"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." [2 Corinthians 3:17]
Today's a good day to remember that where the Spirit of God shows up, people are set free.
It's particularly good, given that today's holiday, Juneteenth, is also known as Freedom Day, and marks the anniversary of news arriving in Galveston, Texas (on June 19, 1865) that the Civil War was over, that the slave-holding Confederacy was defeated, and that all enslaved persons were to be set free. The story of the day reminds me, as Fannie Lou Hamer put it so well, that "Nobody's free until everybody's free," and that an official declaration of freedom (like, say, the Emancipation Proclamation, already issued in January of 1863) means little if the news hasn't reached the ears who need to hear it, and if the power holding people captive is still keeping them in chains. The story of Juneteenth reminds me of how powerful a message can be--if it is backed up with the authority to make it meaningful, and how a messenger can bring freedom that flows from a victory that is already won. All of that storytelling, bound up in this holiday, is in the back of my mind as I think about these words of Paul to the Corinthians.
When Paul thinks about the work of the Spirit in people's lives, he sees people being set free. And, in a way that feels much like the flow of Juneteenth, Paul knew what it was like to come to a new place and tell them the news of a victory that had already been won (in the cross and resurrection of Jesus) which now made people free as the Spirit led them to receive it. That's the same flow as the whole Christian life, if you think about it: at some point the news becomes real for us, and the victory Jesus has already accomplished becomes something real for us, even though it's two thousand years back in history. And when we realize that there's nothing we have to do in order to earn God's favor or win God's love, we are free from wasting our lives with all the old attempts to impress people (or God), and we are freed from having to keep giving in to the old impulses of greed, fear, hatred, and apathy. And once you realize you have been set free like that, you want other people to be free, too. Nobody's free til everyone's free, after all.
So often we settle for such a small and shriveled understanding of "freedom" in our culture. We are used to hearing about freedom as a "Nobody can tell me what to do" kind of attitude, and we revel in stories from the days of the American Revolution about refusing to pay taxes to the British, as though freedom were just about being rid of minor inconveniences or annoyances. But in a deeper sense, the freedom that the Spirit brings is something so much fuller and wider. It can't never be just "my" freedom, but it always reaches outward to want others to be free, as well--and it's always about being untethered from the fears, anxieties, and powers that prevent us from loving like Jesus. The Spirit's kind of freedom, in other words, is never reducible to, "I don't have to listen to other people or care about their needs, because I'm free, gosh darn it!" But rather the Spirit's kind of freedom removes the burdens and hindrances that keep us from loving others and living joyfully. The Spirit's kind of freedom removes the worries of whether we measure up to the expectations of Respectable Religious people or the demands of the Politically Powerful people, so that we are simply able to respond to the world like Jesus. Jesus himself does say in John's Gospel that "if the Son makes you free, you are free indeed." That freedom is his gift to share his way of life--a life that is generous, gracious, passionate, beautiful, blessed, and loving. That sounds like freedom to me.
So on this day, it's worth remembering both the long road to freedom that continues to be a part of our nation's history and hope for the future, as well as the freedom the Spirit gives us as Christ-followers--a freedom that is always grounded in the person and love of Jesus. And in both cases, we are pointed outward to look to the needs of our neighbors, so that they can be free, blessed, and beloved as well.
Because none of us are really free until everybody is.
Lord Jesus, free us by your Spirit to love that looks like yours
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