Liberty: That word carries many positive associations for us. For anyone who grew up in the United States, it’s certainly a familiar term from an early age. The theme of liberty is central to our collect for this coming Sunday, October 19:
Set us free, loving Father, from the bondage of our sins, and in your goodness and mercy give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Deep down, we all know that liberty is a good thing. Unfortunately, fallen human beings tend to look for liberty in the wrong places. True liberty isn’t simply the opportunity to do whatever we might want to do. True liberty certainly isn’t found in sin. Our collect makes that point very clear. Sin is bondage. Sin traps us. It enslaves us. It imprisons us. Sin locks us into an escalating pattern of misery, one in which we look for joy and fulfillment in those things that will harm us and will never bring us peace.
Liberty, on the other hand, isn’t like that at all. True liberty is described, by our collect, in terms of abundant life. We find liberty when we know the Lord and we walk with him.
True liberty is found in serving the Lord. That service is not bondage. It’s life-giving. True liberty is being set free from sin, death, and captivity to the evil one. True liberty is ultimately found only in Jesus Christ.
Deep down, every human heart desires that liberty that comes from the abundant life found in Jesus. Even if we look for that liberty in the wrong places, our hearts yearn for it.
Brothers and sisters, let’s walk joyfully in that liberty, and let’s reach out to those in bondage, sharing the hope of the gospel with them, that they, too, may come to know the liberty of that abundant life.
In Christ,
Fr. Caleb Evans
Meaning: Col·lect /ˈkälek(t)/ noun, (in church use) a short prayer, especially one assigned to a particular day or season.