Liberty

Robert E. Hall
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

July 3, 2011

Texts: Deuteronomy 10: 12-13, 17-21, John 8: 31-36

 “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.” (From Declaration of Independence)

FREEDOM FROM AND FREEDOM FOR

We prize freedom from oppression for all people.  By virtue of citizenship, all are to be regarded with dignity. All are citizens, not just those with land or title. Dignity is accorded all people because it has been given by their Creator.

We prize freedom for the Pursuit of happiness------ protection of the simple act of living one’s life, and the freedom to chart one’s own path; and to search for happiness and  contentment.

Government is accountable for the protection of these rights  and the advancement these treasured principles.

FIRST CENTURY

Our history has parallels with first century Palestine. The Jewish people longed for freedom from oppression---oppression which was far worse than anything we endured.

Most Jews in occupied Israel did not have Roman citizenship: it might or might be granted; thus there was no right of protection under law, no say in the shaping of laws or their enforcement.  Jesus himself was born and lived under the heel of oppression by the Roman army. Jews prayed and sometimes rebelled against such oppression---and was crushed.

Though the ideals of the United States were derived from many sources, the basic belief are consistent with our beliefs in the dignity of every person----as evidenced by Jesus’ outreach to people of all stations and races.

We in this nation  have had to be pulled, often kicking and screaming, to change our ways and laws to include peoples who were not believed to be fully human and therefore not worthy of the dignity which Caucasians enjoyed.

Native Americans, slaves from Africa, immigrants from various countries, women without the vote, working children, people of religions other than Christianity, or those who were not religious at all; those who were not property owners, prisoners, or any others who were considered disqualified by virtue of their status or orientation. Some classes of persons were without power to influence decisions because they did not have the wealth to do so; or to defend themselves because they were too poor to afford advocates.

This weekend we celebrate the ideals expressed in the Declaration, as well as the preservation and application of these ideals---living up to what we say we believe. We have widened the circle of those whom we regard as having been endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Declaration and the Constitution are the texts which we exegete again and again, for the sake of the reformation of our common life.

FREEDOM WITHIN

What of the Church of Jesus Christ in the midst of this national holiday?

I believe we affirm these ideals----- and go deeper in our analysis of “freedom from and freedom for.”

Jesus not only was passionate about the freedom of his people from oppression by the Romans----- he came to offer freedom from sin, defined as separation, estrangement from God, the state of feeling forsaken.

“You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free.” This text from John has been torn from its New Testament context and used by politicians and educational institutions. It is on the seal of Southern Methodist University. “Truth” is widely equated with knowledge gained from education.

 It is surely true: education at its best frees us from superstitions, and helps us see our world with a broader perspective. This was true for me

And yet the Gospel of John uses the phrase differently: To know the truth is to know a person. Truth was God revealed in Jesus, in his life and words and works and death and resurrection. God’s nature is revealed, no longer concealed: the world of ultimate reality is now made known in him, as an unveiling of what God is really like, the way God is toward us.

Sin an inevitable state of being has been defeated.
It is the pursuit this truth, living out what Jesus taught, which will enable us to be free. It is this personal knowing which will set us free.

FREEDOM FOR?

We have been freed for something, too.

The dusty old book of Deuteronomy lays out that for which we are freed.

People of faith are told to fear, to walk, to love, to serve God with all our heart and soul. (“Fear without love is incomplete; love without fear is nothing.”) (Jewish proverb; source unknown)) Reverence is not a strong enough word to express the biblical teaching. We fear those who hold us accountable, much as we would a conductor who requires us to watch and play the music her way, or a boss who expects production. God is an awesome God because God has a vision for the whole wide world at peace.

This God “takes no bribes, and executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the strangers.”

So, if a fearful God is like this: we must be as well---- “For our own good.”

“What does the Lord require of you?” Being faithful has requirements.  We are freed to use our freedom not merely to pursue our own happiness but the happiness of all people, even the strangers (sojourners, aliens, those who do not belong to the tribe, those who are not citizens.) This command occurs 36 times in Deuteronomy. (from The Torah, A Modern Commentary, Union of Hebrew Congregations, New York, 1981)

“You shall not oppress the alien because you were strangers, even slaves, in Egypt, and God freed you. You know what it is to be treated as sub-human: so have a heart for those who are now being treated so.” (The Message Bible)

All the benefits of freedom without responsibilities?  Religion as the way to personal happiness alone? No, as John Wesley wrote, ours is a social religion---It pushes us toward the sufferings of our rejected fellow citizens and toward correcting the systemic injustices which block people from pursuing happiness for themselves. “Fear without love is incomplete; love without fear is nothing.” (The Torah, above)

Nations are judged by God not by how powerful they are but by what they do with their power. Countries are weighed in the balance by the ways in which they treat the least and the last in line. We in this nation have been blessed in order to be a blessing to the world.

GOD’S COLONY

Christians within the nation? No nation is not the church of Jesus Christ. The church is universal. The best gift we offer our nation is to be the Church of Jesus Christ and walk in the steps of Jesus Christ-----to be peaceable kingdom church. We offer an alternative way of being happy. We love our nation but we do not worship our nation. We worship God and serve God within our nation, just as Christians in Uganda and Russia and Honduras are called to do. Different circumstances, same mission.

But freedom in itself is a neutral state of being. In a neglected parable, Jesus said with regard to the exorcizing of demons that once a “house” is swept clean, something must replace what was thrown out. (Matthew 12:43-45) Once we have been freed from the negative, and the Holy Spirit is poured into our hearts, we have a vocation: we are ambassadors, witnessing to Jesus and inviting people to be reconciled to a liberating God. And we are called to seek the welfare of the country in which we dwell. (Jeremiah) We are God’s colony in an alien and strange world.

God has blessed this nation with a vision of liberty and responsibility, of human dignity and equality. God has blessed us a Christians with freedom to practice our religion. May God give us courage to use our freedom for the furtherance of God’s kingdom.