Freed To Love Our Neighbors
Posted on Jul 11, 2018 by
In our Old Testament reading for this coming Sunday, Amos 7:7-15, we hear how Amos was treated by the religious and political leaders of Israel when he spoke out for justice and God’s ways. Amos warned the leaders of Israel that their ways were wrong and that they needed to change, but the leadership did not want to hear that, and so they kicked him out. The high priest, Amaziah, who was technically a paid employee of the king, said Amos must leave, so in the end, Amos left Israel and returned to his native southern kingdom of Judah. He was never heard from again, but his words of warning did ring true, as years later the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed.
As I read this text for this week and I listened to it with my 21st century ears, I was reminded once again times have not changed all that much. As people speak out against injustices that they are currently seeing or experiencing, there seem to be many voices, even powerful voices, who are saying similar words to those spoken by Amaziah. Today, it seems as though those who attempt to speak out against injustices in this country are quickly labeled “un-American,” and those saying such things would prefer that those seeking justice would leave our country. My understanding of such actions is two-fold: First, precisely because we are Americans, we have the freedom to speak out and we have a responsibility to try to make our nation a better place for everyone; secondly, and more importantly, as Christians, we have a duty to speak for and walk with all who are treated unfairly, unjustly, or who are being persecuted.
In his 1520 treatise, On the Freedom of a Christian, Martin Luther wrote, “A Christian is a perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all.” Luther understood the tension between our political and theological understandings of freedom, but more importantly, I believe Luther understood that in the waters of our baptism we are bound to God and God’s ways.
Last week, we all celebrated our nation’s independence, and, personally, I love July Fourth. I love this country, and as one who has traveled and worked all over the world, I can think of no better place to live, even with all our faults. As I celebrated the 4th, with fireworks and BBQs, I thought about freedom and the freedoms that I cherish. As Luther noted in 1520, yes, I am free, but that freedom is the freedom to care for others.
Real freedom, the kind of freedom that Christ came to proclaim, is freedom from sin and death. As such, Christ has called all of us to share that freedom with others. My prayer this week is that each of us might come to realize that with the freedom we celebrate this month as a nation comes the Christian responsibility to continue to serve all our neighbors, locally and around the world, with a faith that is filled with love.
Shalom, Pr. Dave