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Welcome to Kirkweb's Easter Comment. Thank you for visiting this page and please feel free to email me with any comments. May God bless You this Easter 2005 - Iain.

Text:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

I believe that the point of Easter is freedom bought at great price by Jesus Christ. And this freedom is exemplified by the way in which Jesus freely gave his life for the whole world as the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin. One for all, Once for all, for ever.

But that sacrifice came through love and we know and understand that God's love means absolute freedom. A freedom which religious rules will never give. And that was what Paul was arguing against in Galatians, because some Jews had come saying that as Christians they had to obey all the old Jewish rules as well. This would have negated all that Jesus had live and died and was raised to life for.

But there is a consequence in all of this, for while Faith brings Freedom, Freedom must be used in a loving way (see Galatians 5:6). "What matters is faith that works through love."

So let us consider the love expressed by the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) as a model for responsible freedom.

Firstly there is freedom to create. The Father is the Creator - who is constantly creating new things (for example: Isaiah 43:19, "Watch for the new thing I am going to do, it is happening already you can see it now."

The freedom that God gives enables us to escape from the predictable and rigid and creates fresh understanding, new possibilities, the clean start, the new glimpse of light. Freedom can be used to make a difference between hope and despair.

And freedom asks - you as a Christian, what new things can you create?

Then there is freedom to serve. A popular modern hymn is "The servant king". The Son of God served and served perfectly creating our freedom and so disciples should serve too (Matt 20:26-27). "If one of you wants to be first, he must be your slave, like the son of man, who did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life to redeem his people."

Consequently true freedom is to deny oneself freedom for the sake of others. The implications of service are daunting - yet the old prayer, "Whose service is perfect freedom", means freedom is only discovered by those who sacrifice it.

There is a true story told about a young boy who was always catching and caging wild animals and birds. He liked the sound of the mocking bird so he eventually caught a very young mocking bird and placed it in a cage outside his home, so that he could hear it sing.

On the second day he saw a female bird fly to the cage and feed the young bird through the bars. The young boy was very pleased, but the next morning the little bird was dead.

Some time later the young lad met the renowned ornithologist Arthur Wayne who explained that a mother mocking bird, if she finds her young in a cage will sometimes feed it with poisonous berries. She obviously thinks it better for the one she loves to die rather than live in captivity.

And freedom asks - you as a Christian, will you be a servant?

Moving on there is freedom to comfort. The spirit is described as the Comforter or Counselor. In the spirit, we can use our freedom to comfort those who mourn, who need encouragement, who face pain, fear or uncertainty. The Spirit is an advocate and brings peace - roles in which we may share. This freedom will produce its own harvest (Galatians 5:22).

Freedom asks - you as a Christian, will you bring comfort?

If you rejoice in the freedom from slavery to sin, if you rejoice in the freedom that Jesus brings through his Resurrection, you, you as a Christian, must joyfully accept the responsibility freedom brings.

Prayer
Glory be to You, Almighty God, our strength and our Redeemer. Loving God, the vacant Cross and the empty Tomb vindicate Your claim that the Love which suffers is the Love that saves. Lord help us to see this in Your beloved Son Jesus in whom You are well pleased.

Lord, so fill Your people with Joy and Your church with Celebration, that the world may know that your Holy Son Jesus is not a dead hero we commemorate, but the Living Lord we worship.
Amen.

© Iain Morrison 2005