By now, all of you have read Pope Benedict’s “Driver’s Ten Commandments.” Who knew that Pope Benedict could be so hip after the early unfavorable comparisons with his beloved predecessor John Paul II? You have heard or read at least some of the spoofs and/or additions on talk shows or in the op ed columns, and the list continues to grow. Some of my favorite additions to the Pope’s Top Ten are from the NPR “Car Talk” brothers website (www.cartalk.com):

Blessed are the Prii, for they shall inherit the earth.

Thy middle finger shall only be used in conjunction with thy index finger,

to indicate "peace."

Thou shalt not drive like my brother... says brother Tom,

to which the rejoinder from brother Ray is, Thou shalt not drive like MY brother.

I put a lot of miles on my little Toyota Corolla as you know, and I have driven tens of thousands over the past 25 years when you count the minivan decade shuttling kids to school and activities, a six-month stint of driving the Beltway around Washington, D.C. where all sorts of road antics were ‘normal,’ then my years commuting to seminary between Tulsa and Stillwater. My road offenses occasionally fall under the ‘using my cell phone without pulling over’ sin, but most fit in the speeding category, which is an occupational hazard for pastors (having known many other ministers who have this bad habit!). However, my most humbling speeding ticket was handed to me years ago when both Laura and Scott were in the car and we were on our way to Laura’s softball practice in Stillwater, and I have been trying to reform ever since.

So, in this summer travel season, I will jump shamelessly onto the ‘Ten Commandments’ bandwagon, because obviously I need a refresher course in road etiquette. Our common life could be much improved if everyone had these taped onto the dashboard (our 21^st century version of house doorposts, or forehead emblems), instead of your favorite bobble-head figure. [On the other hand, a bobble-head Jesus or Pope holding two tablets might be hilarious!] On to Pope Benedict’s Top Ten…

1. You shall not kill. – Wonder where he picked up that one??!! Number 6 on the original list handed to Moses.

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm. – An expansion of #1, which adds a positive twist rather than just a prohibition. Number 2 is curious, in light of the truth that the modern automobile is one of the most isolating products engineered by human beings. Cars are bigger than ever – witness the bulked up Hummer styles that look like transportation on steroids. More often than not, these vehicles built for an army carry one person. On the occasions that people plural step in, these cars have something for every passenger – your own drink holder, front and rear climate control, individualized seat controls, rear TV set, etc. The On-Star navigation system ensures that directions from the occasional local resident are unnecessary. The pope’s suggestion that the road might be for ‘communion between people’ seems absurd and subversively countercultural, and a bit of a contradiction given that the Pope himself rides in the well-protected ‘Popemobile.’ Nevertheless, I hear Jesus voice in this commandment.

More importantly however, the pope links part 2 to part 1, the road is for communion and not for mortal harm; The pope is referring to road rage, that extreme of violence that combines explosive anger, a handgun in the glove compartment, perhaps DUI, and that ‘me first and only’ attitude that Paul opposed his preaching on Christian freedom. The tragic shooting death of a motorist last month in Tulsa, both threatening one another, comes to mind.

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin. (linked closely to commandment 2) We especially like it when someone rich and powerful is exposed for violating this commandment. Just say ‘Chappaquiddick’ to anyone over the age of 50 to trigger the image that still dogs Ted Kennedy from July 19, 1969, even though immediately overshadowed by the first moon landing the following night). We all should be outraged by the recent Paris Hilton antics and media circus. A subtopic of this commandment might be – you shall not pollute the public airwaves with bone-shattering, chest-vibrating, car-pulsating stereo noise. But for anyone on the road (with or without a driver’s license), the temptation to rely on one’s car for domination is real, even if we avoid such extremes.

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so. It is hard to intervene in someone’s ‘private’business, so I applaud all parents who have told their teens that a phone call for a ride will get them home no questions asked and all friends who agree to be the designated driver.

3. Courtesy, uprightness, and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events. It is hard to remember that a split second of inattention - changing the CD, picking up the cup of coffee that sloshes into your lap - can turn our comfortable cocoon into a weapon of mass destruction. I believe that the driver’s manual call this ‘defensive driving.’ I can’t think of anyone here who is likely to explode with road rage, but it is tempting to play with other drivers’ psyches by jamming on brakes without warning to scare a tailgater. Or swerving from lane to lane without signaling.

9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party. – Not very popular for people who like to tailgate, who completely lose their patience with drivers who have the gall to drive below the speed limit. We can be drivers who think like Cain, who challenged God by asking “Am I my brother’s keeper?” about his brother Abel, whose very name means vulnerable, like a weak and trembling breath of air. Obviously, God thinks, ‘yes, we are our weaker brothers’ keepers.’ This applies to slower, less attentive motorists, but I am reminded also that such vigilance might reduce the tragic and avoidable deaths of construction workers who risk their lives to improve the quality of our highways.

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents. I am guilty of speeding on past a broken-down vehicle, like priests and Levites on the Jericho road who excuse themselves with compelling work to do. I give thanks for the troopers and the medical personnel and the anonymous Samaritan who gives stranded motorist a lift to a gas station, maybe even paying for the gas. For Rachel Shorter’s neighbor who changed her flat tire so she could return to the hospital where her mother Pauline had died.

7. Support the families of accident victims. Nobody does it better than MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness. This is a tough one in bringing to pass, for we prefer the justice of retribution and revenge, even though studies show that it does not make victims feel better. Like #7, forgiveness involves painstaking years of behind-the-scenes caregiving and negotiating plans for restitution and rehabilitation for offenders and victims.

10. Feel responsible toward others. A fine summary for our behaviors on the road that put our Christian faith into action. Jesus encouraged us to ‘love our enemies,’ which all too often is how we regard our fellow motorists. All of us spend more time on the road than our ancestors did. Driving to doctors often out-of-town, to shopping, to church, to friends, almost everything we do requires that we step into our automobiles. Even if we have scaled back our driving, life around Grand Lake means driving, often on roads designed for slower travel.

I try harder these days to observe the posted speed limit and to avoid the temptation to shave minutes off of my driving to and fro. At my best, my drive time includes prayer time, whatever thoughtfulness and generosity I can muster through my driving behaviors and in keeping my mind attentive as the miles roll by. There’s crossing Sailboat Bridge and a quick prayer for wellbeing of the boaters, the fishermen, and the jet ski crowd. There is the breath prayer of relief at successfully navigating the chutelike entrance ramp onto I-244 from I-44. This is followed quickly by the prayer for more life to come to the gamblers inside as I pass the Cherokee Casino, a temple of sorts surrounded by its parking lot filled with cars, pickups, and motor homes. There is mile marker #44 on the Cimarron Turnpike, where my gaze rests on the abandoned farmhouse built of limestone blocks and I give thanks for the expanse of sky and open prairie that marks the road home. Someday I will get off the road and explore that old farmplace if I can. Meanwhile, I drive on day after day, dependant on the courtesy of others as much as my own alertness and care.