Our readings this morning show us an interesting progression in understanding. We begin with the ten commandments, God's law given to the people of Israel on Mt Horeb by Moses. They were to give boundaries to the people of God, that they might know when they had crossed the line and so had sinned. Sin is that which is offensive to God, and thus God gave the decalogue that those who desired to follow him, might be guided in the way that they might have a right relationship with him and with our neighbours.

This sounds all fair and reasonable, but as humans confronted by Law, we like to see them as exact definitions, and we created the legal profession to accurately define what they mean and treat them as a type of mandatory requirement. In Jesus day, as in ours, people sought to limit the effect of the law, by precisely defining its jurisdiction. It is not a question about whether or not you were speeding, but a question of whether or not you were caught fairly. We look for loopholes, which permit us to avoid the full force of the Law.

Jesus took the lawyers to task at their splitting of hairs, using the concept of Corban to avoid duty to parents, Corban - the pledging of things to God and justifying the avoidance of duty to parents. For as long as we have had laws, we have had lawyers to helps ameliorate their effects.

Our Philippians reading is part of Paul's testimony. He is not boasting, but he does point out, that in terms of the Law, he had been compliant. In terms of all that Judaism had demanded, he had complied But, he says but this was not enough. It was his encounter with Christ that showed him the valuelessness of what he had done.

Jesus Parable give us insight into God's thinking. God had given the Jewish people every opportunity to be the bearers of the light. The agents of the truth about himself. He describes them as a nation of priests to peoples of the world - priest representative of the people to God and God to the people. Gods vision, was of a nation living in obedience and yield a harvest of righteousness that would be a light unto the gentiles to point them towards God. The Prosperity of Israel living under God's providence would point other nations to God and thus make his name known.

The harvest time had come, but instead of the fruit that God had expected - God honouring society, the people had produce a society that had produced only lip service to God while going its own way. God had sent reminders to them in the prophets through the ages and finally in his own Son, but the nation of Israel had forgotten the source of life and chose to go its own way.

Indeed, these words of Jesus made him a danger to be removed. And they led to the plot to kill him.

Paul on the other hand, in his encounter with Jesus did not cling to his own righteousness (and do not be mistaken, Paul was a righteous man), but chose to submit to Jesus. His encounter on the Damascus Road, and subsequent events convinced him that the things that he held so dear were of little value in the economy of God. He describes them as Rubbish, compared to the value of the relationship with Jesus.

One of my joys over time has been to be involved with young people at or about the time they start to get serious about relationships. It is amazing how the meeting of the one will bring about huge changes in the life of a young boy or girl. The hair is done, the clothes are neat, the manners now impeccable, even the room tidied. All because of the desire to be seen as right in the eyes of the beloved. The rules that parents have tried to enforce year after year are now carried out without question.

This is what Paul is talking about. Righteousness is not about being strict about the rules, but in terms of pleasing the beloved. For Paul, the righteousness found in Christ Jesus, was all he desired. He felt his unworthiness, in comparison, but continued to strive to be like Jesus.

What a contrast this is to the reaction of the Scribes and Pharisees, whose encounter with the righteousness of Jesus led them to plot for his removal.

For us today, this is the challenge - We must go back to the very roots of our faith. In all honesty, are Christians out of habit, obey the rules that we learnt as children or have we discovered the joy of that dynamic relationship with Jesus. Is our faith in Jesus real - not as a vague notion of some great historical teacher figure, but as something that is a real and dynamic relationship with a person. Although I dislike the notion that Jesus is my personal Saviour (as I think this tends to promote the feeling of ownership), nevertheless, it must be the case, that our salvation is about our relationship with him personally.

I know in my own life, it was when Jesus became real to me as a friend and not just as a description, that my life began to turn around. Righteousness, if you like, was slow to come, but I have same sense as Paul - that perhaps that I am on the right track, even though I am yet to attain the goal. And like the young person in love - I seek to please the object of my admiration.

As a parish, this is my desire - that we be seen not as people bound by rules, but in a dynamic relationship with Jesus. The ten Commandments help us to understand the demands of God on humanity, but are not the end but the beginning of the path towards righteousness. Rather as we know Christ, the power of his Resurrection and share in his sufferings, we might become like him. And is this not the meaning of being his Body in the world.

Of course, we do not have to struggle alone, as Jesus has promised us the Holy Spirit to us to help us in this task. But that is teaching for another time. For now let us just spend a moment to think about where our is based - in rules or in relationship?

AMEN.