Independence Day 2022

The US Declaration of Independence was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. From this moment the idea of freedom was deeply imbedded in the American soul – and conversation on being free rages across cultural and geographic divides. The American people cherish their freedom – it is seen in public political conversation, it is written on T-shirts, and even used to name fireworks and beer. I understand this, because I come from a country that went through its own struggle for freedom: South Africa freed itself first from the British Empire, and then from the politics of Afrikander apartheid. 

Today seems a good time to reflect on freedom – which does not begin as a political idea: freedom is a deeply help Christian belief. I want to offer a text for today – and then go on to ground this text in a context:. 
The text comes from St Paul, and the context from the Gospel of  Luke as he tells of the life and teaching of Jesus
Our text for today:
Gal 5:13  As for you, my friends, you were called to be free. But do not let this freedom become an excuse for letting your physical desires control you. Instead, let love make you serve one another..

St Paul says that freedom is a calling:. “You were called to be free”. God calls us to live life as free people. Freedom is this gift from God that threads its way though the Bible with the story of God leading the children of Israel out of Egypt to freedom. The promise of Freedom is found in the prayers of the Psalms and in the writings of the prophet Isaiah. Freedom is the theological foundation of the writings of St Paul. And Jesus comes to preach of the freedom of the Kingdom of God.
This is the at the heart of the story we read today in the Gospel of Luke: Jesus sends out 72 of his disciples with this one message:
“The Kingdom of God is near you”
This was a very difficult message at the time, because the people Jesus speaks to are living under the Kingdom of Rome – a Kingdom that ruled the people with an iron fist! 
Jesus preaches that there is a Kingdom greater than Rome – the Kingdom of God. Remember that to be preaching that there was a higher authority was dangerous. Jesus was saying that the Kingdom of Rome needed to hear its accountability to the Kingdom of God – and when Rome took away the freedom of people, they were to be reminded that the Kingdom of God is near. This Kingdom of God is a kingdom that sets people free. And wherever we see signs of people being set free – we see signs of God at work. 
And so it is appropriate for us, as people faith, to celebrate freedom as God’s gift to humanity. 
And I congratulate you on the celebration of your national birthday tomorrow.

That said: freedom is not permission to behave without restraint. There are conditions that come with it:
As St Paul reminds us: do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

Jesus has more to say about this – Jesus is quite clear about the way freedom looks: when he sends his disciples out they are to preach the freedom of God: 
Luke 10:9; “say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.”  
But along with this Good news of freedom, Jesus adds these instructions:  
• Declare peace on each house you enter.
• Look after the sick
• Be content with what you have been given and do not become greedy for more.
Freedom is not about satisfying the cravings of my soul – freedom is a calling to extend the blessings I have received to everyone else. As Paul reminds us: “through love serve one another”

The 72 disciples were not just to celebrate their own freedom they have been given by Jesus – they had a responsibility to share this good news with the people around them. 
So in the same way as I congratulate you on your Independence Day,  I would urge you to remember that the task is not yet over. While there is someone else who does not have the same freedoms that You and I have, we have a calling the bring the Kingdom of God near to them too.
This can range from the great vision for a world where people are free from tyranny and want, to us being vigilant in our families to protect those who are weaker and less able to live freely.
At the same time as we support the right of Ukraine to be free from Russian dominance, we also need to look out for the people in our own neighbourhood who are bullied and pushed aside.

Allow me to return to my own roots: 
A key figure in the struggle for freedom in South Africa was  Nelson Mandela. He was a leader in the liberation movement, and became the first President of a newly constituted South Africa. As he thought about the new freedom that millions of South African’s had gained, he offered this wisdom: 
“To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others,”

So: celebrate with family – eat food – enjoy the warm weather:
But remember these words of Paul: 
Gal 5:13  As for you, my friends, you were called to be free. But do not let this freedom become an excuse for letting your physical desires control you. Instead, let love make you serve one another..