Sermon, July 1, 2007
Pentecost, Proper 13
Herb Palmer
Faith Lutheran Church, Bellaire
July 1, 2007
“The Enduring Freedom”
I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62
“For Freedom, Christ has set us free.” The message Bible says: “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take a stand. This morning I want to reflect with you about freedom.
The roots of our faith are grounded in freedom. The people of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God heard the cries of God’s people. God called and sent Moses to lead God’s people to freedom. Moses went to Pharaoh as a messenger from God saying: “Let my people go.” This freedom from slavery became the central story of the people of Israel.
Many religions were rooted in right moral living and superstition. The faith of people of Israel was rooted in the freedom God gave them. They were once oppressed and enslaved but now they are free. God’s message to them often began with God saying: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt with a mighty and outstretched arm, therefore….” With their freedom God gave them an identity. As a result of being freed by God, they entered into a covenant with God to align themselves with oppressed people. When they failed to remember the poor and the oppressed, they were not living up to their end of the covenant, and their way of life fell apart. Our faith is rooted in this freedom.
The rules by which we govern ourselves as a nation are grounded also in freedom. We who are citizens of the United States are a people who deeply value freedom. When we sing about this freedom it stirs our emotions; when we want to rally people together we lift up this American core value about freedom. When we become familiar with the places of the world where freedoms are limited or non-existent, we appreciate how fortunate we are. There are many people around the world who long for what we often take for granted.
Following the war in Vietnam many Vietnamese people made plans to leave Vietnam. Among them were Ahn and Bay, and their children. Their movements were watched; more than once Ahn was tortured. Yet they never gave up. After a dangerous, crowded boat trip, without food, water, and sanitation, and after several years in a refugee camp, they finally made it to the United States.
Our congregation in Brenham sponsored them. I asked Ahn why he was willing to face such danger; and he said, “for freedom.” They had not known freedom, and they were willing to sacrifice even their own lives in order to have it.
From the beginning of our nation we have worked through our laws to secure freedom for everyone. It didn’t start out that way. Not everyone had equal access to freedom, but we have worked through the years to come to the point of addressing freedoms for all people that, at one time, were denied; and we are still at work to secure the freedom of all who live here.
We also have insisted that we are not free to restrict the freedoms of others. We might not like how another person uses their freedom of speech or freedom of religion or their right to vote; but we don’t get to restrict the freedom of another person or groups of persons because they might think, believe, look, or act differently than we do.
We are quite familiar with the value of freedom; but it is important to pay attention that not all freedoms are to be understood in the same way.
This morning we also hear from our Scriptures about yet a different way of being free: “For Freedom, Christ has set us free.” We teach that Christ has freed us from sin, death, and the devil. Yet, this teaching from Galatians is not about what we have been freed from… but what we are freed for.
This teaching from Galatians is a different kind of freedom than we have received under the protection of our laws. While the freedoms of our nation protect the rights of the individual; the freedom of Christ is a freedom that benefits others. The Bible is quite unfamiliar with the individualism that is highly valued in our society. In fact, one could make the case from the Bible that it would say that individualism is not freedom, it is a death.
Just a couple of examples to make the point.
In the beginning, when God created all things, God said about the human that it was not good to be alone. Having everything wasn’t enough. God knew from the beginning that if we didn’t have one another, it was not good.
Jesus told a parable that we know as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This son separated himself from the family. He was off on his own. He was the poster child for individualism. It wasn’t’ until he spent everything he had that he realized that what he wanted was his freedom to do what he wanted to do, but it was not enough. He returned home, even to be a slave in the home of his father; because he discovered that freedom from relationships was not freedom at all. When he was not even home yet, his father ran to meet him and said, “My son, who was dead is now alive.” To be separated from community and from people is not life.
Individualism destroys life, Paul says in this teaching to the Galatians, because it quickly is motivated by self-interest. On the other hand, he says, Christ has set us free from our self and frees us for one another. The freedom of Christ is Love. Love is for the sake of another. This love about which the Bible speaks is love expressed in service to one another.
God has not left us alone to figure out this freedom in Christ, but we have been given the Spirit of Christ who helps us. We are encouraged, therefore to live by the Spirit. When we are open to the work of the Spirit of Christ in us, the fruits of being guided by the Spirit will become evident. Those fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These fruits of life in the Spirit are the evidence of the freedom of Christ at work in us.
So, what does this Spirit-led, free life look like? Let me share with you a recent example I observed.
Recently my family, 5 of us, went to visit with my father who now lives in Jacksonville, FL with my sister and her husband. Getting all 5 of our schedules together for this visit was only accomplished by the help of God. When Joyce and Mike moved to Jacksonville 18 years ago, they bought a home knowing that one day my father may come to live with them. On the one side of the house is a private room and bath. About a year and half ago they took him into their home.
In a season of their life when they had a renewed freedom to do what they wanted to do, they also exercised their freedom to serve. Their children were grown and they were a little more financially secure, yet, they welcomed my father into their home. The day to day reality of that cannot be romanticized. They love him very much but it requires a lot from them, from food preparation, bathing, doctor appointments, entertainment, and maintaining a relationship where they want to respect his wishes.
Their freedom to love has required of them to make choices. Every day they must depend upon the empowerment of the Spirit of Christ to produce the fruits of the Spirit of Christ; so that in the midst of the everyday challenges what will drive the day are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In their freedom they choose to serve. That is just one example of living the free life in Christ. There are likely dozens of others in this room today.
There is an irony about this life Christ gives to us.
At those times when our freedoms seem the most restricted,
We are most free;
because we are free in Christ to choose to serve.
And when we are led to make that free choice
Our discipleship is at its best.
As Christ followers we therefore understand an enduring kind of freedom by which to live. The freedom we value is not so that we can go and do as we please; we are free to give our life for the benefit of others. This freedom does not have to be protected. It cannot be taken away from us. This freedom will endure even when nations fall and laws fail us. This is a freedom that is lived even under unlivable circumstances.
For freedom, Christ has set us free. So, take a stand. Live a free life. We have been freed for the sake of serving one another. Thanks be to God. Amen
Herb Palmer
Faith Lutheran Church, Bellaire
July 1, 2007
“The Enduring Freedom”
I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21; Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-62
“For Freedom, Christ has set us free.” The message Bible says: “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take a stand. This morning I want to reflect with you about freedom.
The roots of our faith are grounded in freedom. The people of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God heard the cries of God’s people. God called and sent Moses to lead God’s people to freedom. Moses went to Pharaoh as a messenger from God saying: “Let my people go.” This freedom from slavery became the central story of the people of Israel.
Many religions were rooted in right moral living and superstition. The faith of people of Israel was rooted in the freedom God gave them. They were once oppressed and enslaved but now they are free. God’s message to them often began with God saying: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt with a mighty and outstretched arm, therefore….” With their freedom God gave them an identity. As a result of being freed by God, they entered into a covenant with God to align themselves with oppressed people. When they failed to remember the poor and the oppressed, they were not living up to their end of the covenant, and their way of life fell apart. Our faith is rooted in this freedom.
The rules by which we govern ourselves as a nation are grounded also in freedom. We who are citizens of the United States are a people who deeply value freedom. When we sing about this freedom it stirs our emotions; when we want to rally people together we lift up this American core value about freedom. When we become familiar with the places of the world where freedoms are limited or non-existent, we appreciate how fortunate we are. There are many people around the world who long for what we often take for granted.
Following the war in Vietnam many Vietnamese people made plans to leave Vietnam. Among them were Ahn and Bay, and their children. Their movements were watched; more than once Ahn was tortured. Yet they never gave up. After a dangerous, crowded boat trip, without food, water, and sanitation, and after several years in a refugee camp, they finally made it to the United States.
Our congregation in Brenham sponsored them. I asked Ahn why he was willing to face such danger; and he said, “for freedom.” They had not known freedom, and they were willing to sacrifice even their own lives in order to have it.
From the beginning of our nation we have worked through our laws to secure freedom for everyone. It didn’t start out that way. Not everyone had equal access to freedom, but we have worked through the years to come to the point of addressing freedoms for all people that, at one time, were denied; and we are still at work to secure the freedom of all who live here.
We also have insisted that we are not free to restrict the freedoms of others. We might not like how another person uses their freedom of speech or freedom of religion or their right to vote; but we don’t get to restrict the freedom of another person or groups of persons because they might think, believe, look, or act differently than we do.
We are quite familiar with the value of freedom; but it is important to pay attention that not all freedoms are to be understood in the same way.
This morning we also hear from our Scriptures about yet a different way of being free: “For Freedom, Christ has set us free.” We teach that Christ has freed us from sin, death, and the devil. Yet, this teaching from Galatians is not about what we have been freed from… but what we are freed for.
This teaching from Galatians is a different kind of freedom than we have received under the protection of our laws. While the freedoms of our nation protect the rights of the individual; the freedom of Christ is a freedom that benefits others. The Bible is quite unfamiliar with the individualism that is highly valued in our society. In fact, one could make the case from the Bible that it would say that individualism is not freedom, it is a death.
Just a couple of examples to make the point.
In the beginning, when God created all things, God said about the human that it was not good to be alone. Having everything wasn’t enough. God knew from the beginning that if we didn’t have one another, it was not good.
Jesus told a parable that we know as the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This son separated himself from the family. He was off on his own. He was the poster child for individualism. It wasn’t’ until he spent everything he had that he realized that what he wanted was his freedom to do what he wanted to do, but it was not enough. He returned home, even to be a slave in the home of his father; because he discovered that freedom from relationships was not freedom at all. When he was not even home yet, his father ran to meet him and said, “My son, who was dead is now alive.” To be separated from community and from people is not life.
Individualism destroys life, Paul says in this teaching to the Galatians, because it quickly is motivated by self-interest. On the other hand, he says, Christ has set us free from our self and frees us for one another. The freedom of Christ is Love. Love is for the sake of another. This love about which the Bible speaks is love expressed in service to one another.
God has not left us alone to figure out this freedom in Christ, but we have been given the Spirit of Christ who helps us. We are encouraged, therefore to live by the Spirit. When we are open to the work of the Spirit of Christ in us, the fruits of being guided by the Spirit will become evident. Those fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These fruits of life in the Spirit are the evidence of the freedom of Christ at work in us.
So, what does this Spirit-led, free life look like? Let me share with you a recent example I observed.
Recently my family, 5 of us, went to visit with my father who now lives in Jacksonville, FL with my sister and her husband. Getting all 5 of our schedules together for this visit was only accomplished by the help of God. When Joyce and Mike moved to Jacksonville 18 years ago, they bought a home knowing that one day my father may come to live with them. On the one side of the house is a private room and bath. About a year and half ago they took him into their home.
In a season of their life when they had a renewed freedom to do what they wanted to do, they also exercised their freedom to serve. Their children were grown and they were a little more financially secure, yet, they welcomed my father into their home. The day to day reality of that cannot be romanticized. They love him very much but it requires a lot from them, from food preparation, bathing, doctor appointments, entertainment, and maintaining a relationship where they want to respect his wishes.
Their freedom to love has required of them to make choices. Every day they must depend upon the empowerment of the Spirit of Christ to produce the fruits of the Spirit of Christ; so that in the midst of the everyday challenges what will drive the day are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. In their freedom they choose to serve. That is just one example of living the free life in Christ. There are likely dozens of others in this room today.
There is an irony about this life Christ gives to us.
At those times when our freedoms seem the most restricted,
We are most free;
because we are free in Christ to choose to serve.
And when we are led to make that free choice
Our discipleship is at its best.
As Christ followers we therefore understand an enduring kind of freedom by which to live. The freedom we value is not so that we can go and do as we please; we are free to give our life for the benefit of others. This freedom does not have to be protected. It cannot be taken away from us. This freedom will endure even when nations fall and laws fail us. This is a freedom that is lived even under unlivable circumstances.
For freedom, Christ has set us free. So, take a stand. Live a free life. We have been freed for the sake of serving one another. Thanks be to God. Amen
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