Sunday October 26th, 2014 Reformation Sunday John 8:31-36
"?you will be free indeed." (verse 36b)
There’s a story about a world-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, (whom I never heard of before), who spent 45 minutes playing his violin at a metro station in Washington, DC. Anyone lucky enough to be there at that time would have heard the world-famous critically-acclaimed musician (whom I never heard of) play six classical pieces for free. For FREE. The violin used reportedly cost $3.5 million. The music played was the same as at his concert just days before, sold-out at $100 a pop. Of the 1,097 people that passed by, only seven stopped to listen and only one even knew who he was (it wasn’t me).
Funny how we sometimes equate “free” with “cheap” or “worthless.”
Jesus said the truth will make us free. But free from what? Free from the burden of sin. Free from the dictating pressures of the Law. Free from anything separating us from God. Free… from having to earn such a gift.
To me, that kind of free is not cheap or worthless. Rather, it tells me how valuable we are to God, that although we did nothing to deserve it, God chooses to love and forgive us. This freedom is exactly what we have, and that is truth.
Lord, you free us from the ways of the world. Teach us to live as free people. Amen. — NF
Contributed by Set Me Free
There's a story about a world-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, (whom I never heard of before), who spent 45 minutes playing his violin at a metro station in Washington, DC. Anyone lucky enough to be there at that time would have heard the world-famous critically-acclaimed musician (whom I never heard of) play six classical pieces for free. For FREE. The violin used reportedly cost $3.5 million. The music played was the same as at his concert just days before, sold-out at $100 a pop. Of the 1,097 people that passed by, only seven stopped to listen and only one even knew who he was (it wasn't me).
Funny how we sometimes equate "free" with "cheap" or "worthless."
Jesus said the truth will make us free. But free from what? Free from the burden of sin. Free from the dictating pressures of the Law. Free from anything separating us from God. Free... from having to earn such a gift.
To me, that kind of free is not cheap or worthless. Rather, it tells me how valuable we are to God, that although we did nothing to deserve it, God chooses to love and forgive us. This freedom is exactly what we have, and that is truth.
