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2010 LENTEN SERMON SERIES, posted on N-0500
December 6 2009 -"A Visit with Elizabeth" -Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
October 11, 2009 - "It's Hard to be Humble" - Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
October 4, 2009 - "Hunger Pangs" - Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
"Read the Instructions!" - September 27 2009 - The Rev Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
September 20 2009 - "Pass The Salt" - The Rev Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 13 2009 - "Calendar Confusion" -The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 13 2009 - "Calendar Confusion" -The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
September 6 2009 - "Dangerous Jobs" - The Rev. Victoria Ney, posted on N-0400
May 31 2009 -"Spirit Guide for Dummies" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
May 10 2009 - The Touch of the Master - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
May 3 2009 - "More Than Enough" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
April 5 2009 - "Being A Christopher" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 29, 2009 “Lo-Cal Prayer” - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 22, 2009 - “A Costly Bargain” - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
February 1, 2009 - "Fourth and One" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
Januaray 25 2009 - Hooked! - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
December 14 2008 - How Can It Be? - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
December 7 2008 -Holidays or Hollow Days?- Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
November 9, 2008 "You Want Me to Do What?"-Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
"Water Marks" October 12, 2008 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
July 20,2008 "The Runaway" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Dare to Be a Daniel" July 27, 2008- The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
July 13, 2008 - "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" - Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
April 13 2008 "There's a Tiger in My Boat!" -The Rev. VickyNey, posted on N-0400
March 9, 2008 - "Running in Reverse" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
March 2, 2008 - "Meet Mrs. Zebedee" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
February 10 2008 - "Who, Me?" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
"That Sinking Feeling" - January 27 2008 - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
January 13, 2008 - "Who Are You Wearing?" - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
"Wise People" - January 6, 2008 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
Christmas 2007 Homily - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0500
How Can I Be Sure? - Rev. Ney - December 02 2007, posted on N-0500
"Skipping Christmas" - Rev. Ney - November 25 2007, posted on N-0500
"Thanks and Living" November 18, 2008 - Rev. Ney, posted on N-0500
"Your Money or Your Life!, posted on N-0500
"Taking Goliath Down" October 7, 2007 - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"When the Ark Got Parked - Oct. 21, 2007 The Rev. Vicky Ney , posted on N-0400
"Looking for Godzilla" -Rev. Vicky Ney Sept. 30 2007, posted on N-0400
"Parked In Dopey" Sept 23 2007 The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
The Rock, The Roll, The Resurrection. Text: John 20:1-18, posted on N-0400
"Does God Go On Vacation?" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Perfect Freedom" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"Talk Like a Pirate" -The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"A Visit With Martha" - The Rev. Vicky Ney, posted on N-0400
"It All Depends on What You're Listening For", posted on N-0400
Sheep and the Shepherd , posted on N-0400
Following Jesus in a “Hokie” World, posted on N-0400
“A Bout with Doubt” , posted on N-0400
Carpe Diem , posted on N-0400
The Physics of Falling Toast, posted on N-0400
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"Perfect Freedom" - The Rev. Vicky Ney
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“Perfect Freedom” July 1, 2007 Rev. Victoria Ney
Text: Galatians 5:1, 13-25
I always enjoy funny stories that come from the mouths of children. There’s one that happened in a church in Georgia. A pastor called the children to the front of the sanctuary for the children’s sermon. It was like today, the Sunday before the 4th of July, so he told them about freedom in this country and more importantly, our freedom in Christ. One little boy exclaimed, “I’m free!” and the pastor heartily agreed. Not to be outdone, another little boy proudly announced, “I’m four!” Obviously the point was not getting across!
Sometimes the concept of freedom is difficult to grasp. This weekend we speak a lot about freedom and remember and appreciate those whose sacrifices assured the freedom we enjoy today. Certainly, that is not to be taken lightly. The first verse of the lectionary passage I read this morning from Galatians says, “For freedom Christ has set us free.” How appropriate as we get ready for Independence Day picnics and parades.
But watch out. Freedom can be as explosive as a Fourth of July firecracker—and as dangerous!
Do any of you remember “Blue Laws?” When I was a little girl at the shore, Ocean City, NJ held on to Blue Laws long after other towns had repealed them. They were still in effect until about 1980. Every store in town was closed (except for pharmacies—but even there you could only purchase things like first aid supplies or prescriptions) and every amusement ride was shut down on the boardwalk—even miniature golf. I was bothered by that, because when we drove to church on Sunday morning past the adult public golf course, that course was open! I remember thinking that it was allowed because the mayor wanted to golf on Sunday morning! (But that’s another story!)
Obviously, the idea behind Blue Laws was to keep the Sabbath. And at the same time, it was intended to encourage people to go to a worship service.
Two economists, Jonathan Gruber and Daniel Hungerman, studied the effects of Blue Laws and what happened after they were repealed. As expected, church attendance did indeed decrease, while drinking and drug use increased. What was most interesting, however, was that the biggest change in bad behavior occurred mostly among those who frequently attended religious services! The economists were of the opinion that when Christians went shopping in the malls on Sundays, they had increased exposure to “sinning” and surrounded themselves with “party animals!”
Let me say clearly at this point that I am not advocating for the return of Blue Laws—although I must say a day of true rest in our nation may not be a bad thing for overworked, overstressed people. But “Sabbath Keeping” will be a topic for another Sunday.
What I am saying this morning is that even though we Americans are proponents of freedoms, there is a dark side to some aspects of independence. Like kids who get a new driver’s license and wrap the car around a tree in a deadly accident, or college students who use their new-found freedom to drink themselves to death at frat parties, we all need to learn how to handle the freedom we’ve been given. For many Americans today, freedom means to be free from any type of restraints. Comedian Bill Maher observed, “We have the Bill of Rights. What we need is a Bill of Responsibilities.” Freedom without responsibilities sounds vaguely familiar to what we find in the Old Testament book of Judges: (21:25) “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” Needless to say, that was not a great time in the history of God’s people. Certain boundaries, constraints, and responsibilities are important for living together as human beings.
So what does Paul mean in our scripture passage today in Galatians when he says, “For freedom Christ has set us free?” Taken out of context, that could be used to say, “I can do whatever I want. I’ll just repent later and be forgiven. And then go back and do it again.” Someone must have thought about that two thousand years ago. Paul wrote about that very thing in his letter to the early Roman church. In Romans 6:1 he asks, “Shall we go on sinning so that more grace may be applied?” The word he uses after that in Greek is about as close to an expletive as you can get! “Heck, no!”—or something stronger! That is NOT what is meant by freedom in Christ.
Paul says that people caught up in human freedom tend to do unhealthy things. He mentions impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. (vs. 19-21) These are signs of freedom—yes—but not Christian freedom.
Now maybe you’re thinking that this talk of selfish pleasure-seeking has little to do with you. After all you’re probably not doing drugs and the rest of your day is not going to be taken up practicing idolatry and sorcery.
The liberty Paul is talking about—the liberty we have as Christians—is the freedom to love our neighbors and act as slaves to one another. Paul knows that if we are servants of one another then we are not going to behave in selfish ways, or abuse one another. Paul said, “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (v. 14)
So this is the most important point—Christian freedom gives you the total license to go crazy with good works!
Paul says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” (vs. 22-23) In other words, there’s absolutely no regulation against having too much joy, being far too patient, and showing excessive generosity! Go ahead, says Paul—knock yourself out! There’s no law against it. When was the last time someone came up to you and said, “Would you PLEASE stop being so loving, joyful, peaceful and patient? Enough already.” Who’s going to say that? No one’s going to complain; no one’s going to put a limit on generosity, the love, the joy, the patience, and the kindness that we show to each other.
We don’t have this problem because we’re timid about using the freedom we have been given. We have been given unlimited freedom to be follower of Christ—that’s the amazing gift we are given when Jesus sets us free. Sadly, it’s a gift that so few of us are willing to put to use.
It’s past time for us to show our independence and unleash some good works on the world around us. It’s time to focus on “the fruit of the Spirit” instead of “the desires of the flesh.” It’s time to uncork some love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and generosity.
Bernie Siegel, a Jewish author of several books including Peace, Love and Healing, recommends that we ask ourselves, “How would I behave if I were a loving person?” And then act that way. Siegel says, “I follow Don Quixote. I view the world with love. I tell people to experiment with this. Judge no one you meet for the next 24 hours. Love everyone you meet and see. It’s incredible how that changes your relationship with people….When you judge everybody—he’s lazy, he’s no good, he only wants money, he doesn’t care about me—you project that, and you affect those people. When I walk around being loving, it’s incredible how people respond.”
It was one year ago that Warren Buffet, one of the world’s richest men, decided to give 85 percent of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help cure the globe’s most fatal diseases. It was an incredibly generous gift--$31 billion dollars. But more significant than the size of the gift is the mission of the Gates Foundation. When Bill Gates was interviewed about the work of his foundation, he listed the reasons that people give for tackling global health problems.
• Some use economic arguments, he said, stressing that if we cure something like malaria in an African country, then the country’s gross national product will be higher.
• Some use security arguments, saying that if we don’t cure these diseases, the instability in these countries will increase.
• Some use neighborhood arguments, pointing out that somebody could get on a plane from one of these places and bring the disease here.
But none of these arguments, Gates says, is the right one. “The right argument is this mother’s child is sick. And that child’s life is not less valuable than the life of anyone else. The world has plenty of resources to go solve these problems.” The right argument is always that people are in need and every life is precious.
I don’t need to tell you that there are plenty of problems in this world. There always have been and there always will be. I’m no “Pollyanna” to think that Bill Gates or Warren Buffett and any one of us has all the answers. Certainly it seems that those guys can do a lot more than we can with their billions of dollars. But that doesn’t leave us off the hook. We can each do something. What are the words of that song? “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” Just change it a little—“There are so many needs in this world. Let me begin by helping just where I am.”
The time has come to stop holding back. This July 4th let’s declare it our spiritual Independence Day. Let’s declare it a day of perfect freedom. Let’s break free from being stingy with our God given love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and generosity. We have total license to go crazy with good works. Let’s unleash our gifts on the world! Amen. |
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