FREEDOM!
Isaiah 58:6-10
Galatians 5:13-25
FREEDOM! The mere mention of the word conjures up
fire-cracker memories of the “Fourth of July”; and old soldiers carrying the
flag down Main Street in uniforms that are now a bit too snug. Immigrants through time, from far-away lands,
upon seeing the great statue standing tall in the harbor, shout with joy or
sigh with relief, “FREEDOM”. The word
has for many become synonymous with the word AMERICA, the “land of the free, and the home of the
brave!”
Here we honor “Freedom of Religion, Freedom of the Press,
Freedom of Speech”. These rights
were endowed to us, our fore-fathers said, by our Creator. (Declaration of
Independence) They believed
that even the idea of living free comes from God.
These are values we hold
dear. We will fight for them. Many have died for them. Yet, as important as our freedom is; in our
most honest moments we must admit that there are times when we are a bit
afraid. For we have all seen what happens
when people take advantage of liberty and use it in ways we find offensive or
even destructive.
Protesters burn our flag to make
some kind of statement; men hiding under the cover of pointed sheets burn
crosses to parade their own grotesque hatred for all people different from
themselves. And our freedom protect
their right to do so. Many are afraid of
such freedom, and try to write new laws to restrict such cruelty.
Therein lies the tension between
freedom and law; between the will of the majority and the rights of the
individual; between liberty and the need for security. We hold freedom high; yet we have seen it
used and abused with every kind of evil intent. Freedom is an ideal; but in the
real world our lives our governed by all manner of rules and regulation; and to
be honest - we prefer it that way.
This is what makes our scripture
today so difficult. Freedom and Law: Are
they in opposition or are they two sides of the same coin? In a moment we will decide. First, let us pray:
We thank you Lord, that you have created us with “certain inalienable
rights to life and liberty”. We treasure
those gifts, yet we confess there are times when we are still wary of freedom;
fearing that it might be misused and abused. But, you have called us to a new
kind of freedom that is concerned less with rights and more with responsibilities
toward others.
“For freedom Christ has set us free”.
Through his sacrifice upon the cross; he sets us free from the
overpowering pressure to sin; and he sets us free to love in more profound
ways. Help us, Lord, to use this gift of
freedom in ways which are holy and righteous.
Through Jesus Christ: Amen.
His name was Larry. He lived in the
freshman dormitory room next mine. He
was the son of a Baptist preacher. According to Larry; he had grown up in a
very strict home. His father, perhaps
overly concerned about the congregation might think of his son, created all
manner of rule and regulation to govern his life; from the length of his hair
to the shine on his shoes. He was told that he was not allowed to “drink,
smoke, or chew (tobacco) or go out with girls that do.”
Larry said in those growing up
years he never gave his father a bit of trouble; and obediently followed his
every command. He was the perfect P.K.
(That’s Preacher’s Kid for those who don’t know.) Then, Larry went to Penn
State a long way from home; and with every mile traveled Larry must have thrown
another rule out the window. When he finally arrived on campus and moved into
the dorm room next to mine, he decided to live his own way. The rules went out
the window.
Not only did Larry begin to “drink,
smoke, and chew”; he went out with every girl he knew. Freedom for Larry meant there were now no
rules. So began Larry’s free-fall into
hedonism which ignored the spiritual which he had found so stifling and
celebrated the flesh which seemed to him so free.
The Apostle Paul’s ongoing argument
with those in the Galatians Church about `Freedom’ and the `Law’ revolved
around people just like Larry. Paul
wrote, “For Freedom Christ has set us
free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit to a yoke of slavery.”
(Galatians 5:1) The yoke he refers to represents the great number of rules and
regulations that governed their lives; and perhaps stifled their sense of the
spirit. The yoke symbolized the `Law’ they had learned in the synagogues they
grew up in.
Christ has set you free from all of
those rules he said. So, instead of
thinking too much about which rule you may or not be breaking the next Sabbath
day; meditate more on the God who created the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27-28) Instead of carefully calculating the exact
percentage of tithe you feel you owe God in order to fulfill that commandment
to tithe, he wrote, “Each one should
make up his own mind not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a
cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) Instead of scheduling your prayer
time so that you might cover all your bases, Paul said, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Christ has come to set your spirit
free; not stifle it with the endless codices of a legal contract which only a
lawyer could love.
Many in the Church embraced their
new-found freedom; but many were a bit afraid as well. They also, had seen people do monstrous
things in the name of freedom. Without these rules, they wondered, what will
restrain bad behavior and how would you even know what it is?
In verse 13 Paul responds to this
question. “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom
for an opportunity for the flesh, but through love be servants of one another.
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, `You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.”
The real tension Paul says is not
between `freedom’ and the `Law’; it is between something he calls the `flesh’
and something he calls `Spirit’.
So, what does Paul mean when he
says, “don’t use your freedom as an
opportunity for the flesh”? Well,
verse 19 describes the works of the flesh and it’s a mixed bag: “Sexual
immorality and envy, drunkenness and anger, selfishness and greed.” The
list goes on and chances are you’ll find at least one of your besetting sins on
the list; but the real common denominator that connects them all is the first
person pronoun - `I’, `Me’, `Mine’ . `I’ am what matters: my needs, my desires,
my pleasure. The laws which govern the flesh have never really been written
down; but they are understood by everyone.
“If it feels right, it must be right.” Above all else never
judge another because they are after doing what feels right to them.
Paul says such desires are contrary
to the Spirit, because the Spirit is centered in Love; and love is not wrapped
up in the self; but is directed towards the other. Love is not so much concerned with your
rights as it is with your responsibilities toward others. This is the freedom of which Paul speaks -
the liberty to love.
Freedom from “self” and for
“others” is what Love means in Jesus Christ.
He is our example, our model of what real love is. If you want to know what love smells like
don’t put your nose to a dozen roses in a flower shop - rather, take in the
sweat stained aroma of Jesus or any of his disciples who hammer nails in a
Habitat for Humanity house so someone might have a place to live. If you want
to know what love sounds like; don’t listen Elvis Presley sing, “Love Me Tender”; rather listen to
Jesus when he says, “Love your
neighbor as yourself.” ( Mark 12:31)
If you want to know what love looks like don’t look for a Hallmark
Greeting card; but look to the cross.
A Roman Catholic priest, John
Powell, described that kind of love in this way:
“Love works for those who work at it.
You have to work at love. Love
does not come wrapped in wax paper from heaven. Love is a do-it-yourself
kit. You have to put it together day by
day, piece by piece, little by little.
You have to work at love; it doesn’t just happen.”
John
Powell Free to Be Me pg 16
This is why Jesus focused so much
on the ways in which we use our `time, talent, and treasure’. That is why the Christian concept of
stewardship is so closely linked with discipleship. The ways in which we use our calendars and
our checkbooks do serve as an accurate reflection of our relationship with
Christ. For these things reveal what we
truly value; and if there is little time, little effort, little money directed
towards the needs of others; it shows only that the desires of our “flesh”
still override the matters of our spirit.
The battle continues to be fought
within each of us between matters of the spirit and desires of the flesh. Sometimes the flesh prevails - sometimes the
Spirit revives.
It did for Larry. Sometime during the summer of his freshman
year Larry found the freedom he was seeking.
For when he returned to school, it was clear that the temptations of the
flesh had lost some of their allure. It
was as if he realized somehow that he had thrown out “the baby with the bath water”; and he realized he missed the
baby he threw out was a child born in Bethlehem. The rules which had been so stifling, so
oppressive; he still left at home; but in his sophomore year he brought with
him a deeper faith and a freeing spirit.
Jesus Christ still mattered to him.
So, when he received invitations to go to yet another wild party he
began to decline; not because it was against any rules, but because it somehow
seemed contrary to the spirit of Christ.
He felt he wasn’t really giving up
something; rather he was embracing something he found far more meaningful. That is a liberating experience.
As our desires more reflect the
will and desires of God; we experience a greater sense of completion because we
fulfilling the potential that God has placed within each of us.
I know there have been times when
you have felt this way. Perhaps it was
in the expression you saw on someone’s face when you gave them a gift laden
with thoughtfulness; and the surprise on their face left you feeling that “today I have done at least one thing well”. Maybe you have made a quiet donation that
will be known by no one save yourself and God; but it doesn’t matter because
deep down you know that you have done the right thing for the right reasons.
We feel this way in such moments
because that is the way God created us to feel.
We live as free people not because of our wealth or politic; but because
of the love which God by His Spirit has kindled within us. Of such freedom there is nothing to
fear. For love never abuses or misuses;
never cheats or mistreats never takes advantage.
“For love is patient and kind; not jealous or boastful, not arrogant or
rude. Love does not insist on its own
way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but
rejoices in the right. Love bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
1
Corinthians 13:4-7
