“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,” (2 Cor. 3:17, ESV).

Every day is a day to celebrate our freedom as a Christian. We do so not with fireworks or patriotic parades, but by making the sign of the cross and remembering our baptism. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Holy Spirit has called us to faith in the crucified and risen Christ and therefore set our consciences free from the guilt of sin and the accusations of the devil. The Spirit has set us free from our bondage in sin, so that we may walk in newness of life by the Spirit’s strength. What peace this freedom gives to us knowing that we are no longer enslaved by sin but freed by the Spirit.

Martin Luther describes the freedom that we have in the paradoxical statements: “A Christian is perfectly free lord of all, subject to none. A Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all,” (The Freedom of a Christian, 1520). Our Christian freedom means that we are free to serve God and others in our various vocations and with our diverse gifts. Christians are no longer under the burden of the law but are freed by Christ’s death and the Spirit dwelling within us through faith. In response to God’s grace and out of love for our neighbor, Christians freely serve others in their congregations and communities. This service may look different from one Christian to another, because that’s what freedom in the Spirit means.

Our congregational members demonstrate this freedom in many ways: some assist with church finances while others repair things around the building. Some work with children, while others use their musical gifts. One Christian brings food to a sick neighbor; another mows their lawn. Christian freedom means that, with consciences made clean by the Spirit in holy baptism, we joyfully serve where the Lord has placed us, in our particular callings and with our unique gifts. Therefore, we can celebrate that freedom by remembering the Spirit who called us to faith in baptism. Since the Spirit of the Lord is within us, we are truly free!

Prayer – O Holy Spirit, since You have called us to faith in Christ, help us to live in the freedom and forgiveness that is ours through His death and resurrection, that we might freely serve others with joy and peace; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Fraternally in Christ,

President Lee Hagan