Freedom to be New Church
A Sermon by the Rev. Howard A. Thompson
Lessons: Psalm 33:10-22, John 8:31-36, True Christian Religion 497
The [human] spirit is midway between heaven and hell, and therefore midway
between good and evil. As a result we are in equilibrium.
This is what gives us free choice in spiritual matters. (True Christianity 497)
E
ach July, all across America, people celebrate their nation’s Independence
Day. I invite you to take a moment to reflect on the meaning of this day for
you. Maybe close your eyes, hear your favorite patriotic song, smell the grass
of your back yard or wherever your picnics are held. Visualize your family and
friends enjoying the day, either at a parade, a beach, a pool or simply a garden.
Can you see it? Can you imagine it? Can you smell it? Do you feel blessed?
Along those lines do you feel blessed when you reflect on your faith? Can
you feel a similar peace when you reflect on the strongly held beliefs that have
carried you thus far in your life and which have made you feel closer to the
Lord?
Reflecting on how to begin a sermon, a theological talk, in advance of the
celebration of Independence Day, I could not help but consider the fictional
story of Rip Van Winkle. Written by American author Washington Irving
this short story tells of a man who lives in colonial America, near New York’s
Catskill Mountains, in the years before the American Revolution.
Out wandering in the wilderness with his dog one winter day, Rip Van
Winkle happens upon a group of oddly dressed men celebrating something
with a keg of moonshine. Rip joins in and drinks from the keg and falls asleep.
When he awakes he notices a number of oddities. His rifle is covered with rust,
his dog is nowhere to be found, and his beard is very long. Returning to his
village he finds few people he recognizes. He learns that his wife has died and
that many of his male friends have fallen in the Revolutionary War. And, most
symbolically of all, he finds that King George III’s portrait over the Inn has
been replaced by that of George Washington.
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