Happy Lutheran

Happy Independence Day. Let freedom ring.

Are you thinking about freedom today? I’m sure many of us are, and I imagine the word “freedom” generates a wide range of emotions from different people all across our country as we celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States.

What do you think of, when you hear the word “freedom”? How does it make you feel?

250 years is very young for a nation, actually: What age would you say are we in human years? Terrible twos? Rambunctious 8-year-old? Moody, sullen teenager? Regardless of what age you would benchmark the United States, I think it is fair to say that we are in the midst of some growing pains. I hope this is not the best we can be; I hope, as a nation, we aspire to more.

Part of the reason I feel that way is that I’m not sure we know as much about freedom as we often imagine, particularly in our prideful peacock moments; and I’m not sure we are quite as free a people—or a country—as we sometimes assume. What does freedom mean, really, when you interrogate beyond an individual’s ability to make their own choices, which is often where our definition begins and ends. Real freedom is so much more than that.

Martin Luther had something to say about freedom and it’s worth remembering today, not least because Luther begins his understanding of freedom, not with independence, but with interdependence: the realization that all of us are deeply and fundamentally related to God, to each other, and to the world. Any concept of freedom that doesn’t start there is always going to live in the shallows, with little depth or substance.

So, for Luther, freedom—real freedom, Christian freedom—is always yoked to a preposition. And in this way, freedom is not something theoretical or an abstract idea, but a force: it is the impetus for action, movement, and growth that strengthens relationships and strengthens society. And, to be clear, it is not just any preposition, but two specific prepositions that give freedom its creative, constructive power. For Luther, freedom is always freedom from, and freedom for: the chains of sin are broken for the sake of new life. 

Christian freedom, then, is always twofold: it is freedom from everything that would hold you back and hold you down, every boot on your neck; and freedom for a life of faith, love and service. Freedom is your wings.

In that spirit, then, and in light of our 250th birthday, today I offer 25 freedoms, in no particular order.

Happy Interdependence Day. And may the freedoms you have be spread and shared with others, until all are truly free.

3.    Freedom from always having to work so hard to earn your right to be

4.    Freedom for soaking up the joy of your mere existence

5.    Freedom from the secret gnawing that you aren’t good enough, just as you are

6.    Freedom for fierce self-love that protects you against the haters

7.    Freedom from constantly measuring yourself against the lives of others

8.    Freedom for thanking God every day for the many blessings you enjoy and not taking them for granted

9.    Freedom from a cautious life, lived in the shadows of past bad decisions and regrets

10.  Freedom for risk-taking, a bold embrace of your one “wild and precious” life

11.  Freedom from always having to be right

12.  Freedom for being able to say “I’m sorry, I was wrong”

13.  Freedom from always having to impress other people

14.  Freedom for dancing to your own rhythm, comfortable in your own skin

15.  Freedom from needing to rely first and fully on yourself for everything

16.  Freedom for asking for help, and accepting it gladly; freedom for offering help easily and willingly

17.  Freedom from envy

18.  Freedom for joy

19.  Freedom from carrying a grudge

20.  Freedom for forgiveness

21.  Freedom from a me-first mentality

22.  Freedom for care, not only for the neighbor, but also for the stranger, and even the enemy

23.  Freedom from the siren song of perfection

24.  Freedom for spectacular failure

25.  And finally, most importantly, freedom for love—and not just any love, but love that is lavish, insistent, irrational, and unbounded: for God; for yourself; for the guy seated next to you on the airplane and the women ahead of you in the checkout line; for your beloveds; for your children’s friends and their annoying parents (and your friends and their annoying children); for the unhoused person you pass on the sidewalk and the politician whose views you don‘t agree with; for the person who smiles at you on the street (smile back!) and the one who doesn’t; co-workers, acquaintances, gym buddy and roommate. Love first, ask questions later: because you can, because you are free.