John 8:31-36 Reformation Sunday
In talking to people inside and outside of the Church, I have come to the conclusion that there are two basic spiritual needs people have, and they are sometimes in conflict. We all have a basic need for security, and we all have a basic need for freedom.
Now, there are churches which offer people mostly security. They tend to be rigid in their beliefs, and offer a complete life-and-belief system which you have to buy as a complete package. You are not supposed to try to think things out for yourself, just accept everything they teach, do everything they say, and you will be saved. Many people find this very comforting. They don't have to work it out themselves, just accept it. You know a church is mostly offering security when their main evangelical emphasis appeals to fear: “Where are you going to spend eternity? In heaven or in hell?”And very often these churches are growing and thriving when other churches are in decline. A lot of people crave security and are willing to trade their freedom for it.
However, not everybody has an overriding desire for security. Many people find the rigidity and rule-following nature of these churches is oppressive and confining. That's one of the reasons many people don't go to church, in fact. The church of their childhood was oppressive, and they don't want to go there. Or they hear and read of churches like this – which tend to be more vocal in the media – and are horrified at the thought of getting into their clutches.
These people have a stronger yearning for freedom. They want to work things out for themselves, they don't want an institution telling them what to believe. They want to be able to do whatever they want, without worrying about whether it is against somebody's rules or not.
The trouble is, without God, there is no lasting freedom. Anybody active in AA or NA or any 12 step program will tell you that you have to put your trust in a higher power, or you will never be free of your addiction. And we are all addicted to sin. There is always something that trips you up, no matter what your standards or principles are. There are always instincts that get the best of us, selfishness that destroys relationships, fear and anger that interfere with our enjoyment of life. And so we don't have the freedom that we crave, after all.
I really think that God was puzzled by us humans. God created us for good, to be God's children and friends, and we turned aside and did all sorts of evil and violent things. God called Abraham to make a new kind of humanity, and still people went violently wrong, and his descendants ended up as slaves in Egypt. God freed them and gave them explicit instructions through the Law of Moses – and for the most part it failed to bring them closer to God. God sent prophets to point out where the people were going wrong – and that didn't work either. Finally God had to come down here Godself to tell us – and when God became human, then God understood. We are slaves to sin. We can't help it. No matter how hard we try, we are going to screw it up somehow.
I think it was at that point that God realized that we are the way we are because that's the way God made us. We are deeply flawed because that's the way we were born. So Jesus proclaimed that we were forgiven, but honestly, we found that hard to believe. That's the tragedy of humanity – we know what we should be like, but we cannot attain to it. So Jesus went to the cross, declared forgiveness even as they were killing him, took all the blame for all our sins on himself, so that we could finally really believe that God wasn't mad at us anymore – that God accepted the blame, that it was okay that we were not perfect. And it's at that point, when we become aware that we don't have to live in fear of death and God's judgement, that God loves us and wants us to be God's dear children – that's when we are freed. The Son has made us free, and we are free indeed.
And in finding this freedom, the freedom from guilt and shame, the freedom from fear and anger, the freedom to live life in love and acceptance and joy, we also find true security. Because no one is more secure than the one who knows that they live in God's love, which is stronger than death.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
and though the mountains shake in the depths of the sea...”
“The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”
Therefore we will not fear, though our congregation seems to be dissolving and disintegrating. Therefore we will not fear, though we don't have enough money to pay the pastor any more. Therefore we will not fear, though a host of personal troubles assails us. The Lord of hosts is with us! The God of Jacob is our stronghold!
And because God discovered that we really can't help screwing up all the time, God said, “What they need is a piece of me inside them!” So God sent us the Holy Spirit to be inside us, changing us from the inside out. So we don't have to try and try to live up to what God wants – God is making it happen as we live and pray and help one another out. We don't have to go by what someone else says. “No longer shall they teach one another, saying, Know the Lord!” But we all know within ourselves that God is with us, freeing us, leading us, loving us.
Our neighbours need to know this. Many of our neighbours are still living lives of desperation, still slaves to sin, living in fear. We are a part of God's solution. As God became human to rescue us, we can reach out to others with that same rescue. We can say, “Your freedom is here. Your security is here. Yes, you can have it all. It is found in Jesus.” Thanks be to God! Amen.
In talking to people inside and outside of the Church, I have come to the conclusion that there are two basic spiritual needs people have, and they are sometimes in conflict. We all have a basic need for security, and we all have a basic need for freedom.
Now, there are churches which offer people mostly security. They tend to be rigid in their beliefs, and offer a complete life-and-belief system which you have to buy as a complete package. You are not supposed to try to think things out for yourself, just accept everything they teach, do everything they say, and you will be saved. Many people find this very comforting. They don't have to work it out themselves, just accept it. You know a church is mostly offering security when their main evangelical emphasis appeals to fear: “Where are you going to spend eternity? In heaven or in hell?”And very often these churches are growing and thriving when other churches are in decline. A lot of people crave security and are willing to trade their freedom for it.
However, not everybody has an overriding desire for security. Many people find the rigidity and rule-following nature of these churches is oppressive and confining. That's one of the reasons many people don't go to church, in fact. The church of their childhood was oppressive, and they don't want to go there. Or they hear and read of churches like this – which tend to be more vocal in the media – and are horrified at the thought of getting into their clutches.
These people have a stronger yearning for freedom. They want to work things out for themselves, they don't want an institution telling them what to believe. They want to be able to do whatever they want, without worrying about whether it is against somebody's rules or not.
The trouble is, without God, there is no lasting freedom. Anybody active in AA or NA or any 12 step program will tell you that you have to put your trust in a higher power, or you will never be free of your addiction. And we are all addicted to sin. There is always something that trips you up, no matter what your standards or principles are. There are always instincts that get the best of us, selfishness that destroys relationships, fear and anger that interfere with our enjoyment of life. And so we don't have the freedom that we crave, after all.
I really think that God was puzzled by us humans. God created us for good, to be God's children and friends, and we turned aside and did all sorts of evil and violent things. God called Abraham to make a new kind of humanity, and still people went violently wrong, and his descendants ended up as slaves in Egypt. God freed them and gave them explicit instructions through the Law of Moses – and for the most part it failed to bring them closer to God. God sent prophets to point out where the people were going wrong – and that didn't work either. Finally God had to come down here Godself to tell us – and when God became human, then God understood. We are slaves to sin. We can't help it. No matter how hard we try, we are going to screw it up somehow.
I think it was at that point that God realized that we are the way we are because that's the way God made us. We are deeply flawed because that's the way we were born. So Jesus proclaimed that we were forgiven, but honestly, we found that hard to believe. That's the tragedy of humanity – we know what we should be like, but we cannot attain to it. So Jesus went to the cross, declared forgiveness even as they were killing him, took all the blame for all our sins on himself, so that we could finally really believe that God wasn't mad at us anymore – that God accepted the blame, that it was okay that we were not perfect. And it's at that point, when we become aware that we don't have to live in fear of death and God's judgement, that God loves us and wants us to be God's dear children – that's when we are freed. The Son has made us free, and we are free indeed.
And in finding this freedom, the freedom from guilt and shame, the freedom from fear and anger, the freedom to live life in love and acceptance and joy, we also find true security. Because no one is more secure than the one who knows that they live in God's love, which is stronger than death.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
and though the mountains shake in the depths of the sea...”
“The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”
Therefore we will not fear, though our congregation seems to be dissolving and disintegrating. Therefore we will not fear, though we don't have enough money to pay the pastor any more. Therefore we will not fear, though a host of personal troubles assails us. The Lord of hosts is with us! The God of Jacob is our stronghold!
And because God discovered that we really can't help screwing up all the time, God said, “What they need is a piece of me inside them!” So God sent us the Holy Spirit to be inside us, changing us from the inside out. So we don't have to try and try to live up to what God wants – God is making it happen as we live and pray and help one another out. We don't have to go by what someone else says. “No longer shall they teach one another, saying, Know the Lord!” But we all know within ourselves that God is with us, freeing us, leading us, loving us.
Our neighbours need to know this. Many of our neighbours are still living lives of desperation, still slaves to sin, living in fear. We are a part of God's solution. As God became human to rescue us, we can reach out to others with that same rescue. We can say, “Your freedom is here. Your security is here. Yes, you can have it all. It is found in Jesus.” Thanks be to God! Amen.
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