Freedom! I like that word. Don’t you? Freedom! Say it with me: FREEDOM!
I turned on the radio and these are the words I heard. At first, I assumed it was a political rally or maybe a sermon on Galatians. But no. It was a bitcoin conference. The speaker was celebrating the freedom of cryptocurrency - a digital currency like bitcoin that is independent – that is free - from any government or bank management. I don’t know much about bitcoin – but I do know the power of words.
Freedom is a powerful word. Freedom is a rallying cry that stirs our hearts and lifts our spirits. Freedom is powerful because we want to be free. Next weekend we will be celebrating our country’s Independence day – and our freedom as citizens. Today, with joy, we hear Paul proclaiming, “Christ has set you free.”
There are some similarities between Christian freedom – and the freedom of our country and even the freedom of bitcoin. In each case, there is a desire for being free FROM something. Cryptocurrency wants to be free from government or bank management (they aren’t doing so well now – which is why the report was on the news). On July 4th we celebrate the beginning of our country’s freedom from foreign rulers. And today in his letter to the Galatians, Paul is calling them and us to be free in Christ.
And then Paul writes, “do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”No one wants to be a slave. But in the next 12 verses -- verses that we didn’t read -- enslavement is what Paul argues will happen if the Galatians follow the traditional Jewish rites of circumcision and dietary laws. Those laws, he argues, had their time and place. But now, all people are welcome – men and women, people of all ages, every heritage and culture, every race, clan and tribe. In baptism into Christ we are all one and by his death and resurrection, Christ has set you’all free!
So what does freedom in Christ look like? I’m not the only one with this question. Inspired by this verse, the artist Paul Granlund created a sculpture that is located in downtown Minneapolis. A picture of it is printed on your bulletin cover. Take a look at it. See how the people are emerging from the solid bronze box and stretching towards the sky – unbound from all the material that used to bind them. Perhaps this is what Christian freedom looks like –the liberty to embrace life and reach beyond the confines of all those things that would bind us.
But what does freedom taste like? Does it taste like fresh strawberries? OR is it as juicy as a watermelon? Is it crisp as a Honeycrisp apple or and mellow as a cantaloupe or honeydew.
Paul says that freedom in Christ is sweet – and produces good fruit. And that fruit – is not self-indulgence or selfishness. Eating a whole watermelon at once by yourself would give you nothing but pain. In the same way, Paul says, if “you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.” This is what happens when we abuse the gift of freedom that we are given. Paul also gives us a vice list of things to avoid. But I’m more interested in looking at how Christ calls us to live.
Freedom in Christ is meant to be lived as Christ Jesus would have us live –loving one another as Jesus loves us. Paul says be “slaves to one another.” This seems contradictory since he has just argued against slavery and for freedom. But the Message Bible’s translation is more helpful. It reads: “use your freedom to serve one another in love.”
Paul is describing a life of discipleship. This is a life that bears fruit. He says the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Phew. That’s a lot. It can seem a bit overwhelming. When we shop for fruit, we can choose apples over oranges and grapes instead of pineapples, but we don’t get to choose which of the fruits of the Spirit we want. We don’t get to choose love, joy and peace and leave generosity, faithfulness and self-control on the shelf. The fruits of the spirit are a package deal. This is what discipleship, being led by the Spirit, is all about. Not only are we freed by Christ FROM the power of evil and FROM the fear of death and despair. We are freed FOR a life of meaning, of purpose and of hope. We are freed to love our neighbor as Christ loves us. This is discipleship.
So how do we live a life of discipleship? In a recent edition of Living Lutheran1, one writer said that she noticed that when she overwhelmed by the needs of the world around her and didn’t know where to start or what to do, she ended up doing nothing. She realized that she couldn’t do everything so she wanted to focus on one thing Her next question was: what would it be? And then she noticed that her children tended to go back to the toys and books that they loved – over and over again.
So she decided that the best place to focus her attention might be to first ask the question: “What do I love, and how can I use that love to serve others?” And she suggested we might try that too.
So, for example, if you love to cook perhaps you could make an extra meal and share it with a neighbor. Or, if you love to read – you could join our book club and foster a spirit of community or work with a reading buddies program. Love to write or draw? You can send letters or cards to our shut-ins or your neighbors. Love to knit or crochet? We need more prayers shawls. Love to walk? Bring along a trash bag and clean up God’s good creation as you go. These are just a few ideas.
Alternatively, you could ask, “What breaks my heart – and how can I make a difference? How is God calling me to respond? I remember Eleanor Bjorkquist once told me, “I know I can’t do everything, but what I can do is ‘feed people.’” So she was involved with Dinner at your Door. Other people continue that work now and still others have the same relationship with NEAR foodshelf and EveryMeal, the food program for school kids.
However, if nothing strikes a chord for you, or you find that you are no longer able to “do” as much as you used to – or you are limited by work or covid or other circumstances, then I invite you to pray. For prayer can be done anytime and anywhere. Pray for those who are in need of care, pray for the ministry of our church and the world around us – and pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you and us more deeply into a life of discipleship.
The good news is that the life of discipleship comes with the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. Receive the fruits of the Spirit, the gifts of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. And remember: Christ has set us free! Thanks be to God. Amen.
1 Guided by love to serve Growing together – May 2022 By Kimberly Knowle-Zeller May 3, 2022
Faith-Lilac Way Lutheran Church June 26, 2022 Pastor Pam Stalheim Lane