July 4, 2022 – Kahlil Gibran

Set Free

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:31-36)

 “Life without liberty is like a body without spirit.” —Kahlil Gibran

Set Free

The 4^th of July celebration used to be about freedom. Now it is about a day away from work and reasons to find sales in American stores. I am certain people used to line the streets of their small towns to celebrate and truly appreciate the sacrifice it took to secure independence from England. In fact, one article I found described it this way:

It was not until 1826, after a second successful war against Britain and the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the new nation, that newspapers…encouraged plans for orations, military processions, private gatherings, public dinners, and picnics to celebrate American independence. As this day became popular as a community event, its rituals affirmed community ties as well as national identity and became linked to other community events such as ground breakings, building dedications, and rededications of historic sites.” (Encyclopedia.com)

Perhaps while you are munching on hotdogs and hamburgers this 4^th of July, you might consider the freedom Jesus was talking about – the freedom from sin found in his truth and his life. Allow this freedom to mark your life and set a course for sharing His life-freeing good news with others. Yes, we should celebrate the sacrifices our ancestors endured to set into writing the freedoms we all have today. But Jesus reminds us that true freedom is found in his love, mercy and grace.

Let us pray

Lord Christ, you have set us free from the power of sin and death. Help me to share your freedom with all I meet – through words and deeds.

Amen.

July 3, 2022 – Pentecost +4C

“After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ ” “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.” The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Over 15 years ago, author and minster Robert Fulgham wrote the book, All I Ever Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. One of the lines from this book goes like this: “When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.” Now that sounds like good Kindergarten advice, Amen? When I worked at the day care center in Shiremanstown, if we were taking the kids anywhere, we always employed the “buddy system”. Sticking together is one of the things Jesus tells the disciples to do when he sends them out – he sends them in pairs to proclaim the good news — two by two, out into the world — and he tells them to watch out, and stick together — and most importantly, “Travel Light”.

What does it mean to you to travel light? Let me share with you some thoughts from my life as I have struggled to travel light. When I have been planning to go on a backpacking trip, I have always been told to take as little as you need — including clothing, food and other accoutrements — because you do not want your backpack to weigh too much. Or, when I have traveled to Canada to go fishing, the last flight we take is in a float plane. Before you get on board they ask your weight, and they weigh your luggage — all so that they know whether you have exceeded the weight restrictions of the airplane. And seriously, we don’t want the plane to crash due to “too much weight”. Therefore, you learn to travel light. Let me tell you a secret: I have trouble traveling light. But isn’t that the American Way?

Jesus sends his disciples out on a mission, but he gives them one last instruction: don’t bring anything — Jesus tells them to travel light. What the disciples were learning while they were on their journey, was reliance on the kindness of others — but also their own sense of vulnerability. And this is an important lesson that is easy to miss here — the lesson about vulnerability. We don’t like to admit we need help, that we can’t do something, that we cannot do it all by ourselves. Jesus sends us out with a Mission: proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of G-d through the saving Grace of Jesus Christ — which compels us to serve as well as challenges us to be open to be served — To hold hands and stick together, and watch out for traffic — as we receive the hospitality offered by one another, by Jesus Christ, and then respond in serving him.

Pastor Dave