Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42
4th Sunday after Pentecost – Lectionary 13
Americans are celebrating 241 years of freedom this week. We do it with picnics, fireworks and shopping the sales in stores. Freedom always comes at a cost, and ours is no different. One of the many stories from the Revolutionary war is the pivotal battle on Kings Mountain. Patrick Ferguson led British Loyalists against the Overmountain Men. Ferguson was certain that the trees and rocks on top of the mountain gave him a military advantage. It’s reported that Ferguson declared that, “he was king of that mountain, and God Almighty could not drive him from it.”’[1] What Ferguson had not taken into account was that his men needed to step out from behind the cover of trees and rocks and out into the open in order to fire. The results were devastating. This battle proved to be the beginning of the end for the British.
Americans became free from British rule, but there are many ways to be in bondage, and there are other types of freedom. Not all people were set free as a result of the Revolutionary War. The American Civil War in the 1860’s determined that the states would remain united in one nation, and that it would be free from slavery. There are many types of freedom, and in the 1960’s Dr. Martin Luther King would work for the freedom of equality. The sixties were about being free from many things, especially societal and moral rules. Have you heard about Woodstock? Woodstock celebrated the breaking of boundaries, and burst the seams of freedom, yet Janis Joplin sang, “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”
Freedom. A six-foot tall monument of the Ten Commandments was recently erected at the state capital of Arkansas. This past week, it was reported that a 32-year-old man drove his car over it. Those who were watching it on FaceBook Live heard music, and then, just moments before he sped up, he said, “Oh, my goodness—freedom!”
Freedom. We all want to be free, free from something— free from debt, free from illness, free from someone, free from doubt. What is it that something for you? From what would you like to be free?
As the Declaration of Independence speaks to our freedom as Americans, Paul speaks of freedom in his letter to the Romans. He explains that through his death and resurrection, Jesus fulfilled the law. If Lutherans have a motto, it is, We are justified by grace through faith. Paul writes, For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from the works prescribed by the law (Romans 3:28). What does this mean? It means that we are made right with God. What is it that we must do go get on God’s good side? Nothing. We are saved by grace through faith. Not only that, but that faith is the gift of God. We are set free from having to prove ourselves worthy of love and free from having to earn our own salvation. Joined to Christ in his life, death and resurrection through the word and waters of our baptism, we are set free from the bondage of sin and death.
We are set free! Now what? We know what to do with conditional gifts, if you do this, then I do that. If you study hard and do your homework, then you will get good grades. If you eat all your spinach, then you can have cookies. With an if-then promise, we maintain some control. But God’s gift is free. There are no conditions. The promise is not if-then, it is because-therefore. Because Jesus died and was resurrected, therefore we are justified. Because Jesus suffered the sins of the world, we are free from sin. Now what? How do we live in God’s freedom?
The theological term for this is sanctification. What does that mean? It has been said that sanctification means learning to accept our justification. Sanctification and justification are intertwined. Lutherans and Luther don’t talk much about sanctification, however, Luther rightly tells us that we are both saints and sinners at the same time. While we are sinners, we are also being made holy. We are already and not-yet. We are living into our baptism. We are set apart for God’s use even while we are sinners. Sanctification is learning to trust God. It is relational. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Through God’s grace, we are set free from the power of sin and death. God’s grace is bigger than our sin. God’s grace is more powerful than death. When we are set free from the law and from sin, the question then becomes, free for what. The for what question relates to the process of sanctification. Paul writes, But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. We are set free to be obedient to God, to do God’s will. The results of our sanctification are, in Paul’s language, the fruit of the Spirit.
Hospitality is one of the fruits of the Spirit to which Jesus refers when he says, Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Jesus is telling us to bring the presence of Christ to everyone we meet, the same Christ who loves us unconditionally, who extends grace and mercy. What would that look like at the gym, or at work? What does that look like outside the walls of church, the borders of our neighborhood, or on the other side of our country’s borders? What does unconditional hospitality look like inside the walls of our church?
God’s grace is hospitable and inclusive. Whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, Jesus says. It is that simple. Care for others in helpful ways. Visit someone who cannot get out. Drive someone who can’t drive themselves. Listen with a compassionate heart to someone who is grieving. During worship, help a visitor find their place in our worship book, walk with them to the communion rail. Find out if you can help them navigate Williamsburg’s many gems. Graciously let others sit in your self-assigned seat in the pew. Remember, those in our church every Sunday may need a glass of water, too. The hospitality of welcome includes calling someone who was not here, and telling them you missed them. Wherever you are, make Christ’s presence known in things you do and the words you say.
One cup of water to one person can bring life. This is beautifully illustrated by the story of the Star Thrower. Maybe you have heard it. There was a man walking on the beach. As he looked along the shoreline, he saw a boy reach down and pick up a starfish. The boy then threw it into the ocean. As the man came closer, he called out, “Hello!” The boy looked up, and the man, now standing next to him, asked, “What are you doing?” The boy looked up and answered, “I’m throwing starfish into the ocean.” “I see that, but why?” asked the man.
The tide has stranded them. If I don’t throw them back into the water before the sun comes up, they will die,” the boy answered. “Surely you know that there are miles and miles of beach, and thousands of stranded starfish. You’ll never throw them all back. There are too many. You can’t possibly make a difference.” The boy listened quietly, and then picked up another starfish. As he threw it back into the sea, he said, “It made a difference for that one.”[2]
~Pastor Cheryl Ann Griffin
[1] http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-revolution/4272
[2] Written by Loren Eiseley. https://starthrowerfoundation.org/about-starthrower-foundation/the-star-thrower-story/