Title: The Breath of Freedom
The Text: John 20:19-23
Today, our country celebrates its 250th birthday. There is no holiday anywhere like the 4th of July. On Independence Day, we celebrate the enduring wonder of this grand experiment in democracy we call The United States of America. No other nation in the history of the human family, past or present, has championed basic human rights like our nation. We are a blessed people who continue to enjoy great freedom because of the sacrifices of so many. We of faith dare believe this freedom is always the breath of God on the human spirit.
The story we have heard from John’s Gospel has an Independence Day ring about it. When the disciples were locked in a room, they found the independence of their lives through peace from Jesus.
What is this breath of freedom so powerfully felt in this story? For one thing, this breath of freedom is the freedom to choose healing over shame. The disciples would no longer be ashamed of the ways they had denied Jesus or hid behind locked doors.
Like the disciples, we may have something in our past that haunts us, bleeding the very life from our souls. If whatever-it-is were not so ugly, so embarrassingly painful, we would confide in someone we trust and let the poison out until it finally stopped bleeding. It takes courage to choose healing over shame. Know for certain that Jesus enters our prison of shame today. There, you will find freedom from the shame that enslaves.
Another insight into our lives is that this breath of freedom is the gift of life that speaks to our fear of death. Disciples weren’t just afraid of being discovered; they feared suffering the same fate as Jesus. When this same fear stalks us, Jesus speaks of life. And when he does, death cowers.
Finally, this breath of freedom awakens us to life. As he did in that tiny upper room long ago, Jesus speaks to us. Like the disciple Thomas, he invites us to put our finger into his side. He shows us his scars and invites us to live fully surrendered to him. In that breath, we find lasting freedom. He takes us by the hand and, in so doing, stares down death as the great imposter. The breath of freedom Jesus gives frees us from the fear of death.
This week, when you fire up the grill and perhaps enjoy a gathering of family and friends, when the fireworks are lit, and songs of our nation are sung, remember with me that the breath of freedom began long ago, deep in the lungs of God. When God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to walk among us as Lord of life and death, God rang the bell of freedom. The breath of Jesus is the air that freedom brings. Amen.
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