Having just celebrated the 4th of July holiday, themes of freedom and independence are on my mind. With thanksgiving, we honor those who have helped ensure the freedom and independence that many in this country enjoy.
But borrowing a quote from Spiderman, “with great freedom comes great responsibility.” As citizens of this country, not only are we called to give thanks for our freedoms, but to help ensure those freedoms for all people. And, even further, as disciples of Jesus, we are called to use our freedom to serve our neighbor.
Martin Luther coined the phrase during the Reformation that we are “freed from sin and freed for service.” Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we have been freed from the bondage of our sin. Indeed, as Paul writes in Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free.” But now that we are freed, now we are sent as laborers into God’s harvest: to share God’s gift of freedom, of healing, and of grace with those we encounter.
So as you move out of the holiday weekend back into the work week, challenge yourself to see those around you as your neighbor whom you have been freed to serve in Christ’s name. And then consider how you might be called to share God’s gift of freedom, of healing, and of grace with those you encounter.