Proclaiming Freedom

Isaiah 61:1

 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners

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With the coming of a tiny baby, wrapped up and bundled in an obscure corner of the world surrounded by animals in a dusty hay-filled stable, came the coming of hope for all mankind in the world. With Jesus, we have redemption, we have forgiveness, we have new beginnings. He truly is the good news that the world needs.

Have you been set free from that which holds you captive? That which bars you from experiencing abundant joy and peace in our Lord?  It is true that we are continually assailed with distractions vying for our attention, trying to pry our seeking eyes off of Jesus, taking our attention from truth and devotion, and casting our thoughts on things much less signficant...and frankly cheap, considering the richness there is in the Lord. Have you bought into the world's lies and settled for a cheaper imitation of Jesus and the life that can be found in him? Or do you live fully for the Lord, proclaiming the freedom you've found in God to friends, to family, openly living as a disciple of Christ?

It's not easy sometimes, especially in today's society, to express a genuine devotion towards God and a reverence towards His written Word to others in our lives. It seems like now, especially in our American culture, when one speaks up, proclaiming the Word as the truth and light of God, with that proclamation, quite a number of stereotypes rise up to define one, sometimes unfairly. And that limits the potential of really getting the true, genuine message of Christ across effectively.

Maybe though, to proclaim God's truth in our lives, we don't have to use words all the time. Maybe words can limit our message to people in how God has changed our lives. Maybe words themselves can be like walls, barriers, between us and our message and other people. Maybe just living our lives; changed, free from the yoke of this world and full of the peace of God, is enough to make people start reflecting, start questioning, start seeking. I'm not an evangelist. I don't think I ever will be. I'm just not good at that kind of thing. But In Isaiah, it says to "preach good news to the poor"...to "proclaim freedom for the captives"...and I do think that is important. (It's God's Word after all! )

How can we do that without using words, or "evangelizing" in the traditional sense? I'm putting out a thought here, I'm not saying I'm entirely right, and of course each circumstance warrants particular varying responses, but there are some before me that have had the same notion that are much more qualified than I am, so I think there is some merit in this idea.

I am coming to believe that one of the best ways of proclaiming the freedom that we have found in Christ to a fallen world is through acts of service and through living out our lives, free from bondage, glorifying God and thus, serving as a living testament to His mercy, grace and to the power of the Spirit.

St Francis of Assissi once said, " Preach the gospel always, if necessary use words."

Language is limiting, actions say so much more. Words just symbolize concepts, actions display and live them out. Let's live out God's Word! Let's live out a life rich in Christ. Let's not just talk about Jesus but let's take to heart what he came down and taught us. To go out and serve others, to not let socio economic statuses define us spiritually. To reach out to others, both rich and poor, and help them. Let's find ways to lift others up through our actions and through our Love, the love that God puts in our hearts, and let's show grace and love to those around us. That will say so much more about the God we love and serve than anything words can express.

Consider Mother Teresa. She is respected by so many, Christians and non-Christians alike. She is someone that lived out her life with reverence towards God, service to mankind and great love towards people that most of us find hard to love. The lepers, the poor, the dying. And through her actions of love, through displaying the character of Jesus in a dark world, she shined a light brighter than anything words could create. She lived out her faith and through her gentle spirit, others could see the spiritual freedom she had with God. And that makes one really think deeply about things. We can't "save" anyone...that's God's job, that's the workings of the Spirit. The Bible tells us it is the Spirit which "awakens faith" in believers. But we can introduce hope, love, and compassion and inspire others to question what they believe and to reach out to seek the same freedom we have found and are finding in Christ.

As we prepare our hearts during Advent and anticipate celebrating the coming of Christ in the world, let's reflect on ways we can express the life of Christ in our own lives, without words, but through living out the gospel. Let's also reflect in ways that the world still binds us to it and ask for God to release us from those chains so that we can be more effective servants and live more fully in Him. Let's be free in Christ and proclaim that freedom to others through living in the love and light and Spirit of God! :)

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for helping us find freedom in you. Thank you for breaking the chains of slavery that bind us to the world and for vanquishing the darkness that threatens our peace, inundating our spirits with your light and love. May you continually work in our hearts so that we can experience you in deeper ways and enlighten us in the areas of our lives that need you and that need our attention and prayer in breaking free from.

 May our lives be living testaments to the power of your Spirit which makes such freedom and peace possible. May we seek ways in which we can serve you and speak of your great love, your grace, the hope that is found only in you, through our actions and through our lives. May we be the bright lamps in the world, shining our lights, (not speaking of light but actively shining it!) being the beacons of hope, that you call us to be.

Thank you for your son, for without him, we would have no hope. We praise you and give you all glory and honor.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

Moving Past Hypocrisy Towards Christ

"If I were to be a good Franciscan, that is, Christlike, I would first of all have to be in almost all points as this peasant appears to be. That is-to set no store on pride in knowledge, or possessions, or ambitions, but completely obscure looking and acting: and with all that not envious, not ambitious, but quiet and good, and giving people things, and being patient, and working and living on little food. But being, first nobody: this peasant, obscure and dark, and silent, and not knowing much how to talk: of such were Christ's Apostles.
                                    ~ Thomas Merton, Run to the Mountain, p. 10

These are Merton's reflections after coming across an Italian immigrant woodcutter living in the depths of New York City during the beginning of World War II. He notes that this is a man who "never says anything and never understands the crazy political fellows, and is humble and poor in Spirit too and loves God and prays to Him like a child (for we all should)." Run to the Mountain, p. 70.


I recently watched an interview with Shane Claiborne. Until recently I had never heard of Mr. Claiborne but now I am waiting with anticipation to get my hands on his books! If you aren't familiar with him I'd definitely suggest getting aquainted. One thing that struck me when I heard him speaking: wow this guy really walks the walk! He is genuine and fervent in faith and puts it into action, calling others to as well. He lives in an intentional community where whatever money is made is dispersed to those in the community as needed, the rest goes to the poor. In the interview I watched he stated that if one has two coats, they have one coat too many. That if one has two coats than that means there is one person in the world that is cold that wouldn't have to be if that person with two just surrendered their material belongings in the name of compassion and love. (I'm paraphrasing). That is so true! And so very Christ-like! Why aren't more of us Christians like that?

All of this makes me wonder about all the lucrative pastors and preachers worldwide that go through the circuits and travel, spreading the Word from shore to shore and beyond. Are they really living the message out that they preach? Are they really living it out by staying in lush hotel suites when down in the streets not too far away there are those who are huddling over trash cans with small fires burning, trying to keep warm, stomachs aching, hopes faltering? Are they living it out eating at five star restaurants while there are those whose cupboards are bare, children crying, parent's hearts breaking, as they have nothing to feed them?  

Aren't we as Christians supposed to let our lights shine in the darkness? Aren't we supposed to bring the message of Christ, which is hope and love and life and light, to the hopeless and those that are wounded? One of my pet peeves is that many of these pastors preach all of these great things, but only to those that can afford a pricey ticket in order to get in to hear their message. The truth should be free! Not a means of lining one's pocket.



How does the Bible say we should go about following Christ, spreading His message?

Luke 9:23-24
 
²³ Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
 
 
Matthew 25:34-40  
 
 ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
   ³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
   ⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

Enough about all the pastors that are blatant hypocrites...what about us? Are we living for Christ making God and our desire to follow Him our ultimate goal? Are we willing to give up material comforts in order to help others ? Are we willing to also let go of internal discomforts with dealing with others we might think we don't have much in common with? Sometimes it's easy to talk about those in the world that need our help and about the social justice issues that us Christians are called to engage in to help spread compassion and love without really actually putting some of those ideas into action. Mother Teresa had something to say about this:


"It's very fashionable to talk about the poor but it's not as fashionable to talk to the poor." ~Mother Teresa


Let's not let talking be more fashionable than actually walking!

Merton, who likens the woodcutter's character to that of an apostle, notes that the woodcutter, "never says anything and never understands the crazy political fellows, and is humble and poor in Spirit too and loves God and prays to Him like a child." That makes me wonder, are we Christians sometimes so involved in the political process that we forget about the spiritual process? Are we so involved in polling and advocating for our favorite politician that we forget to advocate and speak in favor of our Savior? As verse 25 in Chapter 9 of Luke reminds us, "What does it profit a man if he gains the world and loses or forfeits his life?". Politics has its place but, it is my view, that our striving to get our politicians into office should never be above our striving to get our Lord into the hearts of man.

I have so much to write about this! But I will end it here. I feel we need to pray for ourselves and our other brothers and sisters in Christ. God in America and in other parts of this world is becoming less and less real for people, less and less tangible. Less and less approachable. And I think some of that is the fault of those who bear His cross...not on their shoulders, hunched over in sweat laboring up the hill of adversity in the soul hope of bringing God glory, but by pulling it on a wagon, taking breaks whenever they tire and occasinally abandoning it as they take their rest on benches along the way. Let's get off our benches! Let's rise up and take our cross and carry it wherever God wills us to. Let's have that simple obedient faith of the woodcutter that touched Merton so deeply.


Heavenly Father,

Forgive us for sometimes putting our comfort first. For abandoning the true message of the gospel and what your disciples are called to be to pursue our own earthly ambitions. Forgive us for not approaching those who are different from us because it reminds us of all that we have and all that they don't. Help us overcome our guilt by asking for your forgiveness. Give us servant's hearts that are satisfied only by following your Will that you have for our lives. Help us rise above mediocrity of faith and take up the cross once again, with zeal, carrying your message and love and compassion with non-judgmental hearts to the weak, the weary, the hopeless-not just those that can buy a ticket. Help us be more like Jesus.

We love you, we praise you for all the blessings that you have given us and for your son Jesus, our precious redeemer who, by his blood, washed our guilt and sin away. 

In Jesus' name,
Amen.