February 22, 2009 Exodus 14:15-31

John 16:16-24

Freedom!

You may have noticed this morning that our hymns are all spirituals and that the piece Paul and Marian played as the Prelude had a definite jazz bent to it. Why this kind of music, you may be wondering?

Well, besides a personal bias I have for jazz and African American spirituals, what has always struck me about this kind of music is its incredible sense of freedom and rhythm - despite the fact that its creators spent much of their life in chains. Though their bodies were fettered, their spirits still soared in hope, pathos and joy, and the music they created reflects that. So my tradition has always been to use this kind of music right before Lent begins-not because many places around the globe will be celebrating Mardi Gras on Tuesday, but because I believe that this music which has risen out of the terrible experience of slavery offers some powerful faith questions to ponder as you and I prepare to enter the season of Lent.

Questions such as: What are the habits, attitudes or other things in our lives that keep us enslaved even though we are not literally imprisoned? What are some of the chains that you and I have allowed to bind ourselves that now prevent us from receiving the joy and freedom Jesus offers? Why don't our spirits soar free?

If we think about Lent as that season where we intentionally practice walking Jesus' way and where we take a hard look at what gets in the way of following Jesus, then pondering these questions of what enslaves us is the perfect place to begin. Even without physical shackles, if we let ourselves be bound or limited by beliefs or attitudes that can get in the way of exploring faith, we'll never get a chance to start the search for a deeper relationship with Jesus.

Now, to answer the questions about what enslaves us, on one level it must be deeply personal given each of our life stories and experiences. What I have allowed to limit me in my own life could be very different from what might be limiting in yours. But on another level, I believe there are a few attitudes that probably haunt all of us and can be very harsh chains and fetters. Attitudes such as:

I don't deserve to be loved unconditionally.

I have to know everything, have it all figured out before I can begin believing.

(Or its variation-I have way too many questions and doubts to believe.)

I want to do it all myself, thank you very much.

This first attitude, I don't deserve to be loved unconditionally, I've done some bad things, made too many mistakes, is more unconscious than conscious in most of us, but every time I hear someone express it, it makes me weep. Especially when it is said by persons who fear dying simply because they believe God can't love them for what they've done and they're afraid of judgment.

Yet nothing could be farther from the truth! God who created us in love, reached out to us in love in Jesus, and who now sustains us in love, loves us more than we can ever imagine, regardless of what we've done or not done and never stops loving us!

That belief in divine love and welcome is what gave the slaves the courage to escape from their bondage and to travel in the midst of great risk and danger thousands of miles in search of freedom, because they knew beyond the shadow of a doubt, that even if they died in the attempt to be free, they 'had a better home awaiting in the sky, Lord, in the sky.' They knew it wasn't about them, what they did or didn't do; it was all about God's unstoppable love. And that's what many of the spirituals reveal-that unshakable faith in God's grace and mercy, along with a few secret codes or directions to alert each other either to danger or to a planned escape.

Many of us, however, unlike the slaves, imprison ourselves in the mistaken belief that we have to earn God's love; we have to be worthy or deserving in some way, and that unfortunately robs us of the freedom and joy God wants for us.

The second attitude of I have to know everything, have it all figured out before I can begin believing can be seen where people let all they don't understand or aren't sure about in the Bible keep them from trying to go any deeper in faith. Just because certain stories about Jesus or God may be absolutely impossible for you to embrace, doesn't mean you have to not trust everything else. Even if there are things you find hard to accept or like about Jesus, doesn't mean his whole life, ministry and message should be thrown out! Focus instead on the stories that resonate with you or that intrigue you. Although I have to say that I have found the passages about Jesus that give me the most trouble, if I stay wrestling with them, they have profound lessons I need to learn.

The slaves didn't know a lot about the Bible or all the stories about Jesus. Many, many of them wondered how a loving God could have allowed them to be forcibly wrenched from their native land. But they had learned the story of the Jewish people's flight from slavery in Egypt (which we heard in our first lesson) and despite all their questions and doubts, they trusted enough to start their journey in faith. They didn't let what they didn't know or fully trust stand in their way on their path to freedom.

Then there is the last attitude of I want to do it all myself, thank you very much. Independence is a trait that is highly valued by our culture and society. We take pride in our ability to do for ourselves; none of us want to be a burden on others, and we certainly don't want anyone telling us what to do!

However, in the life of faith, independence can equal the sin of pride, because it leaves little room for God. Wanting to be totally independent also allows us the arrogance of believing that community isn't important and no one else has gifts or time or skills that can help.

If the slaves hadn't trusted each other as well as complete strangers, they never would have made it to freedom. They couldn't afford to do it all by themselves. And even though it was a huge risk to trust Harriett Tubman, the woman who led most of the slaves to safety, because not only was she illiterate, she also suffered from epilepsy, they still believed in her. When she had one of her 'spells', they just had to stay hidden and pray they wouldn't be caught, but Harriett never lost a single passenger as she led them to safety on the Underground Railroad.

In one of the Apostle Paul's letters to the first Christian churches, he wrote: "For freedom, Christ has set us free." To paraphrase words heard in our gospel lesson, Jesus said "I have come that their joy may be full." Such is the life God desires for us, and as we prepare to begin the season of Lent, let us throw off the chains that bind us, the attitudes that imprison us, that our spirits may soar free and our joy be full. Not only for Jesus' sake, but also our own.

Amen.

Rev. Diane L. Harvey, Interim Minister

Prides Corner Church, Westbrook, ME