Spiritual Freedom

 Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill        The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Let us pray, Come Holy Spirit and set us free. Amen.

Freedom is a special gift, a privilege to be honored, and a way of life to be defended. As President Ronald Reagan once said, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Freedom comes in a variety of ways: freedom of speech, freedom to choose between good and evil, freedom to live without fear of foreign invasion. Physically, mentally, and emotionally we yearn to be free. And in today’s passage from 2 Corinthians, St. Paul writes about spiritual freedom; for “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

As tempting as it may be to preach about the war in Ukraine this morning, and the fight of its people to maintain their freedom, I won’t. This morning is a time for joy when we will celebrate the baptism of Rudyard Barbot Moats, and I find that babies and baptisms are an antidote for many of my worries. As one colleague recently said, “They make me smile.” And I would add, they give me hope.

An owner of an orphanage in Ukraine, Mark Davis, recently said, “We can look into the innocent faces of these children” and find some peace and joy, even under difficult circumstances. And as Rev. Mike recently wrote, “Although hatred, injury, doubt, despair, darkness and sadness are very real right now, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the God-given grace of baptism -  love, pardon, faith, hope, light and joy are God's weapons to meet them all.” 

In baptisms we can see people, “with unveiled faces, reflecting the glory of the Lord as though in a mirror.” With the freedom of the Holy Spirit in baptisms, we can see a future filled with possibility and promise; for we celebrate God’s spiritual gifts of faith, hope, and love. What’s not to love about babies and baptisms?

On Thursday mornings, our women's Bible study group just finished reading a book called The Confessions of St. Augustine. He confesses that his mother wants him to be baptized, thinking that this would save his soul from eternal damnation.When St. Augustine finally chose to be baptized, he declared that it was a life-changing, grace-filled, and transformative event. His mother died a happy woman.

Guilt and fear lie deep within us all; and St. Paul writes that through baptism, not only are our sins forgiven, but it is our ticket to ride into resurrection life. Like a Charlie card that opens a turnstile into a multi-layered system, we gain access to a train that transports us to our final destination. Like the subway system in Kyiv, it is a safe place for all ages. With many stops along the way, this train will eventually take us to a place of eternal rest, freedom, and peace.

According to our theology, besides the human being, there are only three things that are absolutely necessary for a baptism, and that is water, the Spirit, and one person performing the action. Two of these things are visible; and one is not. So we splash or dunk or sprinkle or squirt our human beings with life-giving water; and, at the same time, we acknowledge that something else is going on. The invisible Spirit of the Lord is at work, and “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 

I was baptized as an infant in the Congregational Church in Needham, Massachusetts. It was understood that my parents were making a choice for me then, which, later as an adult, I could confirm. At the age of 13, however, I chose not to be confirmed because I wasn’t sure that I believed in God. I was neither a believer nor a grown up at the time; and yet at age 32, the same age as St. Augustine, I changed my mind. 

My family members were church-goers and people of religious faith, although we didn’t talk much about God outside of church. We didn’t talk much about the Spirit either, unless it had something to do with happy hour. And so, after getting married and having a family of my own, Paul and I continued our Christian family traditions. We baptized our children as infants and then let them decide about their confirmation. One chose yes; the other no. One goes to a Lutheran church now. And the other reads the Bible at home. Both are people of faith, hope, and love. 

As parents, we took our children to church because we wanted to feed our kids physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and we knew that we needed help. But like St. Augustine, I wondered about God. Are there some invisible realities and powers that I couldn’t see? Nor that my mind could grasp? Was there any hope and help for my human relationships, which suffered occasionally from diseases, disagreements, and divisions? And what about our world and all those wars? So, before I chose to confirm my faith as an adult, I wanted some answers. 

I started attending Bible study thinking that, with a little focus on my part, I could crack the code. I would see God behind the iron curtain, or like the Wizard of Oz, find her sitting in a chair in the back room, streaming our lives virtually. I kept looking for visible proof of my invisible God. I wanted ironclad assurances. 

Like St. Augustine, eventually it was not me, my mind, nor my education, but God’s Spirit that opened for me the way of freedom and peace. In his letter to the Romans, St. Paul wrote, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” (Romans 6:3-5) And boom, there it was. I came to believe that I had already arrived. United to Christ, I saw death merely as a blip on a very long screen. United to Christ, I heard the promises of resurrection life. I finally knew a peace that passed all understanding.

I have twin grandsons in Minnesota who were born three months prematurely. Peter weighed in at 2 pounds and Nathaniel at 1 pound 13 ounces. Uncertain whether the twins would survive, my daughter and her husband asked their pastor to baptize Peter and Nathaniel in the hospital. Pastor Toby used a syringe filled with water for the baptism and spoke the official words. 

Meanwhile the Spirit of God was at work. Setting us free; giving us peace; filling us with hope, and inviting our prayers. NICU babies are called “Wee Warriors” because, with help, they fight for their lives. Next month, we will fly to Minnesota to celebrate the twins’ 3 year old birthdays.

The women in our Bible study said that they like it when the priest makes a cross on the human being’s forehead, and then says, “You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism, and marked as Christ’s own forever.” Regardless of your age, and whether you are receiving or observing a baptism, these are comforting words. We can imagine an invisible protective bubble surrounding us in a world that frequently appears dangerous and visibly unsafe.

In an article published in The Living Church, Sarah Hinlicky Wilson, tackled the issue of infant and believers’ baptisms head on. She argues that baptism is primarily God’s work upon us, and not our work for God. So, is it all about God’s work and not ours? Have we no part in our redemption? Have we no responsibility nor accountability for our words and actions? Or are we just passive recipients of those invisible powers? 

Our baptismal covenant offers us some guidance. We answer, with God’s help, we can become visible agents of God’s invisible Spirit. We can become freedom fighters for justice and peace. With God’s help, we can care for God’s creation as if it is a newborn child. Created with free wills, we can make choices at every age. And we can fight for life.

In Christ, we are offered a spiritual freedom that no one can take away. It is a freedom that cannot be killed. Yes, our minds will get hardened with daily news, doubt, and disbelief. And occasionally we may lose hope. We may even get discouraged when we see the fragility of life and the harsh realities of sin. But, “if for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied,” wrote St. Paul to the Corinthians. And so today, we join generations of Christians who believe that “the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” And today, we see people here who are passing the torch of freedom, faith, hope, and love to the next generation. 

So welcome Rudyard Barbot Moats. I don’t know what you believe in that little body of yours, nor even what any of these people all around you believe, but I can tell you this. I believe that the Spirit of the Lord is working right here and right now. And I believe that your baptism is an outward and visible sign of God’s invisible grace. So fasten your seatbelt, little man, and come Holy Spirit and do your thing!

Exodus 34:29-35

2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

Luke 9:28-36, [37-43a]

Psalm 99

 

Joy to the World

 

Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

Recently, in talking with a colleague from another church, he described one of his parishioners as an “Eeyore.” Constantly complaining about how bad things were in the numbers and the news, it was all doom and gloom. Like people you may know, Eeyore is generally characterized as a pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, and old gray stuffed donkey. “It’s still snowing. And freezing. However, we haven’t had an earthquake lately,” said Eeyore to Winnie the Pooh.

I heaved a sigh in front of someone last week and he quickly responded. “That sounds like a middle of the winter kind of sigh.” In truth, I was having a case of the ‘woe is me’s.’ I had grave concerns about the health of some family members and friends. I was tired of the weather and the pandemic, and I was a little grumpy about the losses of my favorite basketball team. Finally, I was unhappy with the challenges of aging. 

In the words of Jeremiah, I was feeling “like a shrub in the desert, which cannot see when relief comes. (I was living) in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land.” And I didn’t want to push out into the deep waters as Mike suggested in his sermon last Sunday. Nope, I was Eeyore, pessimistic, gloomy, depressed, and feeling like an old gray stuffed donkey.

The ‘woe is me’s’ attitude is often attributed to Jeremiah, who was known as one of the major prophets in the Old Testament. He was also known in a song written by Hoyt Axton called “Joy to the World” which was made famous by the band, Three Dog Night. Jeremiah was a bullfrog, who “was a good friend of mine. I never understood a single word he said. But I helped him drink his wine. If I were the king of the world, tell you what I'd do. I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war, and make sweet love to you.” Jeremiah was all about peace and love.

Some people have theorized that there is a Biblical meaning to this song. They suggest that the bullfrog is representative of the prophet, Jeremiah, and that the bullfrog is symbolic of the voice of God. Apparently a member of Three Dog Night said that the original lyrics to the song were "Jeremiah was a prophet" but no one liked it. So it just became a “silly song” that helped bring the band back together as a working unit.

Jeremiah’s prophetic career coincided with the critical events in his country's history. Like Eeyore, Jeremiah, the prophet, had a reputation for his laments. There was no joy in his world. At first, he argued with God that he was only a boy, and too young to be a prophet. Initially, he spoke words of judgment, offering ‘woe is you’s’ to the people of Judah. He endured both hatred and persecution from his very own people.

Be obedient to your ancestral faith and the commandments of Moses, Jeremiah insisted, and not to the King David dynasty. Do not rely upon the priests and your temple worship to save you. Instead of fighting a war, Jeremiah told them that they should acquiesce to the Babylonian invasion in order to avoid national destruction. Invasion of borders is a hot topic these days as well, and many prophets are making various suggestions! 

Some 600 years later, Jesus, the prophet, also spoke some  ‘woe is you’s’ to the people of Israel. In a challenge to his religious leaders, he said, “Woe to you who are rich, full of yourselves, laughing at others, and have good reputations because you are false prophets. Instead of speaking the hard truth of God, you only say what people want to hear and to protect your own power.

Later in the gospel of Luke, Jesus piles on even more. Woe to the cities and people who reject me. Woe to the Pharisees and lawyers who are focussed on the letter of the law rather than its spirit. Woe to the people who cause others to stumble, especially children, and to pregnant women and nursing mothers when the end times come. Finally, at his last supper, Jesus said woe to the ones who will betray me. Pointing always to God, he spoke truth to power and for the powerless.

St. Augustine in his book entitled Confessions talks about his sinful pleasures and his eventual decision to be baptized. He hoped to lead a different kind of life. But there was a great deal of ‘woe is me’s’ before that. “Woe is me!” he wrote. “Lord, have pity on me; my evil sorrows contend with my good joys, and on which side the victory lies I do not know. Behold, I do not hide my wounds. Thou art the Physician, I am the sick man; thou art merciful, I need mercy.”

Turning to God for help, we can turn our “evil sorrows into good joys.” We can change our attitudes and perhaps even our lifestyles. Jeremiah eventually changed his words of judgment into messages of hope. He invited his people to help rebuild Jerusalem after its destruction by the Babylonians.

“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,” he said. “They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.” Which is why the crowds came to hear Jesus as well. The multitudes wanted to be healed of their diseases, cured of their troubles, and rid of their unclean spirits. If only they could just touch Jesus, they thought, he would turn their woes into blessings. 

Occasionally we will need to adjust our attitudes so that we can see life and even death from a new perspective. William Shakespeare once said, “There is nothing either good nor bad, but thinking that makes it so.” And in a daily meditation, the author of Today’s Gift wrote, “Attitude is everything. And luckily for us, our attitudes are a matter of choice. Nothing or no one in the past or present can dictate our attitudes. No one else deserves credit or blame for how we choose to process reality. For better or worse, our attitudes are ours alone.” (Hazelden/BettyFord, Today's Gift, Feb. 3)

Every day, we can look for simple moments of joy, as the great Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu suggest in the Book of Joy. With attitudes of gratitude we can give thanks for our many blessings, even for the thorns in our rose gardens, the parched places in our wildernesses, and the dry bones in our bodies. We can always find streams of living water, flowing from the side of Christ.

In the end, Jeremiah began to talk about a new covenant. The law of Moses would not be found in the stone tablets displayed in the temple of Jerusalem. The new covenant would not come from the kingly powers of a foreign government or even from their current administration. The new covenant would not even come from their priests, but rather it would be written on the hearts of all God’s people. God’s love and peace and joy are all spiritual blessings that are always present even when our woes and Eeyores surround us.

Jesus' message was similar to Jeremiah’s, both the prophet and the bullfrog. He gave his people a new commandment, that we love one another as He loves us. Jesus incarnated the peaceful, nonviolent, healing, and loving power of God. This Word of God made flesh invited us to love God first; for our health and salvation are God’s desires for us. Opportunities for rebuilding, renewal, and resurrection are given to us every single day. They just come wrapped in different packages, and are spoken by different prophets, throughout the ages.

Poor indeed are we, if we do not understand the riches that God offers to us in Christ. Hungry indeed are we, if we have not yet found the food of eternal life. Sorrowful indeed are we, if we have faced our losses without the comfort and hope of resurrection. And despised indeed are we, if we cannot share from the abundance of our riches.

Put your trust in the Lord, said Jeremiah. Have faith in God’s power, said Jesus. Believe in the resurrection, said St. Paul; for Jesus wasn’t just a moral leader, a great teacher, and a compassionate healer. Nor was he just a prophet and a religious revolutionary of his time. No, Jesus was the One who brought joy to our world.

 When Eeyore shows up at your door, and you’re feeling like an old, gray stuffed donkey, turn to Jesus, and sing  a silly song, like Three Dog Night. “Joy to the world, all you boys and girls right now. Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea. And joy to you and me.

Jeremiah 17:5-10

1 Corinthians 15:12-20

Luke 6:17-26