Dear Friends,

As we approach the celebration of Independence Day this coming Sunday, with news of outdoor gatherings, picnics, fireworks displays and parades, I cannot help but remember what we were anticipating at this same time last year, in the wake of a pandemic that shook us to the core and shut us down, socially, politically, and economically. The words “independence” and “liberty” sounded somewhat discordant then, during a time we were so clearly aware of our interdependence, so keenly tuned into limits of our liberty.

And yet, “Sweet Land of Liberty” we sang, and will continue to sing. In church we will pray in our Collect for Independence Day to the God: “in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn.” We ask that “we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace.”

That is really what the fireworks are all about, and the parades and the picnics. We call it Independence Day, but sometimes I wish we could call it Freedom Day, so we could spend a little more time wondering what that word truly means. What are we free from? What are we free for? How do we know we are really free?

For some, freedom is strictly a political thing….my freedom to speak or vote. For others it includes being able to work, dress, purchase, or act how we wish. For others, it has to do with how we spend our time, where we place our hearts, who we love, or what we think.

I imagine that all of us have felt, at times, that our freedom to do any of these things has been threatened, whether by forces external to us, or by those forces that arise from within--our fears and anxieties and insecurities. I imagine that this past year of pandemic has offered opportunities for both. I know that it has for me.

All this has had me thinking about something I read the other day from a wonderful book by Nadia Bolz-Weber, Accidental Saints, in which she assures members of her congregation that no matter how strapped, bound, limited, “unfree” they might feel, at the end of the day, life on earth will always offer some basic, but profound liberties

“And this is it. This is the life we get here on earth. We get to give away what we receive. We get to believe in each other. We get to forgive and be forgiven. We get to love imperfectly. And we never know what effect it will have for years to come. And all of it… all of it is completely worth it.”

Freedom to give, to receive, to believe, to forgive, and to love. That is, indeed, sweet liberty.

In Christ,

Amelie+