Free As the Breeze?

 

Reformation Day, 2010 (John 8:31-36 with Jeremiah 31:31-34 in the b.g.)

 

I am wondering if you have recently heard the story of Ivan Henry? Last Wednesday he was acquitted of raping 8 Vancouver women. Ivan had spent 27 years in jail. 27 years for a crime he didn't commit. He had always maintained that he had been wrongly convicted.  The lead picture in the Vancouver Sun had Henry hugging his 2 grown daughters, Tanya and Kary. Can you imagine? What will Ivan Henry do with his new found freedom, in terms of his relationships with daughters that he didn't get to see grow up, with his grandchildren if there are any, with the rest of his earthly life? Wow! Do you think he would ever choose to remain to in jail, cut off from others, if that were a choice available to him? Wouldn't that be insane – to not seize his freedom?

 

Are we free? Do you think that you are free? Do you feel as if you are free? Do you act in free and freeing ways? (Pause)

 

Imagine that you have a neighbor. Actually you have an entire family of neighbors, a man and a woman who have a teenage daughter. When you are out and about working in your yard or walking around the block and you see them, you smile and say hello or a hearty, "Good morning". But they don't even acknowledge your presence. They keep talking among themselves or literally turn their backs on you. And yet, they seem to relate relatively well to others. You have observed them talking to others, even cutting the other people's lawns. But their refusal to acknowledge you happens again and again. What will you do?

 

Will you exercise your freedom to keep greeting them, to remain open to their presence, even to pray privately for their well-being? Or will you, in your mind, write them off, depersonalize them as being self absorbed or ignorant people? When one chooses this latter course of action the barriers then grow on "both sides of the fence".

 

Of course such a scenario is not only acted out between individual neighbors, but also functions as realities between and among groups – of churches, of schools, of ethnic groups, of nations.

 

Today's Gospel text has within it a declaration from Jesus. In John's context Jesus' declaration is directed to a group of people who "believed in Jesus". But as we listen to that declaration, it feels all encompassing, that it is also directed to us. Listen as Jesus is speaking – "Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin".

 

It's difficult to escape that word, 'everyone'.

 

But what is this, "commits sin"? Is this statement quite limited, directed only for the Russell Williams of the world, the Paul Bernardos, the Saddam Husseins, the Hitler's and Stalins of the world? We need to explore what this word "sin" means? For it certainly doesn't exist in our everyday vocabularies. Biblically, sin often means, "missing the mark" – that is the mark or the goal of God's intent. God is holy. We are not. God loves the world. We often do not. Jesus calls us to love, to care about others including our enemies – and we, well we depersonalize, swear at them – at our worst seek to eliminate or at the very least exclude them. When we begin to understand "sin" this way, can we be anything but guilty?

 

So listen to the remainder of Jesus' declaration: "Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin!" What is with this word slave? We are Lutherans – we are not enslaved to anything. We say, that we live by grace. But do you ever keep track of who owes you what – in terms of money, favors, invitations, so called "gifts"? Do you ever think, that you really deserved something good to happen to you? And when it doesn't happen, what's our reaction?

 

Slave is a pretty strong word. It is a word that means that such a person is not freed. Being a slave means that one cannot be freed by or through their own will or power. A slave needs help, a deliverer from the outside. Remember that Jesus says, "Everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin". Everyone – that includes our bishop, our pastor, our premier, the nicest person you ever met – yes, even Mother Teresa who dedicated so much of her life to serving others!

 

This is serious business.  This is more serious even than Ivan Henry being freed from a cell where he was wrongfully held for 27 years. I mean if Ivan is part of the everyone Jesus is talking about, will he be able to let go of his resentments towards those who have so mistreated him, in order that he can be truly free to live and laugh and love and care for others for the rest of his earthly life. If he can't let go of those things, even though he has been released from jail, is he truly free? Are we?

 

So who can, who will free us from our slavery? (pause)

 

Jesus makes another declaration in today's Gospel. He says, "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed!" Do we hear it? "If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed!"

 

The Son that Jesus mentions here, is the very Son of God, Jesus Himself. The entire context of this passage refers to living in relationship with Jesus, close to him in terms of listening for him, speaking to him, attempting to follow him in the living of one's life.

 

In Jesus' life and death we are privileged to receive glimpses of God. WE see reflections of God's mercy in Jesus – as he prays to God for those who are killing Him, as he entrusts the early disciples, those who had abandoned him, with the good news of his resurrection – as He commands them to baptize all nations". Jesus is giving gifts to people who so desperately need such gifts. But Jesus also moves to show them the truth both about God and themselves. And our text today is a prime example of that.

 

So, how are you doing? Really – don't just mutter, "fine", to yourself. How are you doing in your relationships at work, at home, with friends near and far? We need the promise of Jesus, this very Son of God, in all aspects of our lives. Even now he approaches us with love, forgiveness, mercy and hope for freedom in word and deed. Will we walk out of the cells that we are trapped in? Will we receive the freedom Jesus gifts us with due to His love and forgiveness for others and us? Or will we make some ludicrous claim – that everything is alright and we are pretty good?

 

Freedom –oh freedom. If the Son makes us free we will be free indeed! Amen.