The Lutheran Hour
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"Free for What?"
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Text: Galatians 5:1, 13-25
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! The resurrection of the Savior is God’s good news for all who have been shackled by sin, enslaved by Satan, and imprisoned by death. This Lord’s Day, the day in which we remember the Savior’s victory, we rejoice that Christ has set us free for freedom. Amen.
If you ever get to Washington, D.C., and if you remember to bring your binoculars, you will be able to see, at the very top of the Capitol Building, a 19-foot tall, four-and-a-half ton statue called “The Statue of Freedom” or “The Freedom Lady.” If you’re patient with me, I think you will find the narrative on how she got there to be of some interest.
The classical statue, showing a woman holding a shield of stars and stripes in one hand and a sword in the other, was originally called, “Armed Liberty.” Somewhere along the line, her name was changed – as was the way she looked. Let me explain. The year was 1855 and the building of the Capitol was nearing completion. The building’s architect had always thought a statue representing liberty should stand in a place of honor at the very top of the dome. To that end, the U.S. Government awarded a contract to an American sculptor who was living in Rome. The artist made some preliminary sketches and sent them back for review by Montgomery Meigs, a captain in the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Meigs took the plans to his boss, the man who was the Secretary of War, a Mississippi plantation owner by the name of Jefferson Davis.
Davis looked over the plans and offered a small suggestion. He asked that the “cap of freedom” which the artist wanted to place on the statue’s head be replaced with some kind of military helmet. Davis gave some very good reasons for the change. He said something like: “Americans have never been enslaved, so there is no need to give them a cap of freedom.” That’s what Davis said. Those around him thought Davis, a slave owner, a man who would soon be President of the Confederacy, had a special reason for suggesting the change. They believed Davis objected to the “cap of freedom” because it was becoming a symbol of freedom for Southern slaves who had been able to cast off their chains and escape their shackles. They thought that Davis, fully aware of the South’s pre-Civil War saber-rattling, didn’t want a symbol of freed slaves standing on top of the Capitol building.
The artist let the Secretary’s suggestion stand, and completed the plaster statue which was packed into six crates and loaded onto a ship – a ship which soon sprang a leak. After repairs in Gibraltar, the ship once again set sail for America. During the voyage across the Atlantic, storms – heavy gales -threatened to swamp the ship. The Captain ordered his men to get rid of anything which was unnecessary, anything which would raise the ship in the water. It didn’t take too long before the scared sailors laid hold on the crates holding the heavy statue. The Captain, shouting to his shipmates over the howl of the wind, stopped them when he yelled, “No! Never! We’ll flounder before we throw ‘Freedom’ away.” Leaking badly, but with “Freedom” still on board, the ship limped into Bermuda. By the time the Statue made it to New York, the political climate had changed. The eyes of the nation were turned from monuments to the very real possibility of a war between the states – a Civil War.
It took until December of 1863 for the Capitol’s dome to reach that state of completion where it was able to receive its crown, the statue, “Armed Liberty.” The statue was lifted up in parts and assembled at the top. On December 2nd President Lincoln oversaw the placement of the final piece of “Armed Liberty,” which had, because of political purposes, been renamed “Lady Freedom.” The event was marked by a booming 35 cannon salute, which was echoed by shots fired from the twelve forts which encircled the city of Washington. “Freedom” had been placed where you can still see her today. Freedom is ours because one man refused to throw “Freedom” away.
I like that story. I like it not just because this is the Sunday before the celebration of America’s earthly freedom, her Independence Day; or because today is Canada’s 140th anniversary. I like this story because it reminds me of another man who thought liberty was important. No, I’m not talking about Patrick Henry who called for liberty or death. Nor am I speaking of Abraham Lincoln who was martyred even as he helped assure freedom for others. Faithful listeners to The Lutheran Hour know of whom I speak: no one other than the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.
Now, I know that most of our listeners are not historians. That’s all right, you’re not going to be graded on whether you remember the story I’ve just told. Nor is it necessary for you to know a great many facts and fables of history. We all know it’s not like someone is going to come up to us on the street, grab us by the lapels, look us in the eye and ask, “True or False: Did the Continental Congress, immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence, vote to purchase and import 20,000 copies of the Bible for the people of the country?” Just for the record, they did, but that’s not the point. The point is – the world isn’t going to come to a grinding, screeching halt if you don’t recall every single dry, dusty old fact. On the other hand, you should know the Savior. You should know what Jesus did to win your spiritual liberty from the slavery of sin and Satan. You should know Christ’s story, because your eternal deliverance from death and damnation is founded upon that historical narrative.
Do you know that account? It is older than time itself, for the Lord had written its chapters before the foundations of this world were laid. Our knowledge of the Savior’s story which has won our salvation begins in a garden which had, by God’s design, been harmonious, pleasant, perfect; but which had become, because of humankind’s deliberate disobedience, spoiled and stained by sin. When our first parents followed Satan’s suggestions, a life of liberty was lost and was replaced by the dark dungeon of death. Spiritual songs, which had once flowed freely from human hearts, were silenced when the strong shackles of sin were slapped upon our souls along with the souls of all who would ever live. In that terrible time when freedom was lost, everything changed. We who had known nothing but love from our Father now were condemned to cringe under the hateful lash of our satanic master. Bodies which had been immune to the calendar’s turning would now think of those passing days as a countdown to death. The remembrance of what had been lost was a terrible thing to bear. The fear of greater grief to come was worse. Inescapable, unavoidable, inevitable suffering was the future for humanity now enslaved by sin. There was no hope, no happiness, no possibility of escape, no ability to buy back our freedom from sin, Satan, death. By our own choice, and for all of time, they would remain our malicious, malevolent masters.
Truly, this would be a dark day for each of us, had not God, motivated by the greatness of His grace, promised a plan which would procure our freedom. You need to know God did not suggest some sort of secret escape from sin and Satan; nor did He say that He would, hoping we had learned our lessons, set aside all the transgressions of the past and begin all over again. God’s fairness, His justice would not, could not steal us away from our new masters, no matter how brutal and cruel they might be. We had voluntarily submitted ourselves to slavery and those fetters which bound us body and soul would remain in place for time and eternity – unless, somehow, some way, our freedom could be obtained.
But what price could purchase the liberty of countless sinners? What payment would prove to be acceptable to buy our freedom? There was only one ransom which would accomplish God’s purpose; there was only one compensation which would secure our liberty: the death of God’s one and only Son. None of us would ever suggest our sons, our daughters, should serve as a substitute for subjugated slaves, but that is what God did. In a gracious act, far beyond anything our minds could conceive, past anything our hearts might comprehend, God sent His Son to be our ransom, our release from sin. To save the slaves, Jesus was born in poverty and privation. To save the slaves He was battered, betrayed, and beaten. To save the slaves He was wounded and whipped, spit upon and slandered. To save the slaves Jesus was tormented and tortured.
To save the slaves Jesus left heaven’s high throne, came to earth and gave up all the rights a person, let alone the Son of God, might expect and demand. We count on our friends to be loyal, but Jesus’ hometown tried to kill Him; His closest comrades fell asleep when He needed them; they deserted and denied Him; and one sold Him for 30 pieces of silver – the price of a run-down, worn-out slave. We go into a courtroom demanding and thinking we deserve fairness, but Jesus, as He saved the slaves, stood silent before the witnesses who lied about Him and judges who had already decided to bring in a verdict of guilty. We may feel it our right to appeal a negative judgment to a higher court, but the higher court which heard Jesus listened less to justice than it did the lynch mob which screamed for His crucifixion.
In our country, even when we are found guilty, we still expect to be treated like a human being, but Jesus, in saving the slaves, was treated like a dog and worse than a dog. Isaiah prophesied it: “He was wounded for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). To save the slaves, Jesus lived a perfect life and fulfilled the laws of God which we had broken. To save the slaves, Jesus was crowned with thorns and nailed to a cross. Then, to show the slaves that His sacrifice was accepted and their past masters – sin, Satan, and death – would never again be able to claim them or carry them off into another bondage, Jesus rose victorious from the grave.
Because of the Savior’s sacrifice, Christians know their shackles have been shattered and their lives of slavery are at an end. Because of the Savior’s substitution, Christians are able to rejoice in their freedom, their forgiveness, their liberty. Which is precisely the point where those of you who have looked upon Christ and Christianity with a cynic’s eye are probably saying: “You may be free; but from what I see, your freedom is a pretty pitiful thing. I’ve looked at your churches and what I see is a bunch of people who seem bent on inventing all kinds of rules and regulations. I see folks whose greatest goal seems to be coming up with all kinds of commandments to do this and not do that. If you folks are supposed to be free, how come I see pastors pounding on the pulpit trying to separate people from their cash? If you folks are free, how come you all seem to be walking around with sad and sorry faces? If that’s the kind of freedom you folks have got… then I don’t want any part of it. I think I’ll stay just where I am.”
If that’s what you’re thinking, even if you’re thinking it very quietly, I have to confess… you’re probably right. It’s not an easy thing to be free. You know, during the Civil War, after the Union troops went into a community, they assured the slaves that they were free. When those slaves heard the news there was a lot of laughter and some serious celebrating. Then, having laughed and having celebrated, the ex-slaves went back home and picked up their duties exactly where they’d left off. Day after day, week after week, they continued to do things exactly the way they had before they had been freed, before they had liberty. They lived as if nothing had happened. Finally, one Union Soldier, fed up with what he was seeing, confronted some of the ex-slaves. He said, “Don’t you folks understand? You’re free. You can go anywhere you want, do anything you’d like. Why are you still here?” To the officer’s questions, one of the white-haired men replied, “Please, sir, we don’t know anywhere else other than here.”
It’s a hard thing for slaves to be free. You see, almost all people like to have direction, guidance, rules. Children don’t want pals, they want parents – parents who give them boundaries, who teach right from wrong, good from bad. We, as adults want the same. Oh, we don’t want the same boundaries we had as little children, but we want to know where we stand, and how far we can go, and what is acceptable and what is not. Most of us are afraid that if you take all the boundaries away, all we’re going to have left is chaos and confusion. And of course, we’re right in having that fear. If you doubt it, think of what would happen if tomorrow morning, every speed limit was taken away. What would driving be like if the signs were gone, the lines dividing the highway were removed; if everybody could drive the way they want? It would be disastrous.
Well, Christians sometimes feel that same way; I mean, even though Jesus has made us free, there are times when we can be more comfortable with the old laws. It’s quite possible that when you look at Christianity, it’s our need for comfortability that you’re seeing. You know, it didn’t take all that long after Jesus ascended into heaven for some of His followers to say, “This freedom, this liberty that Jesus has won for us seems to be a pretty dangerous thing.” Now they weren’t entirely wrong in saying that. Without too much of a stretch liberty can become license, and license can put a person right back into the slavery of sin. That’s why some of those folks in the early church said, “Maybe a couple of laws wouldn’t be all that bad.” Paraphrasing the ex-slave, they were saying, “We’re used to the laws; we’re comfortable with the laws, we don’t know how to live without the laws. We want the laws back.” And they weren’t talking about laws like the Ten Commandments: don’t kill; don’t commit adultery; don’t steal; keep God first in your life. They wanted to bring back laws like: To be a Christian you have to be circumcised; to be a Christian you have to avoid eating certain foods; to be a Christian you have to do this, avoid that. Even worse, they decided when they went back to their old ways, everybody had to go with them – or else.
And that’s when things went wrong. You see, God understands if you want some guidelines to help you live your life in thanksgiving to Him. God understands if an individual or a church comes up with a plan or a procedure to help them in their work. If a church decides they’re going to worship at 2 o’clock in the morning, that’s OK with the Lord, He doesn’t mind. But God most definitely does mind when a pastor or his people, a priest or his parish, makes up a rule and then decree: “I’ve been talking to God and He has told me that everybody has to obey this rule that you won’t find in Scripture, but I made up myself. Even more, He’s told me that He’s not going to let you get into heaven unless you obey this rule… that you won’t find in the Bible and I made up myself.” When pastors and people, priests and parishes, even entire denominations, make up rules where God has given none, they’re disregarding the freedom for which Jesus lived; the liberty for which He died and rose. When Christians do that, they’re jumping right back into the shackles, the slavery of the law, and they’re bringing others back into bondage along with them. How sad.
Christians and critics, know this: the Bible teaches it is far better to be free in the Savior. The church said the same when, at their first convention, it was decided not to place all kinds of laws on the outsiders whom the Holy Spirit was bringing to faith in the Savior (see Acts 15). When the church in Galatia was thinking about adopting some of these man-made laws, Paul warned: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm… and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” It is what the Savior says to you today: “For your freedom, for your liberty, I have lived, died, and risen.” Be free to serve and not to sin; be free to worship and avoid all that is wicked; live free for you are free.
Living free in a world of sin? It sounds impossible, but it can be done. During World War II, a Scottish chaplain and a Glasgow professor who had enlisted, were captured and put in a POW camp. A great barbed wire separated the friends, since the chaplain was put in with the British and the professor was imprisoned with the Americans. Even though conversation was kept at a minimum, every day, the professor would wander over to the fence and share a few words with the chaplain. Since they spoke in Gaelic, the Germans never discovered the professor was sharing pieces of news which had been picked up on the American’s contraband radio.
One day the news was good… the best. The Germans had surrendered and the war was over. The professor shared the intelligence and watched as the chaplain forced himself to walk back to the barracks. There his secret was met with shouts and an impromptu celebration. Even though the guards still stood in their towers; the dogs still patrolled the camp’s perimeter; and the barbed wire remained taut, the men knew they were free. Days later when the Germans got the news and evaporated into the dark, the men left camp. But in those last days they had known they were already free. So are all those who have faith in the Savior. It is a freedom The Lutheran Hour is proud to share. If you wish to hear more about this freedom, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
LUTHERAN HOUR MAILBOX (Questions & Answers) for July 1, 2007
TOPIC: Daily DevotionsANNOUNCER: We’re back with Pastor Ken Klaus. I’m Mark Eischer, and for the first time that I can remember, our Question and Answer segment is going to be more of a commercial.
KLAUS: We’re not selling prayer handkerchiefs, are we?
ANNOUNCER: No we’re not.
KLAUS: We’re not going to ask for a contribution in exchange for a vial of holy water from the Jordan River?
ANNOUNCER: No, and not even holy water from the Mississippi.
KLAUS: What about holy anointing olive oil. Don’t tell me we’re going to sell something like that on The Lutheran Hour. The Lutheran Hour has never sold anything, we only share the Savior and His forgiveness is always free.
ANNOUNCER: No, we’re not selling anything. Actually, we’re giving something away.
KLAUS: Free sounds like a good idea. Giving it away is good. What are we giving away?
ANNOUNCER: Information about how listeners can receive your daily on-line devotions.
KLAUS: Go ahead.
ANNOUNCER: Well, one of our listeners has been receiving these devotions for some time now. He’s wondering why we haven’t mentioned them on The Lutheran Hour. Wouldn’t that be a smart thing to do, he says. Well, we agree, and so, this is our commercial.
KLAUS: For free devotions.
ANNOUNCER: Exactly. Our listener enjoys your messages on The Lutheran Hour, and about two months ago you started writing these daily devotions that are being sent out over the Internet for free, to anyone who wants them.
KLAUS: The devotions deal with our crucified and ever-living Savior, and how the Christian message is applicable for today.
ANNOUNCER: Right. Now, as most of our listeners know, The Lutheran Hour is prerecorded.
KLAUS: When I travel, people sometimes wonder how it is that I can be preaching over the radio while they are in the car on the way to hear me preach at their church. Well, we record these programs in advance so that our messages can get to the typesetters for printing; to the Web people who put it on the internet; to Lutheran Braille Workers for translating into Braille and large print for the visually impaired; to the company that replicates it on CDs; and to the mailroom so they can send it out to radio stations.
ANNOUNCER: How does that relate to your reason for wanting to offer daily on-line devotions?
KLAUS: Mark, the greatest joy for my ministry has been to be speaker here on the 76-year-old Lutheran Hour. To be given the job to share the Savior’s story of salvation as clearly as I can is the greatest honor I could ever imagine. Unfortunately, because of all those things in the production process that need to happen once we leave the studio, The Lutheran Hour message can’t get too specific about current items in the news.
ANNOUNCER: Specific? Please explain.
KLAUS: If we have a shooting on the Virginia Tech campus, by the time The Lutheran Hour message is written, recorded, and sent out, that event may seem like something that happened long ago.
ANNOUNCER: But you have a different opportunity with daily devotions.
KLAUS: Yes, exactly. For the most part, the daily devotions are written every week and sent out within a few days.
ANNOUNCER: For example, with the Virginia Tech massacre, that devotion was written while events were still unfolding.
KLAUS: Yes, that particular devotion was being written before the final death toll had even been announced. Within 48 hours after the event, the devotion was being sent out to all of the readers.
ANNOUNCER: And here’s the point we want to stress, that these devotions were so current that it allows you to share the Savior with others. You can respond to the questions people are asking while they are still fresh in people’s minds.
KLAUS: And people get ideas from the devotions. It’s a blessing the Holy Spirit gives. I believe that that battle between God and evil for the souls of humankind is being played out every day, all around us. The Lord speaks to us through those events, and if He wills it, can speak to others of the great love that we have received in Jesus Christ, our crucified and risen Savior.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. And as we said, these daily devotions are free on-line. You can read them at our Web page, or you can subscribe to have them sent directly to your email account. Here’s what you do: Go to www.lhm.org, look on the right hand side of the page and you’ll find a picture of a coffee cup. Click where it says Daily Devotions by Pastor Ken Klaus.
KLAUS: Yes, and those devotions would be great to send if you have a college student, or someone serving overseas in the military.
ANNOUNCER: Right. Once again that’s www.lhm.org.
KLAUS: And they’re free?
ANNOUNCER: Absolutely free.
KLAUS: Free is OK. That’s an OK commercial.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Hark the Glad Sound” arr. Henry Gerike. Used by permission
“All Glory Be to God on High” by Timothy Albrecht. From Grace Notes by Timothy Albrecht (© 1997 ACA Digital Recording, Inc.) Augsburg Fortress/SESAC
“Allegro from ‘Chorale varie sur Veni Creator, Op. 4” by Maurice Durufle. From Pipe Organ Dedicatory Concert by Charles Ore (© 2000 Chapel of the Cross Lutheran Church)