Independence Day in the United States celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Among the tyrannies from which the colonists declared themselves free were commercial exploitation, arbitrary government by remote control, taxation without representation, and the like.
Independent nationhood, of course, implies also freedom for something - freedom for a country to determine its own affairs, freedom for the citizens to make a decent living, to educate their children, to pursue happiness, and to worship God.
Freedom’s fight for something continues today. Citizen groups work for civil rights. It is good when people come out of the shells of indifference - or the I don’t want to be involved - spirit and show concern for what is socially, politically, and morally right.
As Christians we are the beneficiaries of another freedom, the freedom from the curse of the Law, the power of sin, the fear of death. This freedom Jesus Christ gained for us at great cost to Himself - it cost Him His life. It costs us nothing - in fact there is absolutely nothing we can do to save ourselves. Jesus did it all and it is a totally free gift of Grace to us through Word and Sacrament!
Thanks to Christ’s work of redemption, we are freed for something: free to hear and follow His Word, free to serve Him. He tells us, "If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). And with this freedom goes responsibility, as St. Paul tells us: "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (Gal. 5:1).
