From the Pulpit: Freedom for...

Freedom needs a purpose. Freedom just for freedom’s sake, can lead to a reckless, “I can do whatever I want,” raw individualism as surely as it can lead to a life of self-less charity. As we take a break for another Independence Day holiday, nations and individuals both do well to ask, “If freedom is the reason for celebration, what is freedom for…” 

At the heart of Christianity is the promise that we have indeed been set free by the love of God that comes to us in the life of Christ. St. Paul’s letters are full of talk about freedom and full of talk about what this freedom is supposed to mean for the one chosen by God in the waters of baptism. In Galatians chapter five, Paul is teaching the young church in Galatia, writing,

“For freedom, Christ has set you free… For 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.” Gal. 5:1 

If you are like me, you give thanks for the privilege to live in this great country called the United States of America. We have liberties and freedoms in this country like no other world power has ever had. As we begin to look ahead to the celebration of this nation’s 250th birthday (July 4, 2026), how do you think we as a nation are doing at being a reliable servant to other nations? How do you think you are doing with the freedom that really is a birthright for the American born? These questions we ask both as citizens of this country and in an even more heightened way as people of faith. 

The conversation is straight-forward: Can the United States find ways not to dominate but work for shared prosperity with other nations? Can we each use our personal freedom to find some way to serve the most needy in our community? If we can see freedom as the force behind the good that we do for others, then our great contributions will be written off in the history books as well as in the highest heavens.