sermon template

The scripture lessons for this morning are selected passages from the Bible beginning with Isaiah, Chapter 61:1-3
The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

From Romans Chapter 8:1-4
There is, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life (that is the controlling power of the Holy Spirit) set me free from the law of sin and death (that is the controlling power of sin).

And from Galatians 5:1:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

And from the Gospel of John 8:31,32,38:
.31-32 ..if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you shall know the truth and truth will set you free. 36: I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

The Word of God for the people of God. Let us say, “Thanks be to God.”

This coming Friday, July 4, we will celebrate the 227th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Our forefathers signed on the line, their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. Five signers were captured by the British and brutally tortured as traitors. Nine fought in the War for Independence and died from wounds or from hardships they suffered. Two lost their sons in the Continental Army. Another two had sons captured. At least a dozen of the fifth-six had their homes pillaged and burned.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-five were lawyers or jurists. Eleven were merchants. Nine were farmers or large plantation owners. One was a teacher, one a musician, and one a printer. These were men of means and education, yet they signed the Declaration of Independence, knowing full well that the penalty could be death if they were captured.

The signing of this document made official the quest for freedom which began when a band of pilgrims made their way across treacherous and stormy oceans to a “new world”. Our forefathers and foremothers came to the land for religious liberty. They came to find opportunity to live according to the dictates of their own beliefs.

Current history books will not tell us much about the religious heritage of this country. I suppose the writers could be claiming to keep Church and State separate, according to their own interpretation of the First Amendment of the Constitution. But if we delve very far into history we will discover that the great desire of these pilgrims was for religious liberty. We will learn that they relied heavily upon Divine Guidance in the formative days of our government.

Only in recent years have we seen a shift of the interpretation of the First Amendment to mean that prayer in the public schools is a violation of this amendment. Its “new interpretation” also means that any reference to God, Christ or the Christian way of life is unconstitutional. But any other religions, be it Muslim religion, Buddhist, or whatever, can be mentioned without fear of reproach!

Our country is looked upon by immigrants as a land of new opportunities, a land of new beginnings. Even in modern times, people have paid a high price to come to this country.

There was the tragic story a number of years ago about how a ship full of oriental immigrants ran aground. And I want to say that it was off the coast of California, but I believe it was somewhere on their way to New York Harbor. They ran aground and a number of them died. They had all paid in the thousands of dollars to get to come to this country, only to be prevented from getting here. Along about that same time, there was a story of a young 13 year old boy from Colombia , South America who stowed away in the wheel bay of a large airliner, nearly froze to death flying at 35,000 feet in order to reach this country. He was determined to pay the price. These people were all coming here for the sake of finding the freedom of a better life, of a higher standard of living.

The great symbol of freedom in this country stands in the New York harbor with arms outstretched to welcome any and all who come to her shores. This huge copper statue was a gift from the people of France. Its name actually is “Liberty Enlightening the World”, although we call her the Statue of Liberty. It was a gift in 1876 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration Independence.

This Statue of Liberty has become a symbol of the United States, and an expression of freedom to people all over the world. It is the statue of a proud woman standing in the graceful folds of a loose robe. She wears a crown with seven spikes that represent the light of liberty shining on the seven seas and the seven continents. Her outstretched hands hold the torch that lights the way to freedom in the one hand, and the declaration of that freedom in the other. The chains of bondage lie broken at her feet.

Millions of immigrants have passed this Statue of Liberty. She is, for them, a welcoming figure holding out the promise of hope for new opportunities.

The Cross is a symbol of another freedom-a freedom that is really free-a freedom we do not have to earn and could not if we tried-Freedom from the bondage of tyranny of sin.

Crosses have been in existence for centuries. They were even used in some form or other in pre-Christian times. The Cross is the central point, the focus of our Christian faith...It adorns our alters and steeples. We wear it around our necks, on our clothing. In the military, chaplains are identified (or used to be identified) by the crosses on their uniforms.

The Red Cross is an international agency whose original purpose was to care for the sick and wounded of war. It was born on a battlefield in Northern Italy in 1859. The American Red Cross was organized in 1881 largely through the efforts of Clara Barton. The purpose of this organization is to provide relief during times of local and national disaster. The symbol of the American Red Cross and the International Red Cross is the cross. The Red Cross. So that the Cross is a symbol of hope, even in pagan countries.

The Cross of Calvary is a symbol of hope to all those who trust Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. It is the instrument upon which Jesus gave His life, a ransom for those sins. It was common in Old Testament times to display the bodies of executed persons on a stake of the stockade wall to discourage civil disobedience. Later, such stakes came to be used with cross beams as instruments of humiliation and execution for persons convicted as enemies of the state.

Old Testament people did not execute prisoners on a stake or cross, for the law directed death by stoning. But the law did permit public display or hanging of the lawbreaker's body “on a tree”, as the stake and cross beam were called. This explains what Scripture means when it refers to Jesus being killed by hanging on a tree in the humiliation of being declared an enemy of the state. In time, the simple pointed stake was modified. Four most important crosses resulted:
The LATIN CROSS-such as the one we have up here, where the crossbeam about a foot from the top, is probably the type of cross upon which Jesus was crucified, because of the reference of Pilate's message that was placed above the head of Jesus.
The ST. ANTHONY CROSS places the cross beam at the top, forming the shape of the “tree”, like a capital T.
The ST. ANDREW CROSS is in the shape of a capital X-as if to cancel out sin. And I have to share with you a personal story. In my childhood when my Baptist preacher father would preach about the crucifixion and how the blood of Christ would cancel out our sins, I could see myself walking up to the pearly gates and having St. Peter turn to the pages of Marietta Smith's sins. And he would start to read and Jesus would walk over and dip a quill, mind you, in a little container on the desk, and He would mark a big red X through the page of my sins and say, “These sins are cancelled. She's my child. She can go in.”
The GREEK CROSS has the beam in the center like a big “plus” sign. God's love + His grace = forgiveness.

Jesus spoke of the cross as a symbol of the necessity of full commitment even unto death for those who would be his disciples. “If you would be my disciples”, He said, “you must take up your cross and follow me.” He was talking about the cross of obedience to His direction.

The major significance of the cross is that it is a symbol of Jesus' willingness to suffer for our sins so that we might be reconciled to God and know His peace. The cross is a symbol of Jesus' love, of God's power to save , and the thankful believers' unreserved commitment to Christian discipleship. To those who know the salvation which Christ gained for us through His death, it is a wondrous cross.

The Cross stands on Golgotha-a symbol of freedom that cannot be bought through any human effort. The Statue of Liberty stands on Liberty Island symbolizing freedom that extracts a dear price as the crosses in Flanders Field will testify, and the many graves in many other military cemeteries bear witness.

The Statue of Liberty says, “You can come if…”. The Cross says, “You can come regardless…”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “Only those who have no physical or mental defect can come in.”. The Cross says, “Those who come to me I will in no wise cast out…”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “You can come if you haven't committed any crime…”. The Cross says, “Whosoever will may come regardless of whatsoever he/she has done…”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “Only a certain number of you can come at any one time…”. The Cross says, “Though millions have come, there's still room for one…”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “Come, but you will be segregated into your own little areas.” The Cross says, “Call no person unholy or unclean…”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “ Freedom by the law..”. The Cross says, “Freedom from the law of sin and death…”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”. The Cross says, “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “You can come in but you will be looked down upon as unequal.”. The Cross says, “The ground on which I am planted is level. There is no caste system at the foot of the cross.”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “If you don't tell the truth when you come in and we find out about it later on, you could be deported.”. The Cross says, “You shall know the Truth about Jesus, and the Truth about Jesus shall set you free.”.

The Statue of liberty says, “I lift my lamp…”. The Cross says, “I lift up the Son of God.”.

The Statue of Liberty says, “You can come in but you will have to take your chances.”. The Cross says, “Come in. I will send you a Helper who will come along side to help you.”

So many have come under the shadow of this Statue of liberty-passing under her mighty arms. So many have come under the shadow of the Cross-the shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land. For one hundred and twenty-seven years the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of hope for a fresh start in the land of beginning again. For over TWO THOUSAND years the Cross has been a symbol of hope, a channel of reconciliation, a sign of renewal, a sign of the promise of a second chance. An instrument of torture, to be sure, for we must never forget what Jesus suffered there. But most importantly, the Cross is a shining symbol of resurrection to new life in Christ Jesus.

The Shadow of the Cross in universal, for God so loved the WORLD, the WHOLE WORLD. The shadow of the Statue of Liberty is regional-only for those entering this country, and actually for those entering through New York harbor.

Lady Liberty stands with arms open wide promising rest to the weary, hope to the poor, freedom to the oppressed, as she lifts her lamp beside the golden door.

The Cross casts a shadow that has been the abiding place for centuries of Christians. The outstretched arms of the Crucified Christ have promised rest to the weary, hope for the poor, freedom from the chains of sin, and one thing more, a relationship with God through Christ, that lasts through eternity and forever.

What a God!
What a Christ!
What a Promise!

Amen! Hallelujah! Thank you Jesus for the blessed hope that we have in the promise of freedom that is really, truly free. Amen.

First United Methodist Church

Lenoir, North Carolina

© First UMC Lenoir