Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

This is the time of year we celebrate independence, yet we prefer to focus on the ‘freedom from’ as opposed to the ‘freedom to.’ Too often society views independence as individual indulgence rather than personal responsibility. ‘Freed from’ is usually less complicated than ‘freed to.’

Consider the Israelites being freed from slavery. They rejoiced at leaving the tyranny of the Egyptians. They then whined incessantly about having to fend for themselves in the wilderness. How about those American colonists fighting for independence from the British? The Declaration of Independence is one page (the signatures comprise a fair amount of that page) & two days to ratify. The original Constitution was four pages (now 232) & took about nine months to ratify – then almost another nine to enact it. It was a little easier to declare independence than to determine governing themselves after it was won. Think about the many young adults venturing out into the world. How many rejoice at finally having ‘freedom from’ their parents & rules? How many are thrilled about at being ‘freed to’ pay their own bills, fix their own problems, & get themselves to work or school?

In the Bible, freedom is never reduced to merely ‘free from.’ It always includes the ‘free to.’ The Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt to love and serve God. You are freed from sin, death, and evil. You are ‘freed to’ live life in the Spirit. The ‘free from’ is relatively easy. The ‘free to’ takes a lifetime of prayer and practice. We look to Scripture, community, and the Holy Spirit to help us be ‘free to.’ “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

By the grace of God, you are free – free to love & free to serve. The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.