Post by Betty on Jul 10, 2005 3:50:02 GMT -5
A Disciple's Reflections: Tag, You’re It!
“I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. But because of false believers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might enslave us – we did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.” – Galatians 2:2-5
Beloved, do we remember playing hide & seek as a child?
The first step was establishing the boundaries of the game – where it was OK to hide or not. The next step was choosing the “goal” or the “base” where we went once discovered. Finally, someone was “it” and the game was on.
My favorite way of playing was “touch tag” because, unlike simply being spotted, it required being touched. And the best variation was being able to tag those in the base so they could go free. You could be free. Then caught. Then free. Then caught. We could play until everyone got tired, bored with the game, or it became time for lunch, supper or bed.
Hearing and believing the good news that God loves us, just as we are, is to be set free.
Paul uses the word “running” to describe his life after having been saved. He “ran” around the world of his day, touching as many people as he could find in the various bases he came to, setting them free as well to join him in his run. He shared a Word that set folks free.
But there were others – Paul calls them “false believers” - who followed happenings and works. When they discovered people running free they quickly tagged them with requirements, obligations, and messages that stole their freedom and stuck them right back in the base.
It was a game, both Paul and the false believers thinking themselves to be “it”, with heavy consequences. History has proven Paul to be correct, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t “false believers” out there still trying to tag those of us who yearn to be free.
False believers are often into prescribing certain rituals of worship and behavior. They are quick to point out the “should's”, “ought to’s” and “must’s.” Their weapon of choice is guilt and manipulation. Their lure is lifting up certain worldly successful models. Like the Pharisees of old, they play with an unquestioning certainty that they are right. But they are not and their messages need to be resisted.
We are free in Christ. The old human divisions are passé - we know it but others don’t until we tag them with good news and set them free. We are free to live our lives, to love those around us. We are free to worship in lots of different ways. Free to organize our home lives, our business lives, and our church life in lots of different ways.
We are free to dive deeply into our chosen vocations or make a huge mid-life adjustment and do something radically different. Like a sailboat on the seas, we are free to be blown by the Spirit.
Let us surely see those catastrophes that appear in our lives from time to time such as lost jobs, lost love, and see them as one of those times that our faithful One is bring us safely to base and freeing us to be truly alive.
We are free to look at the daily tasks of our lives and see the hand of God working. We are free to let go of slavish devotion to God as if everything depended on us and see instead our lives with God as a journey marked by joy, freshness and freedom. We are free to love, serve, make mistakes, confess our sins, repent and start anew. We are free to experience the abundant lives God gives us now and in the life to come.
Beloved, we have been tagged with the Good News that sets us free. Now we’re it and we are free to run back to base and tag others. Let's do so, precious one, for soon we will be called in for supper – the wedding supper of the Lamb.
Let us pray: Dear God, the freedom that You give us is not simply a freedom from, but a freedom for. We pray that we use it as a freedom for enjoying you, for accepting others, and ourselves; a freedom for growing and being transformed. This freedom is not dependant on what country we live in or any other external reality of life. It is a freedom that cannot be taken away. When we stake our lives and futures on Jesus, we know a freedom that truly sets us free yet must be protected with vigilance and perseverance. Thank you for such a wonderful gift. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Kerry Nelson
