The freedom that you have in Christ is lived out in love for one another. Love is the directive of your freedom. Love is how you stand firm against that ancient lure of slavery. You are baptized into Christ; you are then free from all the demands of the law.

Around a month ago, I was at a meeting consisting of all pastors, where the person facilitating the conversation amongst the brothers invited us to share our favorite Bible verse. Now, some people immediately rattled off their most cherished and beloved verse, the one that had worked as a comfort in tough times or a light in the darkness to guide them. Many of you, no doubt, have a favorite verse and would be more than happy to share it with one another. I, though, have never really had what you might call a favorite verse. I think I have too many favorite verses, as soon as I think I may have found my favorite, I come across another one that seems to be more beautiful, more crucial, more defining for my life at that time. And so that one becomes my favorite. And this makes sense to me because every time I engage the Word of God, I am a different person from the last time I did so. Different struggles and joys, different experiences that shape who I am and how I understand my place and purpose in this world. To me, this is a big part of the joy and excitement of our faith.

And yet I felt a little ashamed that I couldn’t immediately come up with a favorite verse. I mean, I’m a pastor after all, this is supposed to be my thing, shouldn’t I have a favorite verse? And the more I thought about it, I realized that there was one verse that I would regularly return to, especially in conversations about my vocation, about how I understand my job and purpose. While it may not be the number one favorite, it is definitely in the top ten, one that I often share with other pastors, especially those just starting out in the ministry. It is Galatians 5:1: “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”

What I love about this verse is that it is a call to action. It isn’t just a comforting thought about a greater reality or sentimental remembrance that can bring assurance in a time of doubt. No, it is a call to stand firm. To stand in opposition to what turns out to be the very real lure of slavery. It is a call to press on in the freedom that you have been given in Christ. For freedom, Christ has set you free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery, the bondage of slavery, the slavery that calls to you, that longs for you, that will do whatever it takes to shackle you again. For such slavery is real and eagerly surrounds you to bring you to submission.

Now you hear these words, this call to stand firm, and at first, perhaps you think of the slavery of the law. And this makes sense. After all, St. Paul himself had said that the law imprisoned us until Christ came.

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