Last modified: Saturday, October 25, 2008 1:53 AM EDT Local columnist: Basic commandments ring true in economic crisis BY REV. DENNIS BARIL FOR THE SUN CHRONICLE There is an axiom that says, "We don't get to control what happens, we only get to control our response." In recent weeks we have watched what seems like a surreal series of events unfold in the American and global economies. For many, it feels like we are living in a bad dream, or worse, that the world has gone mad. We all are asking, what is going to happen in my life? How will all that is happening affect me and my family? Our sense of financial security and dreams are being shattered in ways we never imagined could happen. By the time this column is printed, the downward global economic spiral hopefully will have stopped. But processing the damage created by the collapse will have just begun. One thing is clear: the best economic, academic, and political minds in our world are not sure what to do today or in the future. So where can we look for guidance? This column is not about what we cannot control; this column is about what we can control - our response. Jesus was asked, "Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" He replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:35-40) In any crisis, one of the first principles to employ is a return to the fundamentals. To love God and to love your neighbor are the fundamentals of Christian faith. These powerful commands can help shape our response to the overwhelming uncertainty of a crisis in ways that can restore peace, hope, and love back into our lives. Jesus' summary of these two fundamentals is very clear; everything "hangs on these two commandments." How can they help us in these times? E LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD - The call to love God beckons us to believe that He is far greater than any crisis we will ever encounter, and to acknowledge that His justice and love will always prevail. Simply stated, "He is God and I am not." When we love God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, we are joining our life with His in the expectation of making our life and this world better. By choosing to love God first, we can find the strength to be hopeful for the future as we work to overcome the anger, fear and disappointment that may otherwise overpower us. If we are to prevail over the problems that will result from this economic crisis, we need to look forward with confidence. This is where we will find God doing His best work in our lives. E LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR - As a result of this economic crisis people may lose their homes, their jobs, and for some, their dignity. As a community, we surely will know someone in need, and we will be faced with choices. Jesus challenges our choices with the command to "love your neighbor as yourself." Every human being needs to love and to be loved; this is a fundamental need in each of our lives. With God's help, we can see our neighbor not as a failed member of the community, but as our very self. A friend recently observed that it is no longer good enough to say, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Because of globalization we must instead say, "Ask not what the world can do for you; ask what you can do for the world." As this economic crisis has unfolded, our global interdependency has become even more apparent. But the fundamentals that Jesus taught us still apply - perhaps now more than ever. Love God and love your neighbor. What better response could we possibly choose to live out within our families, our community, our country, and our world? May God help us to live out this command as we respond to the events of our day and to the needs of our neighbors. Dennis Baril is the senior pastor of Community Covenant Church in Rehoboth, a position he has held since 1989. Community Covenant Church is a non-denominational Christian Church, where preaching is biblical, practical and applicable to everyday life.