Unbind and Set Free!

Friday, September 12, 2008 -- Week of Proper 18
John Henry Hobart, Bishop of New York, 1830

Today's Reading for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 983)
Psalms 40, 54 (morning) 51 (evening)
Job 29:1, 31:24-40
Acts 15:12-21
John 11:30-44

"Unbind him, and let him go!" cries Jesus, as the corpse of Lazarus emerges from the cave alive. Jesus displays God's power of resurrection which overcomes death in all its guises. But after God brings new life and new hope, there is still work to be done.

Lazarus' friends will have to liberate him from all of the bindings that now hold him back and inhibit his new life of freedom. And Lazarus will now have to resume the hard work of living and taking responsibility for himself and for his part of contributing to his family, community and world. He will do so in a new context, for he is now a marked man. The Gospel says that his resuscitation was such a controversial thing that some sought Lazarus' life as they plotted to stop Jesus. Lazarus is unbound and released for a life of new responsibilities.

So much of the Gospel story is the narrative of our freedom and liberation from one set of bondages -- sin, division, oppression, greed, pride, alienation -- and our release into a new kind of responsibility -- to pick up the cross of loving service on behalf of all.

The early church faced one of the first consequences of its liberation-for-responsibility in the conflict over Gentiles. When Gentiles responded to the Good News of Jesus, would they be welcomed as equal members in the fellowship of the church? One faction of the church said, "Yes, but..." They placed upon the new Gentile-Christians a significant additional burden: "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." (Acts 15:1) Others among the church argued that the resurrection of Jesus had freed them from circumcision and the other ritual laws of Judaism. The new community would be a community of love, they said: "Love one another; love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself." They sought to liberate themselves and these new Gentile-Christians from the old binding and burden of structuring life according to hundreds of specific laws of scripture and their complex tradition of interpretation.

It was a pivotal moment. Would Gentiles have to become Jews in order to be Christians?

The apostolic council looked toward James, the brother of Jesus, to settle the debate as the leader of the Jerusalem church. He recalls the prophecy from Amos that God intends Israel's restoration to be a blessing to the Gentiles. Then he makes a decision that will unbind them and let them go. "I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood." James' decree addresses the things that were most offensive to Jews while freeing Gentiles to be full members of the church.

Even at that there will be struggles. Paul and the Corinthian congregation had an extended debate over meat sold in the public market, meat that had been ritually dedicated to the Greco-Roman gods. We read that Paul interpreted the Jerusalem decree rather liberally, but left it to each person's conscience, with special sensitivity toward those who were scrupulous. And even though James' decision opened the door wide for Gentiles to join the Christian movement, this path of liberation and freedom is also a path with a new kind of responsibility -- to pick up the cross of loving service on behalf of all.

Other places in the Gospel call it binding and loosing, loosing and binding. Liberating people from the non-essential things that limit and bind the fullness of life. Binding people to the life of love whose service is perfect freedom.

It is Jesus' eternal call from the door of all our tombs. "Unbind them and set them free!"

Lowell

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About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
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The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.

Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org

Our Rule of Life

We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.

Lowell Grisham, Rector

St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas