lenten journey, how do you feel about all of that ending on Easter?

• Relief – “now I can eat what I want!” 
• Satisfaction – “This has been a good time: I am glad to have done it and I am glad it is coming to an end.”
• Guilt – “Another year when I have failed to live up to my resolutions.” 
• Hope – “This has been a great experience, and I want to keep doing something, maybe more or maybe less, to build upon what I have done. Perhaps I can start doing this regularly? 

There is a way to continue on the journey begun this Lent; define and commit to your own Rule of Life. That phrase, “Rule of Life” is not intended to seem daunting and rigid. It has roots over 1500 years ago in the Rule of Benedict written for one of the earliest monastic communities. The Rule provides guidelines for how to live together, worship God, and minister to their neighbors. Middleham and St. Peter’s own Daughters of the King is a contemporary branch of the tree that has grown from Benedict’s roots.

Like a trellis that supports a rose or a grape vine, your Rule of Life can help you become more intentional about how you shape your time and your relationships. Because you write a Rule to address the specific circumstances and issues in your life, it provides a way to stay on track and to remember what is important. When your life changes, you change your rule to reflect the new situation.

In How do I create a Rule of Life? The Rev. Jay Rozendaal, provides a place to start. He notes that there are many things that you already do that would be a part of your Rule of Life, such as regular times for prayer and worship, community service projects, family activities or workouts at the gym. Starting with what you already do may be surprising and encouraging. When considering what else to add, he notes:

It should be do-able (do not set yourself up to fail) but not superficial (do not just take an easy way out); it should be a commitment but not a straitjacket. 

If you are intrigued by the Benedictine perspective, I recommend the workbook Creating a Rule of Life by the Community of Reconciliation at the National Cathedral. It includes a series of areas to consider, several sample Rules, and additional resources. Since that particular community is based in Washington, DC, you could also attend their weekly, monthly or special events. If you want to read a book, At Home in the World: A Rule of Life for the Rest of Us by Margaret Guenther is excellent.

Not everyone is interested or in a life situation that supports this kind of commitment. But for some, it is a useful tool.

I invite you to take a moment, pray to God for guidance, then be quiet for a minute or two. Close the silence by saying aloud “Amen.”

Whether you want to commit to a Rule of Life may not happen right away. Nothing may happen in the time of silence. Whether or not something happens really doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have set aside some time to open yourself to God. At root, that is what any Rule of Life is about; for those who have adopted a Rule of Life, it is one way to continually open themselves to God.

Bruce Calvin