Jack McKinney
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church
July 1, 2007 – Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Text: Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Mixed Messages
In the famous words of Ricky Ricardo, John Roberts and Samuel Alito “got some ‘splainin to do.” When Chief Justice Roberts was confirmed to the Supreme Court in 2005, and Justice Alito in 2006, we were treated to the strange dance that has become confirmation hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Because no nominee to the bench is going to answer questions about how they might rule on a specific case, the confirmation hearings are more of a philosophical discussion about the nominee’s view of the law. And one of the primary philosophical questions put to Roberts and Alito was their view of stare decisis. This Latin term refers to the principle of a court adhering to the precedents set by previous court decisions. Both Roberts and Alito went to great lengths in their hearings to reassure senators that their regard for precedents set by the Court was very high.
Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed the flood of 5-4 decisions made by the Court in the last couple of weeks, but it would appear that Roberts and Alito may not be as committed to precedent as they said they were, at least when it comes to several of the Court’s most historic decisions. Roberts and Alito were part of the majority that put the strongest limitation on abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was decided. They were also part of the majority that said school districts could not consider race when trying to integrate their school systems. And in a decision that has even conservative religious groups nervous, the Court under Roberts and Alito placed a stranglehold on free speech when they ruled that a principal in Alaska that had expelled a student for holding up a sign reading “Bong hits 4 Jesus” at an event off campus had acted properly in limiting this strange if not meaningless speech. So, if you’re keeping score at home, the two judges who professed the highest regard for precedent have taken a hammer to abortion rights, school integration, and freedom of speech. The difference between what they said they would do and what they have done sends a very mixed message to the American public.
Speaking of mixed messages, this is the week when we should be especially on guard for them. In this week when we celebrate America’s independence we will hear everyone from the President to the local Baptist preacher talking about freedom. We will hear the word thrown around so much that it will be easy to become jaded and cynical. After all, has there been an administration in recent memory that has done more to limit civil liberties? Holding people in jail for years without trial, spying on citizens, and creating secret prisons to torture individuals in doesn’t exactly sound like the policies of an administration committed to freedom. Yet, there is little doubt that the value of freedom will be extolled this week like these guys invented the idea. Strange, isn’t it?
Having said that, I don’t want us to become cynical when we hear the word freedom. Freedom is a virtue that not only helps define what is important to us as citizens of this great land; it is at the very heart of our Christian tradition. And in our scripture reading this morning the Apostle Paul says something truly remarkable about the nature of Christian freedom
In Galatians 5:1 Paul says: “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Right off the bat Paul tells us why we have been set free in Christ. We have been freed for freedom. Now that might sound a little strange, but before I tell you what I think he is driving at let me comment on the rest of the passage we have read.
In the remainder of Galatians 5 Paul basically says, “Now that I’ve told you why we have been set free in Christ, let me be clear about the opposite. Let me tell you what Christian freedom isn’t about.” He then goes on to say that we shouldn’t use our freedom in Christ to tear apart other people or to practice vulgar self-indulgence. Now, there are at least a couple of good sermons that could be preached here seeing as how we all occasionally use our freedom to tear others down or to indulge our fleshly desires. In fact, you could argue that our culture is awash in cruel slander and over-indulgence. The thing is, even if we all agree this is true, I doubt any of us would want to argue these are good uses of our Christian freedom. So, if you are willing to stipulate that cruelty and decadence are not the best uses of our freedom, I’ll return to Paul’s first point.
If we were to go out on the street and take an informal poll of people, asking them only this question, “What is the purpose of the Christian faith?” how many people do you think would answer “to set people free.” Not many, I imagine. And, yet, Paul says: “For freedom Christ has set us free.” But the thing is, throughout history the church has presented a very different message and image. The purpose of the church has been to get people to adhere to a certain creed, or to believe a certain doctrine, or to agree that salvation comes from praying a certain prayer or taking the right sacrament. Instead of preaching freedom the church has preached bondage to exclusive ideas. Instead of demonstrating freedom the church has demonstrated condemnation and judgment. Talk about getting off message. Few institutions do a worse job than the church in preaching and demonstrating freedom.
And it’s more than a shame. It’s a tragedy. Because at the very heart of the idea of freedom is the promise of a future. When we realize that we are free then we have the potential to grow, to change, and to move forward in fresh ways. “For freedom Christ has set us free” means that our faith isn’t just about preserving something old; it is about discovering the new. And that’s a strange notion for some of us to consider, especially in church. But I believe it is critical for the church to present the message that there is a future waiting to be discovered and shaped because we are free to do so.
This week I heard another story about someone in our community condemning Pullen as that church where everything goes. In other words, our image among some people is that we use our freedom to promote heresy and licentiousness. Every time I hear someone say something like that I want to scream, “No, No, No! A Thousand Times No!” This church has never been about that. But we are committed to proclaiming the freedom of Christ that encourages people to discover their own freedom. We are committed to tearing down the walls of hate and exclusion built up in other parts of Christ’s Church. And we are committed to helping people move into their future because we believe Christ has freed them to do so. Part of the miracle of this church and its history is that it has believed Paul’s words: “For freedom Christ has set us free.” And I pray we never stop preaching and living into that vision of the church.
So, if you are here bound by a past that haunts you and wondering if there is any future worth considering, I say: “For freedom Christ has set you free. Stand firm and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
If you have been cast out by other people of faith because you won’t confess what they insist you confess, I say: “For freedom Christ has set you free. Stand firm and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
If your family and church have decided you are an abomination because your sexual identity is different than their idea of the norm, I say: “For freedom Christ has set you free. Stand firm and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
If your life didn’t turn out like you thought it would, or like you thought it should, I say: “For freedom Christ has set you free. Stand firm and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
We have been set free for the very purpose of being free. And in that freedom is the promise of a future. That is the message of Christ’s church. That is the message of this church. And I pray that never changes.