Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill The Rev. Nancy E. Gossling
I couldn't get past St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians. It triggered so many things in me that I had a hard time deciding upon which rabbit hole to go down. I wanted to talk about freedom. Then, as I was eating some Boston creme pie and thinking about my sermon, I was tempted to address the issue of self-indulgence. But the Spirit kept calling me, reminding me, to live by the Spirit and to be guided by the Spirit. For what purpose, I wondered?
“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,” wrote St. Paul in his letter to the Galatians.
Freedom is a big word, especially around our upcoming 4th of July holiday. It is even a bigger word this week as we consider our constitutional rights and the 1st and 2nd amendments. And yet, spiritual freedom is somewhat different from the national, state, and personal freedoms that we enjoy in our country. Freedom in Christ is a gift from God for all the people of God. It is a freedom that proclaims that we are called to love ourselves and others as God loves us.
“Christ’s gift of freedom is different,” wrote Liv Larson Andrews. “Freedom from fear, sin, death, and oppression moves us toward sharing the fruit of the Spirit that builds community. Love of neighbor and the gift of freedom in Christ are so linked for Paul that they become one and the same. He envisions a people guided by the Spirit freely bearing fruit for the sake of others. In Christ, coercion, strife, and shame are cast aside.” (Christian Century, June 26, 2022).
We use and abuse our freedom for self-indulgence. Such “works of the flesh are obvious” St. Paul told the Galatians. When we choose to live by the flesh, rather than by the Spirit, we hurt ourselves and others. We ignore each other. We indulge in various unlawful or immoral activities; and we devour others with our words of anger and acts of violence. Stuck in our old behaviors and systems; we don’t keep our hands on the plow, tilling the soil, and planting seeds of love for future generations.
In his book Generation to Generation, the late Rabbi Edwin Friedman writes about human behaviors and how they pass from generation to generation in our family, religious, socio-economic, and political systems. We pass along the good, the bad and the ugly from the beginning of time. We choose not to change because as Friedman claims, we have a failure of nerve. Transforming ourselves, our families, our communities, and our nation is hard work.
Our women's Bible study group just finished reading and talking about the book of Genesis. In that garden of Eden, the temptation for self-indulgence began, not with Boston creme pie, but rather with the single bite of an apple. Adam and Eve were given great freedom to make their own choices. When a father asked his daughter’s date if his intentions were honorable or dishonorable, the young man replied, “You mean I have a choice?” “Yes,” said God. “You do.”
Now St. Paul claims that the works of the flesh are obvious. And we don’t have to look too far beyond the book of Genesis to see examples of bad human behavior. Strife, quarrels, and dissension between family members and neighbors are chronicled from the beginning of time. We need look no further than today’s daily news, or go back in our recent history, maybe even within our own families and churches, to know that our bad behavior has continued over multiple generations.
Paul warns the Galatians that “those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” And Jesus cautioned one of his disciples that "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Which begs those questions, who is fit for and who will inherit the kingdom of God?
Now the doctrine of predestination, that is the notion that God predestines some people to heaven and others to hell, is one of Christianity’s historic doctrines, taught not only by John Calvin during the Protestant Reformation, but also by St. Aquinas in the middle ages and St. Augustine as early as the 5th century. Arguably, based upon conflicting scripture passages, St. Paul is tagged similarly in the 1st century.
The “doctrine of predestination declares that human salvation is always and only based upon God’s graceful decision. It’s an undeserved gift, rather than a reward for good behavior, a perk of membership, or a privilege reserved for the best and brightest,” wrote Matthew Myer Bolton. “Every person in the world is potentially one of the elect and the possibility that even our worst enemies may be included within God’s saving embrace.” (Christian Century, June 15, 2022, Matthew Myer Bolton, pp22-27)
The jury is still out on this doctrine; and yet I confess to being a believer in universal salvation. I believe that the God, who created each and every one of us out of love, will also save each and every one of us out of love. God chooses us, even when we don’t choose God.
I also identify as a Christian who believes that God revealed the promise of our salvation in the person of Jesus. Indeed the etymological meaning of the name Jesus means “God saves.” Forgiven, God gives us a freedom, not as the world gives, but rather as a spiritual freedom, which breaks us from the bondage of sin. It is a freedom that can transform our body, mind, and soul, if we have faith in God’s power to help us. And transformation takes time, human will, and hard work.
Guided by God’s Spirit, I also believe that we can choose good because we are good. Not perfect, mind you, but fundamentally good at the very core of our beings. Sometimes we just need help from the Spirit to make the right choices.
The mystics often spoke about a “Core Self” which is beyond the touch of any human being. It cannot be altered by humankind, no matter how bad our experiences, no matter how long we suffer, and no matter how many poor choices we make. This Core Self was created by God and is loved unconditionally by God. This Core Self is good, beautiful, and true, and since it is made in the image of God, it should never be denied, and it can never be destroyed.
My Harper’s Study Bible teaches me that St. Paul’s letter was written around 50 A.D. and reflects a critical moment in early Christianity. Paul consistently emphasizes God’s initiative in setting human beings free. It is God’s grace alone, undeserved and unmerited, given freely by God to all of God’s creation. Faith in Jesus, not our good works nor our obedience to God’s commandments nor human laws, will save us.
Follow me, Jesus repeatedly told his disciples; although it’s not an easy road. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but following Me means that your home is with God; and your journey begins and ends there. Being a follower of Jesus means that you choose life-giving activities rather than things that kill the body, darken the mind, break hearts, and eat away at our souls. “Do not procrastinate this day,” Jesus told them. “Live and be guided by the Spirit. Follow me.”
Since 8th grade I’ve worn glasses to correct my near-sightedness, but as I’ve aged, my eyes, among other things, have changed. I now wear bi-focals, so that when I preach, I can see both the text of my sermon as well as the horror, boredom and confusion on your faces. For reasons of vanity, as well as comfort, I’ve been wearing contact lenses for years, and so my right eye is corrected for distance, and my left eye enables me to read.
This is what freedom in Christ is all about - this bi-focal vision. With one eye, we can see up close, how our human behavior has fallen short of the mark. We can see our present age, in which our vision of God and God’s reign is blurred, and our human desires get the better of us. We can see how we have failed in our relationships with God and with our neighbors, indeed even with our very Core Selves.
And with that other eye, the spiritual eye, we can see God’s hand at work in the world about us, and the beauty of all God’s creation as originally intended. With our long-distance vision we can see the promised land of resurrection life and the hope of the world to come. Called for a purpose, and guided by the Spirit, we are set free, using our freedom to serve one another in love.
Called to freedom, living and loving and guided by God’s Spirit, we can treat everyone as if they are predestined for glory. Putting on my bi-focal glasses, and biting into my apple, I can see the fruits of the Spirit in you today: affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity, a willingness to stick with things, loyal commitments, compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates all things and all people. So keep your hands on the plow, dear followers of Jesus, and keep moving forward in faith.
Galatians 5:1,13-25
as translated by Eugene Petersen in the Message, a modern paraphrase.
Luke 9:51-62
