This Sunday someone said during our scripture conversation, “we are way out of the box”; to which I added, “into Christ’s heart”. What does it mean?
The life and work of Jesus was to help people break the shackles of whatever enslaved them, be it demons, leprosy, blindness, lameness, unexamined following of traditions, servitude of an oppressive religious system, or anything else that held back an individual from living their earthly life to their maximum capacity – not for self’s sake, but for the good of the community. Put another way, Jesus did not approve of anyone living in a box, especially a box that benefited someone else at the expense of another. For this reason, Jesus would speak against racism, poverty, dictatorship, war, etc., if he was here today. Jesus would not want anyone to ever be enslaved in a box. So, when we find ways, through Jesus, to liberate ourselves from a box that holds us back, we are getting closer to the heart of our savior. Salvation is to be set free from our boxes.
While that is the “freedom in Christ” we want, this freedom comes with a deep appreciation for making sacrifices that help not just us, but the entire world.
When we are organizing ourselves around the Table of our Lord, how do we live out this freedom in Christ without turning what we are creating into another oppressive system? That is the key question I am wrestling with these days. I invite us all to wrestle with this question. What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Amjad+