Proper 8 C + Freedom + 6.26.22
All Santos, Oxnard
(2 Kings 2:1–2, 6–14; Psalm 77:1–2, 11–20; Galatians 5:1, 13–25; St. Luke 9:51–62)
“For freedom Christ has set us free.
Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5:1)
Did you know that the word “subjugation” comes from the Latin
sub iugum and it literally described how in ancient Italy, defeated
enemies walked under a yoke made out of spears to show their humiliation?[1]
This is fascinating because the yoke language shows up in a couple of
scriptures today- as yokes are also related to plows- but we must remember that
we as Christians are not subject to the yokes of the world. We are free. But
living into that freedom can take a lot of work. And while we are free in the
world, we are also bound to Christ, being under Christ’s yoke.
This is good news because the yoke of this world is economic
oppression. I found it fascinating, watching a movie called “American Creed,”
that the area that Tea Party and MoveOn activists found in common was the
oppressive nature of our financial system.[2]
They agreed that the banks should not be able to get off without penalty while
the people who have invested in the banks pay the consequence, as largely
happened during our Great Recession. It made me think about how we can try as
Christians to resist the oppression of our financial system. Now, many folks
would say, yes, we must live to a certain extent within the yoke of our
society. We need money to pay for basic living expenses, expenses that are
getting higher by the day. And that is true. I am not trying to be unrealistic.
But as we look at these scriptures, let us notice how
connected the ancient world was to the earth. Elijah is carried up in a
whirlwind. Elisha strikes the water, having received Elijah’s mantle, and moves
on. Psalm 77 is full of references to nature: “The waters saw you, O God; the
waters saw you and trembled; * the very depths were shaken. 17 The clouds
poured out water; the skies thundered; * your arrows flashed to and fro.” The
Galatians passage brings in animal imagery, lifting up yokes. And Jesus
mentions foxes and their holes and birds. Of course, it all makes sense. Such
was the nature of the ancient world – life was connected to one’s natural
surroundings. It is the world we still live in, but sometimes we can live a
little more apart from it now.
Theologian-Farmer Wendell Berry points out that we live in
God’s Economy. That everything matters to God. Even the sparrow that falls
matters to God. I don’t know about you, but I think about that often when we
drive past a small animal that is dead on the side of the road. How much more
do we matter? This brings to mind the pair of homeless people shot on a bench
at our transit center early last Sunday morning- they mattered. I pray for our
world, that it would see importance in all living beings here on earth. That no
one would be deemed disposable. No matter how far they may have fallen into
self-destructive behavior.
But Wendell Berry says that humans are weird. We alone can
act like we are somehow in the world but not at the same time. He says: “fowls
of the air and the lilies of the field live within the Great Economy entirely
by nature . . . humans, though entirely dependent upon it, must live in it
partly by artifice. The birds can live in the Great Economy only as birds, the
flowers only as flowers, the humans only as humans. The humans, unlike the wild
creatures, may choose not to live in it—or, rather, since no creature can
escape it, they may choose to act as if they do not, or they
may choose to try to live in it on their own terms. If humans choose to live in
the Great Economy on its terms, then they must live in harmony
with it.”[3]
And this, oddly enough, may be the way that we can be free.
We can release our yokes by focusing single-mindedly on a connection with
nature and a rejection of our culture’s focus on stuff. Jesus is not telling us
to literally ignore our duties to the dead. But he may be telling us to look at
the death-dealing ways of our society and find new ways of being. We might
further read this in light of our current climate crisis as a call to live more
in harmony with creation as opposed to subjugating it only for our needs. How
can we do this? We all know about water conservation and recycling and
minimizing our gasoline usage with cars and planes and trying to use renewable
energy sources and not buy too many clothes and all of those things. But all of
those things won’t get us there. Because they are head things, not heart
things.
We have to get out into nature. In whatever way we can. A walk on the beach, or
a drive to a scenic point. Time under a tree. Listening to and truly observing
the birds and all the other creatures. Why? It reminds our hearts of something
important. We are not isolated here on planet earth. We are part of an amazing
web of creation. A web that has been intricately woven by God since way before
we were born. Our long-term health and survival depend on access to clean
water, healthy air quality and other environmental factors. If we take care of
the earth, she takes care of us. God has created the amazing, resilient
ecosystem in which we live. We will never fathom all of it. We gain something
when we regain our awe.
If we are to remain focused on Jesus, determined in just the
way he is to get to Jerusalem, we must not get distracted by the many ways this
world tries to sell us extra stuff. That way only leads to subjugation- being
under the yoke of credit card bills or the need to maintain our possessions at
the expense of our quality of life. I must note there are necessary debts- at
least within the current economy- some student loans, home loans and reasonable
car loans are examples. We do need clothing, food and shelter, and access to
learning. But let us be wise as foxes when the world tries to convince us we
need something extra. Because chances are, we don’t. What we need is to breathe
freely, to wander and explore this earth. To enjoy each other’s company and eat
and drink and be merry. We need to connect as we mourn. We need to see each
other as infinitely valuable and our stuff as secondary. Am I good at this? No,
not really. I buy into status symbols at times and do a lot to maintain stuff
in my life. But I am working on it. Trying to find a better balance. And that
is what I think God is calling us all to do.
So, again, “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm,
therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Amen.
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