Gordon's Blog Spot: 'Singing a song of freedom' - Weekly Reflection 23rd November 2025

On the 28^th August 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech that has gone down into the annals of history.

He began by saying, ‘I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.’

Then went on to speak passionately and prophetically about freedom ending with words Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!¹

I was listening to a fascinating podcast recently that was exploring the whole issue of Christians and the use violence and whether it is ever permissible for Christians to use violence.² Historically we know that ‘Christians’ have used violence and added to which we have the whole vexed question of war. Sadly, something that has become very real to us once more in Europe.

I don’t want to go too far down that line as it is easy to be mired up in all sorts of various understanding, thinking, philosophising, etc.

Although one comment from the podcast that I did find interesting was regarding fighting for freedom and how much the average soldier on the battlefield has this noble sentiment in their minds. The most immediate thought is on survival and looking after your comrades.

Much to ponder upon and no doubt the debate will continue as to whether Jesus calls us to the position of non-violence and total pacifism.

In Galatians 5.1 we read, ‘For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.’

It is this freedom that I would like us to reflect upon. We have been making our way through the First Letter to the Corinthians in a sermon series at St Oswald’s. Today we concluded with Paul’s great chapter on the resurrection in Chapter 15.

The overall thrust of Paul’s letter is trying to get the Corinthian Church to recognise is that they have become part of God’s overarching narrative that would lead to the full redemption of the entire cosmos, including freedom from death.

However, this freedom wasn’t to be used as a license to indulge in just any kind of practise. That, it would seem, to be the case with at least some in the Corinthian Church, even to the point of one man sleeping with his father’s wife. 1 Cor.5:1.

Paul takes them to task on this and on their ‘freedom’ to eat what they liked with no thought if what they were doing might offend someone or cause them confusion over what was the right thing to do.

What we need to do is to turn ‘freedom from’ into ‘freedom for.’

This circles back into the overarching narrative and asking where this is all heading and what part do I have to play in making all of this happen.

Michel Quoist in his book ‘The Christian Response’ writes, ‘You are a unique and irreplaceable actor in the drama of human history, and Jesus Christ has need of you to make known his salvific work present in this particular place, at this particular moment in history.’

When people step out of prison they are freed from the restraints of that regime, albeit they may have further restraints placed upon them.

We might well ask, not so much what are they freed from, i.e. prison, but what are they freed for?

What are the going to do now that they are ‘free.’

Can I encourage you read 1 Corinthians 9 where Paul speaks of his being free and yet not using that freedom to exercise his rights if that means others might be harmed or not find their way into fullness of life in Messiah Jesus.

^‘Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.’ 1 Cor.9.19

Now that is something worth pondering upon. Can you begin to imagine a world in which something like this was a guiding principle, a servant heart and a servant attitude to one another.

We might then be able to sing along with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!¹

Let use our the freedom we find in Christ to be the servant of others....