Free
Galatians (yes, the WHOLE letter)
What is freedom?
Is it freedom to be or do something? Is it the freedom from something--say, fear, doubt, or despair? Is it the freedom to be ME (caps intentional!)? Is it freedom from annoying people? Is it something that only comes through absolute individualism--all that matters is that I get what I want whenever and wherever I want it? Is it freedom from responsibility? Is it freedom from requests for help, assistance, and resources? Is it freedom from connection? Or is it the freedom to be connected profoundly and deeply?
Freedom is obviously complicated.
Reading the Gospel can be confusing, for Christ will say he offers freedom and release (he "unbound" those possessed and he preached the liberation of captives [to most anything]). Yet, he simultaneously preached servanthood--that our end and purpose is to empty ourselves completely in the service to others ("Whoever would gain their life shall lose it"). He strongly taught his disciples that they would only fully experience him when they because one of "the Least of These."
Moving to St. Paul, it gets scarier still. First, Paul always referred to himself--and he expected anyone who followed him into the circle of Christ to do so, too--as a "doulos"--a clear and certain Greek word--slave--no rights, no privileges, no question--in the presence of Christ. Paul emphasizes that redemption is a journey into freedom FROM sin, death, and all else that would break us or bind us. He rarely spoke of being in Christ as freedom to be or do anything other than being a beloved servant of God.
If we want to hear good news of freedom to be something, we have to look back into the Old Testament, particularly the Exodus. The Hebrews were freed from slavery. They were free to become the conquerors instead of the conquered (the Promised Land). They were free to pursue life as they desired--heck, David stands as a paragon of self-indulgence, and he is the fount from the messiah will come!
But be careful here if you seek to find justification for being a libertine. Yes, God lets the people be and do most everything they want, but God will and does take stock--and, bam, Amos rises in fiery condemnation of everything and everyone. The ten tribes of the North get swept away by the Assyrians and the two tribes of the South get swept away by the Babylonians. The North never recovered, becoming (eventually) the despised Samaritans of Jesus' day. The South never regained the power and prestige of Solomon. So, the message is that God leaves us free to be and do what we choose, but there will be a day of reckoning, so it might be a good idea to submit to God in the first place.
Oops. As Charles Schulz, creator of "Peanuts," used to say, "Wouldn't that unplug your heating pad?"
The truth is that our faith is built on freedom as twofold--the freedom from all that would break us, including, ultimately, death; and the freedom to be a child of God, a recipient of grace, and the object of God's compassion, giving us hope, peace, and help for our lives. With God, we are not so much turned loose as we are gathered in.
God sets the strange economics of grace before us--the more we lose ourselves, the more complete we become. As we submit ourselves to God's love, becoming other-centered and self-sacrificial, we find joy.
Nope, neither self-indulgence nor self-gratification are in the mix.
But the further truth is that a life lived by those standards soon becomes hungry. We need one another to make us full. We need to help one another, for as we become more interconnected and intertwined, we find ways and means we never imagined to help build the Kingdom on earth. The more we step away from self and allow others to become our focus, the more we find the power of love to open our eyes to the wonder of being human.
So, as we prepare to celebrate our unique and astounding freedom as a people, celebrate also the greatest freedom of all--the freedom to be a child of God, redeemed, hopeful, and set free to imagine a world ruled by love.
What is freedom?
Is it freedom to be or do something? Is it the freedom from something--say, fear, doubt, or despair? Is it the freedom to be ME (caps intentional!)? Is it freedom from annoying people? Is it something that only comes through absolute individualism--all that matters is that I get what I want whenever and wherever I want it? Is it freedom from responsibility? Is it freedom from requests for help, assistance, and resources? Is it freedom from connection? Or is it the freedom to be connected profoundly and deeply?
Freedom is obviously complicated.
Reading the Gospel can be confusing, for Christ will say he offers freedom and release (he "unbound" those possessed and he preached the liberation of captives [to most anything]). Yet, he simultaneously preached servanthood--that our end and purpose is to empty ourselves completely in the service to others ("Whoever would gain their life shall lose it"). He strongly taught his disciples that they would only fully experience him when they because one of "the Least of These."
Moving to St. Paul, it gets scarier still. First, Paul always referred to himself--and he expected anyone who followed him into the circle of Christ to do so, too--as a "doulos"--a clear and certain Greek word--slave--no rights, no privileges, no question--in the presence of Christ. Paul emphasizes that redemption is a journey into freedom FROM sin, death, and all else that would break us or bind us. He rarely spoke of being in Christ as freedom to be or do anything other than being a beloved servant of God.
If we want to hear good news of freedom to be something, we have to look back into the Old Testament, particularly the Exodus. The Hebrews were freed from slavery. They were free to become the conquerors instead of the conquered (the Promised Land). They were free to pursue life as they desired--heck, David stands as a paragon of self-indulgence, and he is the fount from the messiah will come!
But be careful here if you seek to find justification for being a libertine. Yes, God lets the people be and do most everything they want, but God will and does take stock--and, bam, Amos rises in fiery condemnation of everything and everyone. The ten tribes of the North get swept away by the Assyrians and the two tribes of the South get swept away by the Babylonians. The North never recovered, becoming (eventually) the despised Samaritans of Jesus' day. The South never regained the power and prestige of Solomon. So, the message is that God leaves us free to be and do what we choose, but there will be a day of reckoning, so it might be a good idea to submit to God in the first place.
Oops. As Charles Schulz, creator of "Peanuts," used to say, "Wouldn't that unplug your heating pad?"
The truth is that our faith is built on freedom as twofold--the freedom from all that would break us, including, ultimately, death; and the freedom to be a child of God, a recipient of grace, and the object of God's compassion, giving us hope, peace, and help for our lives. With God, we are not so much turned loose as we are gathered in.
God sets the strange economics of grace before us--the more we lose ourselves, the more complete we become. As we submit ourselves to God's love, becoming other-centered and self-sacrificial, we find joy.
Nope, neither self-indulgence nor self-gratification are in the mix.
But the further truth is that a life lived by those standards soon becomes hungry. We need one another to make us full. We need to help one another, for as we become more interconnected and intertwined, we find ways and means we never imagined to help build the Kingdom on earth. The more we step away from self and allow others to become our focus, the more we find the power of love to open our eyes to the wonder of being human.
So, as we prepare to celebrate our unique and astounding freedom as a people, celebrate also the greatest freedom of all--the freedom to be a child of God, redeemed, hopeful, and set free to imagine a world ruled by love.
Comments
Post a Comment