JR. Forasteros - December 8, 2019
The Diptych of Hope
The Christmas season is all about hope, but for a lot of folks these days, hope feels like a pipe dream. The prophet Isaiah offers two pictures of hope – one that feels impossible, and one grounded in history. He reminds us that when we hope for what’s right, our hope is not in vain because God is with us!
From Series: "Christmas is for Dreamers"
The Christmas season is full of joy, of lights and parties and festive decor. But the reality for many of us doesn't live up to that cheery facade. The prophet Isaiah knew what it was to live in a dark world hoping for light. His dreams of the coming savior help us celebrate Christmas exactly where we are... as we dream of the perfect world that is to come!
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I’m not sure there’s a higher American value than personal freedom. Nearly any conversation in civil discourse, from gun control to economic policies to public speech and religion often end up coming back to this “Don’t Tread on Me” mentality that fed the American Revolution.
“Don’t Tread On Me”… We want to be selves without limits. We want no boundaries, no borders, no limitations. We want to be free, unboxed, uncaged, unrestrained.
We recognize that purely unrestrained freedom isn’t realistic.
I remember learning in elementary school that ‘freedom of speech’ doesn’t mean we can, for instance, shout ‘Fire’ in a crowded movie theater. When our freedom of expression puts others in harm’s way, it becomes toxic to a society.
Similarly, in our relationships we recognize constraints. Our marriage vows bind us, reduce our freedoms (which is why the more cynical among us call marriage a ‘ball and chain’ – an image from prison). We identify friends who take and take and take and never contribute to the other person’s good a toxic friend. Having children involves a complete overhaul of priorities and involves the loss of many freedoms – including the freedom to sleep whenever you want.
And yet we recognize these relationships as good – good for us and good for the world.
Maybe freedom isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Maybe it’s a good, but no the highest good. If that’s true, it could change how we engage in conversations over personal freedoms.
Let’s explore in a bit more depth our desire for freedom and what’s behind it. We’ll see that a quest for freedom can become a kind of idolatry (and we’re not the first people to fall for it).
