Free to Love

In recent years I’ve found it difficult to engage with the 4th of July. And not just “Independence Day,” but every holiday that I traditionally celebrated in innocence and/or ignorance of the fact they were not experienced the same way by everyone has been convicting me. I’m prone to shame and self-loathing, so that is certainly part of my quagmire in figuring out how to engage these traditional holidays moving forward. In addition to that, however, my ongoing learning about the checkered history of our country combined with the personal stories of friends have caused me to not be able to “unsee” the inconsistencies of what we celebrate.

Last year I pressed into Frederick Douglass and his prophetic words in “What to the Slave is the 4th of July?” His rhetoric was (is) so powerful, and his courage even greater to stand up and deliver that speech to a crowd of largely white, privileged American abolitionists. Those words still ring in our ears to this day - a testament to their prophetic qualities. But his powerful rhetoric doesn’t resolve my internal struggle. It simply connects me more deeply to it. 

I know I want a better response than patriotic ambivalence or even worse. I recognize that the 4th of July is a significant marker in the development of this country. I am thankful for the independence that was fought for and emerged because of the commitment and sacrifice made by many early in this country’s formation, and throughout world wars that pushed back the tyranny of oppressive foreign regimes. I have loved ones and friends who fought for that and I honor them. I also continue to learn and recognize that independence and freedom were not the experiences for everyone, especially those without standing, means, status, and/or privilege, including and especially for African Americans, Native Americans, and most women. But, maybe, with effort and a new idea of what our ideals really mean, there could be hope for a more just and equitable society for all. 

Here’s a case that embodies my internal struggle. For many of our immigrants, the 4th of July represents real freedom to be living in a country where there is access to food, access to education, and freedom from generational tribal conflicts (among many other things). To become a citizen of the United States is a huge milestone! And we do celebrate when our new friends achieve citizenship. Yet, the reality for most of them is that the color of their skin makes them vulnerable in ways they don’t even fully realize until they’ve been here a while. Frustratingly, I’m left with mixed emotions and at best another reason to temper any celebration of the 4th of July. Hope is mixed with concern and a need to never give up trying to make this country (my community) a safer and more equitable place.

In my reflections, I turned my attention to the idea of freedom and found myself remembering the verse we have on the wall of our lobby at church. It comes from Galatians 5:13 and reads: “…instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love.” The full verse is, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (NIV).

I keep pulling back from any tug toward exuberant celebrations of patriotism to be reminded that the freedom we most cherish is that which comes from Christ. In this Galatians passage, Paul is writing about the freedom available to Christians from religious practices that were an ongoing expectation (think circumcision) by some who didn’t embrace Paul’s (or the early church leaders’) teaching. He declared in chapter 5 that we were meant to be free. We were created to be free agents, made in God’s image, to live in harmony and union with Him. But, that freedom came with some expectations of its own; namely union with Him.

Upon reflection and a little bit of study, you find that the biblical notion of freedom is not about liberty without boundaries. It’s not a “no holds barred” approach to life. Looking back into the Old Testament gives us some clues. When God liberated the people from Egypt, the primary purpose was so that they could once again love, worship, and serve Him in the ways He intended. The bondage they were living under in Egypt prevented it. Their liberation from bondage (aka. Their freedom) was unto living life the way God had ordained for them. It was subsequently filled with rules, laws, customs, and expectations. They were free but free to serve God, no longer enslaved and prevented from doing so because of their slave masters. 

The New Testament, and much of church history has used this story to draw the parallel between our bondage to sin and world systems, and the freedom we have in Christ. We are no longer bound by sin (Christ freed us), and we can freely worship Him as a result. Thus, our freedom comes with an expectation that we live with Christ, for Christ, and become more like Christ. Our freedom gives us the chance to love freely, serve Christ by serving others, and generally lays down our rights and privileges if it would help and bless someone else. Freedom in the Bible doesn’t just open the door to living however we choose. That kind of freedom is always secondary to a surrendered heart, and life devoted to Christ. 

As we embrace our freedom in Christ, we embrace our responsibilities to serve Him and others.

This year I have found it helpful to reflect on what it means to be truly free. In biblical terms, to live free means free from sin and any empty religious rituals allowing me to love God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength. It also means I develop a deep love and concern for others and embrace them in the same way I do when I look in the mirror every morning (all self-loathing laid aside for a moment.) It means that Christ can be exuberantly glorified in and through me and others can come to know Him too.

As Christians, I think we can only apply our understanding of freedom to our patriotic loyalties if we have fully embraced freedom’s biblical roots. My personal freedom comes with a responsibility to help everyone experience freedom the way I do or want to. That means, in this society, there’s a lot of work to do so that everyone can celebrate it with unfettered joy. Until that time comes, I will be thankful but temper my patriotic celebrations, work hard to promote justice and a healthy community and live in a manner that uses my freedom to serve others humbly in love. That’s something we can all do together and certainly something I can celebrate!