Near the top of St. Paul’s web site and on many of our various parish publications we print the following list as a Rule of Life for our community:  We aspire to worship weekly, pray daily, learn constantly, serve joyfully, give generously.  That’s not a bad structure for creating some healthy New Year’s Resolutions for 2009.

The turning of the New Year is an opportunity for annual reflection.  It is a good time to evaluate what went well last year and what could be improved.  Many people take a spiritual retreat each year for that specific purpose.  Out of our reflection we can create a conscious plan to avoid some of the behaviors and situations that have caused us problems, and we can embrace some new and healthier choices for a better life in the coming twelve months.

Most of the “Don’t” resolutions are pretty easy to figure out – don’t eat so much, don’t drink so much, don’t spend so much money, don’t ignore those closest to you, don’t lose your temper.  I think it is particularly helpful to focus on the positive behaviors.  What can we do that will draw us toward a more authentic life?

The first two parts of our congregation’s Rule of Life have to do with sanctifying time:  worship weekly, pray daily.  For those who aren’t religious, you might want to translate that into some form of conscious recollection daily and weekly.  You can begin each day by being thankful for the gift of life and for the opportunities the coming day will bring.  You can pledge yourself to awareness and service in the next 24-hours.  Each evening you can recall the day and learn from it.  Each week you can set aside some time for recreation and for deepening your most significant relationships.  Lots of couples have a “date night” each week.  It is renewing to find time for some outdoor activity.  You can intentionally get back in touch with your roots and foundation – worship does that for those of us who are religious. 

Like our bodies, our minds and our souls need constant nourishment, to grow and thrive we need to learn constantly.  Some people learn through books.  Others learn by doing.  Plan to stimulate your imagination and knowledge. 

Serve joyfully.  When Jesus said to his friends “I am among you as one who serves,” he was offering a universal example.  Our work has vitality whenever we labor in a spirit of joyful service.  Corporations now teach principles of servant leadership to their upper management.  What can you do that will make every aspect of your daily work an act of service?  How can you inject joy into your service?

Generosity is the key that unlocks abundant, thankful life.  Most of us are crippled by greed and self-centeredness.  We get trapped into cycles of fear, defensiveness, desire and need.  Give generously.  Give the other person the gift of your benevolence toward them.  Give away a certain proportion of your time and your money to the service of others.  Generosity is the seasoning of life.

These five actions are like the border and canvas on which you may paint your life.  Just like a child learning to play an instrument by practicing scales and learning notes, we practice the basic skills of an abundant life when we commit ourselves to some healthy disciplines.  Worship weekly, pray daily, learn constantly, serve joyfully, give generously.  Can you put something substantial and concrete into each of these categories as part of your resolution to live a more conscious and authentic life in 2009?  Make a plan.  Write it down.  List two or three ways you can apply each of these invitations to make yours a more abundant life. 

Here’s a simple example of a written Rule of Life:

1.  Worship Weekly:  Each week:  I will do one outdoor activity; spend at least two hours of quality time with my most significant relationships; be part of a community of worship or corporate reflection.

2.  Pray Daily:  Each morning I will spend ten minutes in some mindful exercise of gratefulness.  I will stop to cultivate awareness at specific moments daily.  Each evening I will reflect on the day.

3.  Learn Constantly:  I’ll always have a good book going.  I’ll enroll in one class of some kind this year.  I’ll do something with my body – artistic or athletic or both.

4.  Serve Joyfully:  I’ll approach my work as an act of service.  I’ll volunteer for some civic or charitable purpose.  Every day I’ll do one intentional act to serve the people I live most closely to.

5.  Give Generously.  I’ll act on one unexpected opportunity to give to someone each day.  I will set aside a specific percentage of my income for charity.  Each day I’ll practice generosity of spirit to one person who is different from me.

Write your Rule of Life somewhere where you can review it daily – on a desk calendar, computer or phone.  Be accountable.  Check off each time you have followed your rule.  Track your progress.  Then next year, pull out your list, review and amend it. 

The beginning of the year is an opportunity to reflect on the old and to begin anew.  The discipline of a Rule of Life can be a good foundation for a Happy New Year.