Friday, October 24, 2008

friday musings

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Letting my fingers ramble to warm up my thinking muscles for the sermon.

“You can’t stand the truth”
“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”


We are buoyed up by Jesus great statement – the truth will set you free. And as modern, 21st century folks – we know that the search for truth has meant a great deal. But is truth all it’s cracked up to be? One of the points of current cultural identity is that truth differs from person to person – it’s true for me, it’s true for you. And here’s the rub – that’s totally unbiblical – totally outside the frame for Jesus. And the truth he’s speaking of – it’s not an intellectual truth either, it’s about truth as in “standing and being in harmony, at-one-ness with God’s will and law – as expressed in the the presence of the Risen Christ”– since we’re in John-land.

So that ‘freedom’ that comes from this 'truth' looks nothing like the concept of ‘freedom’ or 'truth' we understand culturally. Nothing like the ‘freedom of religion’ or ‘freedom to divorce’ or ‘freedom to abort’ or ‘freedom to spend outrageously’ or 'truth for me''truth for you.'

This 'truth that makes us free' is a lot more like Jeremiah’s having the covenant inscribed on our hearts. As the commentator from one of the Christian Century essays said – it’s a brand – painful and leaves a scar. It’s the freedom to not – not be enslaved to sin, not be enslaved to stuff, not be enslaved to chemicals – and the freedom to be – to be a loved child, to be a loving adult, to be someone who changes over time to look more like Christ.

Since this summer I’ve tried to understand myself as being ‘rounded off’ – being someone who does not have to response sharply, does not have to be defensive, someone who can be with the flow for many matters. It has changed my responses (not consistently – I’m still sharp now and then!) and especially my interior perspective. I think it has given me freedom – the freedom to hold back and wait for God’s urging.

Early thoughts too late on Friday – how do I preach this? The whole semantics of 'freedom' and 'truth' are just so out there. And it's confirmation, too!
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