Galatians 5:1, 13-25 & Luke 9:51-62 (read passages by clicking on the links)
Freedom
It would be easy, on this Sunday before our country’s Independence Day, to read a passage about freedom, and preach about patriotism and how God has called our nation to a special place in this world. But to do that would make the American flag an idol, and would also misrepresent what Paul actually said about freedom to first century Christians. So we are going to go about this in a different way.
Let’s face it, at one time or another, we all want to be free. We want to be free, because we think that freedom means being carefree or without worries.
But in his letter, Paul reminds us that freedom is not absence of responsibility or problems. The freedom that God gives us is dedication to the gifts of life which God has placed before us, taking them on as our life’s work and true vocation. Freedom through Christ, not matter where it leads us, means choices, and in the end, putting others needs before our own. And they are choices we make in love, in gratitude, and with the sense that in our freedom, we are tied more firmly than ever to the community of faith.
Do you remember what it was like to live on your own the first time? Each Fall, college campuses are overrun by people getting their first taste of freedom. No more mom and dad to monitor comings and goings. Making choices becomes the essential nature of the day. To go to class or not to go to class… to go the library or not… and the infamous… “I’ll get up and study in the morning”… Freedom opens up the possibility of more choices than we can possible imagine, but what will be our guide as we exercise the freedom we have gained?
More than a couple of years ago, I remember being that college freshman, and being almost paralyzed with the amount of freedom I had gained in the matter of a few days. Paul’s premise became evident quite quickly… with freedom come new responsibilities… new choices… new opportunities. Freedom may be attractive to us in the beginning because we think it will demand less of us, but in the end, we find that freedom takes more time, more effort, and more knowing who we are than we ever imagined or were prepared for.
As Americans, we think of freedom as one of our rights. Our forefathers said these rights were granted to us by our Creator – life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness. There are people all over the world who are willing to risk their lives in order get a change at what we have. But somehow, our culture has transitioned to the belief that it is my life, my liberty, my happiness that is most important. And in the process, the life and liberty and fulfillment of others has become less important, sometimes even non-existent. Think about the “celebrity mentality” to understand what I am talking about. Think about people fighting over parking places at Wal-Mart or driving as if they own the road to see what we might become. This is the very idea that Paul was warning the Galatians against.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, our freedom comes through the Spirit of God. We learn more and more about who we are through our study of scripture and through our experiences of God and life together. It is our relationships with others that determine what it really means to be free. Paul tells the Galatians that their freedom is either limited or empowered by their motivations. And when we take a look at the two lists that Paul has placed before them and us, we realize some important differences in how they each affect and impact us.
The desires of the flesh are those things which focus our energies totally inside of ourselves. They put us at the center of the universe. “Look at me – I am the king or queen of the world.” And if you don’t think that applies to you or to me, then listen to the news. All around us we see the works of the flesh routinely played out in almost every community. Sex, drugs, and violence are before us every day in TV, movies, on our local news, even in the video games we sometimes play. Sadly, we have become somewhat immune to it all, changing the channel and looking the other way.
But that’s not the way it has to be. Paul writes of freedom that teaches our spirits to live... and this freedom is at the same time a boundary and no boundary at all. We have freedom through the Spirit and are released to be God's children. And with that identity, we have wonderful opportunities and responsibilities. Here, in the Spirit, we carry the cross of Jesus. Here is where we try to look at ourselves clearly and see who God wants us to be. Here is where we do the prep work so we are free to abandon ourselves to be servants of the Most High God.
It is an awesome burden to be free to love, and be kind and gentle, joyous and peaceful, generous and faithful. Our spirits are free to soar and yet we are anchored by them, steadied and called to live our lives for God. In Eugene Petersen’s biblical translation, The Message, he translates the fruit of the Spirit into actions.
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely. (Galatians 5:22-23)The fruit of the Spirit give us the courage and strength to follow where Christ leads, and to answer when he calls.
The cost of discipleship is the central theme of the Gospel text from Luke, chapter 9. In the text Jesus has "set his face towards Jerusalem." He was journeying there in order to fulfill God's plan for his life, a plan that involved a cross and crucifixion on Calvary.
As Jesus travels towards Jerusalem, he encounters some people who think they want to follow him. Along the road the first man said, “Lord I'm ready to follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."”
To another Jesus said, "Follow me," and the man replied, "I'll come along but first I need to take care of some family business. I have to bury my father." To this, Jesus replied, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the Kingdom of God."
It seems to us that Jesus was pretty harsh with these fellows. What does he expect? Burying one's father, going home to say goodbye to family and friends, these are perfectly normal things. Yet in these words to his would-be followers, Jesus is making it quite clear what the cost of following him is. Following him means understanding the possibility of living his kind of life… sacrificial and unadorned.
Recently I watch the movie, “The Last Castle” with Robert Redford and James Gandolfini. The movie is about a 3-star Army general who enters a military prison after accepting a guilty verdict for disobeying a direct order, resulting in the deaths of 8 soldiers under his command. He could have stayed out of prison, but he wants to take responsibility for his actions, serve his time quietly and go home. But life in this prison is hard, because a sadistic colonel believes that the only way to keep order is to take away all dignity for the prisoners under his control.
As the leader he is, this general begins to remind the other prisoners that they are not defined by the crimes that they have committed. In spite of it all, they are still soldiers, and they don’t have to let their identity as prisoners define how they will live out their lives. He shows them that life can be different. In the final scenes, I was so struck by the difference between these two leaders – the prison commander, who has constructed a world that revolves around his power and control, and a prisoner general, who leads the men under him to strive for the greater good. Sometimes freedom looks very different than what expect.
As modern-day followers of Jesus, we stand under his words. We, too, must face the cost of discipleship. Our journey, this Christian life to which we have been called, parallels the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. Jesus is telling us, up front, that our journey with him will not be an easy one. If we follow him, we cannot expect to have an easier road to travel than the Master does, for as the Father has sent Jesus, he sends us. Signing on with Jesus means that everything becomes secondary to serving the Kingdom of God and sharing the gospel. Following Jesus will cost us. But it is the only thing that will make us free.
The balance of all this freedom comes with practice and dedication to the tasks that entails. And eventually it changes the way we live every part of our lives. When was the last time we let love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control take over the way we reacted to something or someone? Maybe it was just a minute or two ago… maybe a little longer than that, or maybe we can’t remember.
Paul teaches us that Christ’s freedom is a gift of choice, and accepting it changes everything.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original. (Galatians 5: 25-26 The Message)Or words attributed to 20th century preacher Peter Marshall, “May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.”
Amen.
