Sunday, June 29, 2025 – 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21, Psalm 16, Galatians 5:1, 13-25, Luke 9:51-62
Though there is a lot of rich material in all of our readings, today, I’d like to explore the idea of freedom. What does freedom mean to you? In the gospel of John, Jesus says
If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
We know that freedom has something to do with the truth. Jesus also called the Holy Spirit the spirit of truth.
Now, in a sense, the topic of freedom may be better paired with the Sunday closest to our American Independence Day. After all, that is a day set aside to celebrate freedom – the freedom of this country’s self-determination.
People everywhere want to be free. They want to be able to govern themselves and make their own decisions about their lives, and that is true whether they live in the U.S., in Europe, in South America, in Russia, in Ukraine, or in Gaza.
We’ve linked freedom to truth and to the Spirit, and Paul’s words in today’s letter to the Galatians pulse with the promise of freedom and the invitation to live fully in the Spirit. And Paul links this directly to Christ.
Paul proclaims, “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” What is this freedom, and what does it mean for us as followers of Jesus?
Too often, when we hear “freedom,” we think of the absence of restraint—a wild self-indulgence, doing whatever we please. But Paul’s vision is much deeper, richer, and more life-giving. He invites us not only to be freed from something—bondage, sin, that old yoke of slavery—but to be freed for something: a new way of living, rooted in love, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and drawn into deeper relationship with God and with each other.
What Does Paul Mean by “Flesh”?
In these verses, Paul talks about the battle between the “flesh” and the Spirit. Let’s pause for a moment on the Greek word Paul uses—“sarx,” often translated as “flesh.” Sometimes we misunderstand Paul, thinking he’s telling us that our bodies are bad or shameful. But that’s not what he’s saying. The Greek word for body, “soma,” is different, and it’s not the word Paul chooses. “Sarx”—flesh—means something more like our inward, self-centered orientation, our “small self” as some have called it.
Richard Rohr describes “flesh” as the trapped self, the ego-driven part of us that wants to be in charge, that imagines we are separate from God and from each other. Another theologian, Nichole Torbitzky, calls it “the human condition oriented away from God”—a kind of self-centeredness that leaves us isolated and anxious, seeking fulfillment in the wrong places.
The Illusion of Separation
This illusion of separation that I’ve spoken about before is the heart of our struggle. When we believe we’re cut off from God and one another, we become trapped in cycles of comparison, resentment, and fear. In that state, it’s easy to fall into the patterns Paul lists: envy, strife, jealousy, fits of rage, selfishness, and all the rest.
But the good news—indeed, the great news!—is that Christ sets us free from this “small self.” In Christ, we see the truth: we are not alone, we are not cut off, but rather, we are deeply connected—to God, to one another, and to all creation.
The Freedom to Love
Paul tells us that we are freed not just from the bad, but for the good.
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another.”
This is a radical message! Freedom in Christ is not the freedom to do whatever we want, but the freedom to live as we were created to live—freely, generously, joyfully, with hearts open to God and to one another. It’s the freedom to love without fear, to forgive, to serve, to bear one another’s burdens, and to walk together on the “path of life” that the psalmist sings about, and through which we receive the “fullness of joy.”
Life in the Spirit
How do we know we’re living in this freedom? Paul gives us a beautiful vision: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” These aren’t just ideals—they are the natural outgrowth of life attuned to God’s Spirit.
When we are attuned to the Spirit, we listen more and judge less.
We become curious about others’ stories instead of writing them off. We begin to see neighbors, strangers, even those we struggle with, as beloved children of God. We respond with compassion instead of anger, generosity instead of fear.
These fruits are not generated by our own willpower but are given as gifts when we open ourselves to God’s leading. They blossom as we let go of the illusion of separation and embrace the truth that we are loved and called together in Christ.
The Invitation
Today, let’s hear this invitation: Christ has set us free. Not for a life on our own of loneliness or isolation or self-indulgence, but for life in the Spirit—life lived in freedom, love, and deep connection.
Through Christ, we have the power to stand firm in that freedom, refusing to return to the old patterns that keep us apart from God and each other. Through Christ, we can nurture the fruit of the Spirit in our families, our friendships, our community, and our world.
And then we can walk together as people set free—free to love, free to serve, free to live the abundant and joyful life that God longs for each of us.
Amen.
