Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women, our patriotic heroes, who sacrificed their lives while serving in our Armed Forces to help us breathe the air of freedom. We are blessed to live in such a great country abounding with so many freedoms. We speak about, and even argue a lot about our freedoms in the United States; freedom of speech; freedom of expression; freedom of the press; freedom to assemble; freedom to petition; and freedom of religion. We even have etched into our memories of the great patriot’s quotations of the early days of our nation’s founding like Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death” speech. Or, the quote by John Adams in a letter to his wife, Abigail Adams, on July 3, 1776, when he said, “Yesterday the greatest question was decided which ever was debated in America; and a greater perhaps never was, nor will be, decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting colony, ‘That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.” Freedom is indeed important to us.
There was an old television show that has been one of my all time favorites. The Andy Griffith show was great family comedy with the variety of characters living in the fictional town of Mayberry. Maybe one of the greatest characters was the town drunk named Otis. We would be treated often times to episodes in which Otis was arrested for public drunkenness, and lovable Deputy, Barney Fife. would lock him up until he sobered up. After sleeping it off, Otis would then stick his hand through the bars of his personal cell, and take the key hanging on a nail on the wall, and let himself out. It was as simple as that. There were other times that Otis would just stumble into the jail and lock himself into the cell, and place the key back on the nail on the wall. What good stuff!
But, while that was all great comedy…it reminds me also of the jail we can sometimes lock ourselves in when we become a slave to our past. There is another quote about the greatest freedom of all that kind of speaks to that self imposed slavery. It was from the Apostle Paul, under the unction of the Holy Spirit, who wrote in Galatians 5:1..."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."
God has set us free, but sometimes we lock ourselves up in the prison of shame and guilt. And, our key to freedom isn't hanging by from a nail on a jailhouse wall,…it was hung by nails on an old rugged cross. See, our greatest freedom of all is not the many freedoms we enjoy in this great land. Our greatest freedom’s name is Jesus. He came to set the prisoner free...for good. The great thing is…the key is always in reach, and we never have to be locked up in the prison of shame and guilt again.
Father in Heaven, we remember and give thanks for the patriots who have given their lives in the service of this country. When the need was the greatest, they stepped forward and did their duty to defend the freedoms we enjoy today. And, we thank you for our greatest gift of freedom given to us in Jesus who truly set us free! Please forgive us when we stumble back into out jail cells of guilt and shame. Help us to know that You paid an incredible price for our freedom. Help us to walk in it. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
