On Freedom

Preached on 7/1/07 at Christ Church (Episcopal), East Tawas Michigan

By The Rev. Daniel Cannon

    FREEDOM…that word has a power all of its own. It is a word that has given hope and courage to many people—the courage to endure hardship for the hope of a new life. When you hear the word freedom what comes to mind? … Perhaps the though of someone serving in the military; or spending time with those we love; or even being here today, free to practice our faith. Whatever we think of when we hear the word freedom; that word is forever stamped onto the heart of America. Our country was born out of a declaration to the world. A declaration that says: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”

    So, this week as we enjoy the liberty afforded by these noble words, it is important to remember the true meaning behind our joyful celebrations of freedom. The fireworks and feasting on the fourth of July symbolize the struggle for freedom. You see, friends, freedom is costly. Our founding fathers knew this when they said, “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” When they pledged all that they had to this cause, our forefathers were staking their lives on the truth—The truth that freedom is a gift from God to humanity and that it is our duty to protect it. America’s founders were willing to sacrifice wealth and bodily safety in defense of this truth. Many others from that time until now have followed in their footsteps.

    As parents and grandparents—soldiers and civil rights workers— can all vouch for: freedom has a price. It is impossible to separate freedom from the sacrifice that makes it possible. Wherever you and I experience any true freedom it is because someone worked hard to provide it for us. In our epistle today Paul speaks to us of this mysterious paradox of freedom. He says, “You were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.” Because freedom is a gift from God intended for all people, it can’t just be something that we use for own selfish purposes. We are all called to work for a freedom that benefits all people…a task that can be costly and demanding. Just as the founding fathers were willing to risk their lives for the freedom of the nation, St. Paul asks us to use our freedom to become servants of one another.

    Now, this biblical wisdom is definitely not popular today. Many people today seem to think that freedom means doing what ever you want: Or not having to worry about any one else’s needs. But there two are words for that attitude: selfishness…and greed.

    In our reading today St. Paul tells us that true freedom comes from following the Holy Spirit—and that freedom brings us love, joy, peace, and many other good qualities that we'd all like to have. Imagine receiving that joy like like a child has before they are thrust out into the world. The real thing that holds us hostage and robs us of our freedom is the selfish urge that is inside each of us. And it shows itself every time we seek our own desires at the expense of others. St. Paul calls this, the flesh, from a Greek word meaning dead meat. Leave it Paul to give us such a graphic image of our dark sides! But he knew what happens inside of us when we spend our lives following selfish desire (He persecuted many Christian's before his conversion)--Our  hearts become like dead meat and we lose the ability to love our neighbor as ourselves.

    We don’t need to look far to see that humanity is enslaved to this self-centerdness. One look at the situation of world should be enough to convince us that something is wrong. Just think, enough food is grown on the earth each year to feed every human being alive and yet millions continue to starve. Yet I’ve often heard the excuse that that’s just human nature to be selfish.

    Well the good news is, someone has done the work to set us free from that nature. Someone has fought for our freedom and paid for it with his life. And by his sacrifice we can be set free from the selfishness that enslaves humanity. You see, on the cross, Jesus made an everlasting Declaration of Independence for all of humanity. There he told the world that our selfishness must die and that all people were created for a New Life: A life of joy, peace, and love for our neighbor.

    But as American history shows us, the declaration of independence is just the beginning. Then comes the struggle for freedom. And Paul tells us that the battle lines are drawn. He says, “Live by the Spirit and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh.”

    Every day when we wake up each morning and look in the mirror, this spiritual conflict is staring right back at us. Each choice we make either brings us closer to freedom or to slavery. The freedom that we are looking for has already been won for us by Jesus: but we need to receive it and live it out in our lives. We can’t do that on our own, though. That is why we need each other. Serving each other is an essential part of the path to freedom. Since we are all in this mess together as humans, God has given us the task of helping each other to get out of it.

    Jealousy, anger, envy, drunkenness and promiscuity; all these sins are ones that Paul says express an inner slavery. Every person in this room likely has personal experience with at least one of them or knows someone who does. Yet when we reach out to each other in times of weakness and listen to one another’s pains, spiritual change and healing can begin to take place.

    As servants of Christ and one another we are called to look out for the best for each other. If one of us is down, we called are to reach out a helping hand or listen with an understanding heart. In this way we are using the freedom that God has given us to help set others free. And the Holy Spirit will bring about a new life of peace and joy through this work. By doing this we can help fulfill America’s founding vision and greatness.

    The French writer Alexis de Tocqueville, after visiting America in 1831, said, "I sought for the greatness of the United States in her commodious harbors, her ample rivers, her fertile fields, and boundless forests--and it was not there. I sought for it in her rich mines, her vast world commerce, her public school system, and in her institutions of higher learning--and it was not there. I looked for it in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution--and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great!"

May God truly bless this country and help it live up to its ideal of freedom.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.