Wednesday, June 29, 2022
“It is absolutely
clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use
this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your
freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how
freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single
sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If
you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be
annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?” (Galatians 5: 13 -15, The Message Bible)
Happy Canada Day, everyone.
Although we are not a perfect
country, by any means, there are many things for which we need to be thankful
and appreciative about living here in Canada. The four seasons. The bounty of
resources. The abundance and beauty of lakes and mountains and rivers. Our beautiful
parklands. Ocean views on two coast and another in the artic. The diversity of races,
cultures and peoples. The list is expansive.
And freedoms. We live in a free
democracy. We enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to vote,
freedom to travel anywhere, freedom to pursue our dreams and ambitions, freedom
to obtain good health care, freedom from war, freedom from oppression and
tyranny. This list, too, can be expansive.
But with this great treasure of freedom
comes great responsibility. As Paul notes for the Church, it is also true of
good citizenship in general. Don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever
you want and destroy your freedom. Freedom comes with parameters and tethers us
to exercise the tools it takes to live together in community and in country. True freedom enables us to act responsibly,
humanely, sensibly, wisely and respectfully. As an extreme example, we are not
free to drive 150 kilometres an hour down a city street. Yes, one can choose to do so, I suppose, but
it is an abuse of freedom of choice.
Freedom is not getting your own way. Freedom is not doing anything you
want, saying anything you want, even believing
anything you want without repercussions and consequences. Freedom is a gift and
a privilege which comes to us out of making good choices, acting with accountability, living with one another in harmony and
acceptance.
I believe that Paul’s instructions to
the Church in regards to freedom makes sense for churches, governments, provinces,
cultures, progressive and conservative, right and left wing, and the secular
world at large in which we live. Freedom
should not be selfishly employed but “rather, use your freedom to serve one
another in love.” Freedom grows best in community where respect, tolerance,
acceptance and all forms of love are practiced and valued. Paul doesn’t quote
Jesus very often in his letters, but he does here: “Love others as you love yourself.”
Sometimes, freedom means having to curb our
opinions, needs, wants and behaviour so that someone besides ourselves can breathe
freely and safely. Paul shaped freedom with these words to the Corinthian church
where there was a lot of selfish and foolish indulgences happening: “But God
does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow
believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.”
(1 Corinthians 8:9, The Message)
If we use our freedom to hate, to
belittle, to malign, to insist on having our own way, to insist that we have
all the privileges, rights and opportunities while others do not, then we take
away the freedom that we have in Christ Jesus.
Freedom; we are blessed here in Canada
in so many ways. But may our freedom open our eyes to see how we can be even
better peoples for the future.
“If you stick with this,
living out what I tell you, you are my disciples for sure. Then you will
experience for yourselves the truth, and the truth will free you.” (John
8:32, The Message)
Dale
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