"For freedom, Christ has set us free." Freedom. Especially with Independence Day just on the horizon, it is probably an apt time to think about Paul’s words about freedom, found in this morning’s reading in the letter to the Galatians. It is a time of year when we think about political freedom and hopefully pause to give thanks for the social and political freedoms we enjoy in this country… freedoms born out of the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and ultimately the establishment of the American Constitution.

Several weeks ago I spoke about peace. As others have before me, I reminded us all, that especially for Christians, peace is not just the absence of conflict. Peace is not defined negatively. It is a positive feature; peace is life lived in the presence of God. Freedom has both negative and positive faces as well. At the time of our country’s birth, the focus of the people of this land was on freedom from British rule. Freedom from. Freedom as an escape from, or the absence of, something binding or oppressive. Freedom, however, is more than just freedom from. Its purpose is more than just escape. Positively viewed, freedom’s purpose is to create opportunity for a new future. Freedom for. Freedom for growth. Freedom for self-determination. The opportunity to become more. The opportunity to become better. Our national history reflects both of freedom’s faces. The Declaration of Independence talks a lot about freedom from British domination. Think about it, though, would you want to live in a land where the Declaration of Independence was the only statement of identity and purpose? Where being not British is all that matters? That is an adolescent sort of freedom, a teenager’s rebellion. One which seeks to be free of all control, but lacks any positive purpose. But the Constitution takes the next step, into maturity. It is about freedom for. A new future with a new purpose. "We the people of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union…"

Freedom. Not just freedom from bondage, though that is certainly a good thing. Freedom for. Freedom for a future with the opportunity to become something more. For freedom, Christ has set us free.

One way to consider today’s gospel is in the context of freedom. It is a difficult text. Jesus’ words are harsh. To those people who would be his followers he says, "No, you cannot say goodbye to your family; no, you cannot bury your father; no, you cannot first bring in the crops. The proclamation of the kingdom of God must be your first and only priority." It doesn’t hurt us to consider those words, harsh as they are, at face value in our own lives. They are a reminder that we can have only one highest priority in our lives.

Yet we can also consider them in another light. And in this light they are not just autocratic commands, they are teachings… teachings about freedom. Jesus is teaching his followers that they are free, free from the strict bonds and expectations of family and society; free, if they choose, to become Christians. In Jesus’ day the family was the defining unit of the social structure. Personal and social identity and authority were inextricably bound up with family. The rules and expectations governing family roles and allegiance were clear and strict. To break them was to risk loss of all identity and status, to become a non-person in society’s eyes.

In one sense Jesus says to his followers, "If you wish to be my followers, you must break these rules." That’s the harsh reading of Jesus’ words. But in another sense, Jesus says: "As my followers, you are free to break these rules and social expectations." That is the liberating reading of Jesus’ words. Families, of course, can be a wonderful source of blessing, but individual identity does not depend upon affiliation with a family of origin.  You will not loose your identity or worth or status if you follow me, Jesus says, because your true worth and identity are not granted by society, they are given as gift by God. You are free to become more than a child of your culture, you are free to become a child of God.

He was teaching them something they did not know… That they were free to leave behind the limited expectations others had of them. Free to become more, to become who God would have them be. Free to become Christians.

It is a lesson Jesus teaches, at least implicitly, throughout this gospel reading. When Jesus passes through Samaria, he is shunned. James and John, his loyal disciples, want to rain fire and destruction upon the Samaritans.  They seek retribution; such would be the cultural expectation, the law of the land. But Jesus points out that they are free—free from that social obligation. Just think how much our world today would be improved if people knew they were free from the culturally imposed expectation of retribution, retaliation. From the conflicts in the Middle East and Northern Ireland, to gang warfare in the city, to pitchers brushing batters off the plate in baseball. If only we were free from the need to retaliate. Christians are free, because as seekers of the kingdom of heaven, we are governed by higher laws of love and forgiveness. We are free to become, to act, not just as society expects us to, but as God desires us to.

For freedom Christ has set us free. Us.

We, too, have been set free. Free from what binds us. Free for a better future. Free to become what God would have us become. Free to become Christians.

For example:

We are free to put aside society’s expectation that our schedules be filled with meaningful activities. We are free to discount the pervasive assumption that our human fulfillment and the health of our families depends upon our presence and participation in all of culture’s extracurricular activities: Scouts, soccer, Little League, dance, neighborhood and community groups, PTO meetings, fraternal organizations. These are not bad things. But if and when they become imprisoning, we are free to put them aside in favor of the kingdom of God. These activities may be satisfying, but they are not defining. As Christians, we are free because our human fulfillment does not depend upon belonging to or participating in any of these organizations; our fulfillment comes from our membership in the Body of Christ. We need not be bound by social or cultural expectation. We are free to place spiritual restoration, participation in corporate worship, pursuing the life of faith as priorities in our lives. We are free.

We are free to put aside the drive for material needs as our overriding goal. Not all of us, maybe none of us, are called to live lives of ascetic poverty. But if the demands of success and job become binding, become oppressive, we are free to put them aside, to seek less, to lessen our material ambition. We know that our treasure lies in the kingdom of God, not in the kingdoms of this earth. We have a choice. We are free.

We are free to work for justice and dignity among all people. Even if we live and move among those who do not believe that all are worthy of justice and dignity. Even if our work for the oppressed or marginalized brings risk to our own status among our peers. We are free because our status, our citizenship is secure in God’s kingdom. It does not depend upon the approval of our peers. No person can tarnish or diminish our standing before God. We are free to act as Christians. We are free.

And we are free to proclaim God’s love and purpose to the world. Whoever we are, wherever we are. We need not fear the scorn or derision of others. We need not fear being misunderstood. We need not fear criticism or judgment. These things may happen, but we need not fear them, because our voice, our strength, our purpose come not from ourselves, but from God. And ultimately no one will judge us other than God. We may proclaim the gospel without fear. We are free.

For freedom Christ has set us free. We are free to grow, free to become more than we are now. We are free to become Christians.