Gathering Straw

The Life of Moses, Act 3, Scene 1:
Exodus 5:10-23
Rev. Clark Lynn Callender, 7/4/10

Approximately 25 years ago, the Hymnal Revision Committee of the United Methodist Church was preparing for the 1988 General Conference. This Conference would introduce a new hymnal for all United Methodists – the hymnal that is in our pews today.
After years of debate over what hymns to include, the committee was finally struggling over the words of one particular hymn: “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”
Curiously, they weren’t struggling over The Battle Hymn’s gender exclusive language, as you might think. They weren’t even struggling over its militaristic imagery. They weren’t struggling over its Civil War origin. They were struggling over just one phrase, the final words of the fourth verse, which reads: “As He died to make men holy, let us DIE to make men free.”
The committee members questioned, “Is freedom for others worth dying for?” An alternative phrase had come from band leader Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians. Years earlier they had recorded a popular version of the Battle Hymn with the “softer” lyrics of: “As He died to make men holy, let us LIVE to make men free.”
After much discussion, it was Mr. Waring’s version which was chosen by the committee to be presented to the General Conference. It was then Mr. Waring’s version that prevailed there as well. From now on United Methodists were supposed to sing, “As He died to make men holy, let us LIVE to make men free.”
But for reasons which, to this very day, remain unexplained and unknown, when the United Methodist hymnal came out in 1989, the original words were still there! United Methodists are still singing, “As He died to make men holy, let us DIE to make men free.”
And as pastor Frank Lyman, General Conference delegate, has reflected, “It’s the nearest mystery we United Methodists have to the aliens of Roswell, New Mexico!” But, obviously, someone, somewhere, wanted us to maintain this kind of deep commitment to liberty!
Maintaining a deep commitment to liberty.
How much are we willing to allow freedom to ask of us?
The WORK OF FREEDOM. This is something of what I’d like to reflect upon on this Independence Day morning...

In our text today we resume our study of the life of Moses with the start of the third act in the drama: Moses having accepted God’s call and returning to Egypt to lead the people of Israel out of captivity. In effect, we now get to the “meat” of the story – what it is all ultimately about, namely: FREEDOM. But as we see, the opening scene of this “freedom tale” does not go well:
Moses has gone to Pharaoh and demanded the people’s release. Pharaoh, angered by the presumptuousness of this demand, has not only refused to let the people go; but even more – as a means of showing his displeasure and teaching the people a lesson about seeking escape from slavery – has increased the burden upon them:
Their job is to make the bricks for Pharaoh’s building projects. One of the components of the brick mixture is STRAW. Up to now, this has been provided to them. But now, Pharaoh decrees: the people must find their own straw while maintaining the same quota of bricks. Or they will be punished: beaten, starved.
Moses, seemingly, has only made matters worse. The people are angry with him. He is angry with God.
But what we see here, right off the beginning, is this fundamental point: That FREEDOM DOES NOT COME EASILY. As we will see from here on out in this great drama: Liberty will be HARD WON and continually in danger of being lost again.
When Moses went to Pharaoh and said, “Let my people go!” Pharaoh did not reply, “Sure, y'all go free; send me a post card from the Holy Land!” No, Pharaoh's troops went after the Hebrews. So, likewise, in 1776 when the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence that did not establish our freedom. King George did not read the Declaration and then say to Thomas Jefferson, “Nice piece of writing Tom, y’all enjoy your USA, send me a postcard from Colonial Williamsburg.” No, it started a WAR!
The fundamental point of the Exodus story – the foundational story of the Jewish faith reframed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ: That freedom is God’s intention for all his children. But freedom is HARD WON. It is WORK, HARD WORK – costly, constant, vigilant work. All of which brings us back to us here this morning...
Today we celebrate our independence. And we will have parades, and barbeques, and fireworks... a great good time. And that’s all wonderful. I love it as much as anybody. But, let’s face it, if that’s all our independence means to us, or asks of us, then we will have missed the point entirely.
The way we truly celebrate our freedom is by doing the WORK OF FREEDOM. And that’s what I’d like to suggest to us all this Fourth of July morning: Truly celebrating this great holiday by taking up the work of freedom.
What is the “Work of Freedom”? A few thoughts...
(I)
First, the work of freedom is CHERISHING THE GIFT.
As our scene today opens, the people of Israel are angry at Moses for the trouble he has brought upon them. It’s a classic case of misplacing one’s frustration: blaming the person who’s trying to help us not the actual cause of our troubles. But it’s understandable that they should be rejecting the gift of freedom that Moses has brought to them, letting it be kept from them – actually pushing it away: It just seems like a burden, more trouble than it’s worth. You see, they’ve been slaves their whole lives, for generations, they don’t know any better. They don’t know what freedom is. They’ve never tasted it.
All of which begs the question: What’s our excuse?
We know better. We live free. Why do we then, likewise, so often push away the gift of freedom, let it be kept from us?
Our history as a people, right from the outset, is rife with examples of this, both collectively and individually: From the many moments of perceived national threat when, in our fear, we have refused the rights of others or gladly handed off our own – forgetting the grave warning of Benjamin Franklin who said: “Those who would give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” From this, to all those ways that each of us, in our daily living, refuse the rights of freedom offered to us – rights others would (and have) died for: We have the right to vote – but so few do. We have the right to get involved and shape policy in our towns and schools – but so few serve. We have the right to worship God as we please – but most prefer to sleep in on Sundays.
We so often reject the gift of freedom. The Israelites had an excuse: they didn’t know better. What’s our answer?
Simple: We take it all for granted. We forget our story. We forget the oppressions people escaped in coming here. We forget the cost many have paid in establishing our freedom. We lose sight of what we have here and fail to hold it dear! As it has been said: “To fail to walk in one’s freedoms is to become enslaved again.”
Understand, liberty is NOT a SURE THING. It is always just about to be taken from us. “Freedom is always one generation away from extinction.”
The first step in the work of freedom is to CHERISH THE GIFT. That is: to remember the great freedoms we have here, and to not just talk about them, but to LIVE THEM. To vote, to serve, to speak out, to get involved, to worship!
You want to know a simple way to truly celebrate American Independence? This week, resolve to start every day with PRAYER – praying for local town, county, state, nation. Actually USE the FREEDOM OF RELIGION we have received!
You know, for many years the license plates of New Hampshire bore the slogan, made famous by Revolutionary War general John Stark: “Live free or die.” The irony is that those great words were printed onto the license plates by inmates in the state prison.
Is our freedom just words... or do we actually live it?
(II)
The work of freedom is first CHERISHING THE GIFT. It is then, also, PAYING THE PRICE. Returning to the text...
Consider the “set-up” to our scene today: As we’ve noted in previous weeks – through a series of events, Moses had escaped from Egypt and was living in the land of Midian – a FREE MAN. But God called him to go back and help others who were in trouble. Moses had the gift of freedom; but, as God makes clear: That gift wasn’t just for his own personal benefit alone. No, it was meant to be used to HELP OTHERS. And this is the second key point that we’re meant to get here:
The gift of freedom is not simply given for personal benefit. It is given to use for others. That is, with rights invariably come responsibilities. In fact, the greater the rights, the greater the responsibility! As Jesus said: “To those whom much is given, much will be required.”
Well, much has been give each of us here in this great nation. Much is thus required. Are we willing to have our freedom ask great things of us – ask anything of us? The founders of our country were so willing. Consider the following:
Fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence. Their conviction resulted in untold sufferings for themselves and their families. Of the 56 men, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army. Another had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six fought and died from wounds or hardships of the war. Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships sunk by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts and died in poverty. At the battle of Yorktown, the British General Cornwallis had taken over Thomas Nelson’s home for his headquarters. Nelson quietly ordered General Washington to open fire on the Nelson home. The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt. John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying. Their thirteen children fled for their lives. His fields and mill were destroyed. For over a year, he lived in forest and caves, finally returning home only to find his wife dead and his children vanished. He shortly died of a broken heart.
For these people, the gift of freedom COST them something! It wasn’t just a personal blessing, it was a demand to serve and sacrifice. How about us?
This is the second step in the work of freedom: It is not just receiving the gift of freedom. It is demanding that this gift ask much of us. It’s PAYING THE PRICE. That is, it’s looking at what is wrong, where freedom is not complete, where someone is in need – and having that ask of us! Saying: “My freedom demands that I give of my blessing to that!” This is TRUE PATRIOTISM – not just saying “America is perfect” but saying “America is great, but it can be greater! And I’m going to do my part!”
Someone once made the following humorous but true observations about our country – entitled, “Only In America”:
“Only in America can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.
“Only in America do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions, while healthy people can buy candy at the front.
“Only in America do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke.
“Only in America do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our junk in the garage.
“Only in America do we use answering machines to screen calls and have call-waiting so we won’t miss a call from someone we didn’t want to talk to in the first place.
“Only in America do we sell hot dogs in packages of ten and hot dog buns in packages of eight.
And only in America do we use the word ‘politics’ to describe our system of government: ‘Poli from the Latin meaning ‘many’ and ‘tics’ meaning ‘blood-sucking creatures.’”
The point? This is a great nation, but it’s got its problems. What are we going to do to make it better – to right some wrong? How are we going to LIVE DIFFERENTLY so that freedom might reach further, grow stronger? To give, to get involved not just complain, to serve, to change habits?
You want to truly celebrate Independence? Resolve, this week, to make one change in your life, to have something asked of you that this free nation might be more as it should be, that true freedom might be more pervasive: Give to a cause of the needy; write a political leader; organize your trips in the car to use less gas so as to help break free of our slavery to foreign oil!
(III)
The work of freedom is CHERISHING THE GIFT, it’s PAYING THE PRICE, and finally: it’s OFFERING THE INVITATION. Returning to where we began...
As noted at the outset, freedom is God’s goal for his children, and it’s what our faith in Christ is all about: Freedom from sin freely given. Jesus does not demand allegiance; but rather, showed the way and invited people to follow – to freely choose. All of which directs us to our final point here, namely:
One of the fundamental freedoms that our nation was founded upon was FREEDOM OF RELIGION. Why? Because this is the constant human desire: to force our faith, our beliefs, our ways on others – make others as we would have them be. The problem is, in trying to recreate the world in our image, we lose sight of the core of such transformation: freely remade HEARTS. It’s inner change that results in outer change – not the other way around! As one scholar puts it: “The problem with the Church in America today is that we want Christianity without conversion.” More concerned with legislating behavior than transforming hearts, we have lost our way.
Now, political action is, of course, vital; but in this, we must not forget what our faith is all about, namely: FREEDOM – Freedom from sin freely given, freely received. Basically, what we are called to do is SHOW the freedom in Christ to others so that they can make the FREE CHOICE of it themselves. And this is the final step in truly celebrating the Fourth of July:
Remember the freedom that stands at the very heart of our faith in Jesus Christ. OFFER THE INVITATION. That is, you want to really celebrate this great holiday? Then simply resolve to show someone, today, what Jesus is like, so that they can choose him for themselves. Live in such a way that it draws someone to freely accept Jesus Christ.
In an article entitled “God is Here, Too”, Christian author Dean Nelson tells the story of Lt. Col. Gary Morsch who joined the Army Reserves in 1993 as a doctor. In 2005, as a part of the war in Iraq, he was called up to serve as the field doctor for a battalion near the Iranian border caring for soldiers, civilians... and, he discovered, the enemy. In this, Morsch, a devout Christian, suddenly discovered the true power of his faith as he saw lives changed simply through the example of his Christian compassion and mercy. He shares a story of something that happened on the last day of his tour of duty:
“The Saturday before I left Iraq was one of the most amazing days of my life. I was scheduled to see patients and make rounds at the POW camp, and I asked the chaplain to join me. I wanted to say goodbye to the prisoners. Many of these Muslims had become Christians, and they had been asking for a baptismal service.
“The chaplain suddenly decided to conduct a simple service. The POWs gathered their water bottles, and we pulled a cot out of one of the tents, setting it in the middle of the compound. One by one, the POWs sat on the cot and leaned back while we poured water over their heads and baptized them in the name of Christ. We baptized about a dozen that day.
“During the baptisms, we asked each man if he wished to take a Christian name. One man asked me to write down each of the apostles’ names so he could choose one. Another prisoner, named Afshin, asked me to suggest a name. I suggested James, the brother of Jesus, and told him that my father and brother are named James. Since my family name was on my uniform, Afshin asked about Morsch as well.
“The chaplain asked me to baptize Afshin. I asked my friend what name he wished to take. He said, ‘I wish to take the name James Afshin Morsch.’ With tears in my eyes, I poured water onto his head, baptizing my Muslim friend into the fellowship of Christ. After our baptismal service, James pulled me aside and told me it was an Iraqi tradition to give a good friend a gift. He slowly slipped a ring off his hand.
“’This is my wedding ring,’ he said. ‘I haven’t seen my wife in many years, and I probably will never see her again. ‘I'd like to give it to you.’
“I was stunned. ‘No, James, you must keep it,’ I eventually said. ‘Someday you will see your wife again.’
“’No, I want you to have it,’ he said, as he pressed the ring into my hand.
“We hugged and said a tearful goodbye, and then I walked out of the POW compound. It was time to return home.
“I left on a plane full of wounded soldiers. The airstrip was under attack even as we taxied for takeoff. But I was at peace. God had brought me to Iraq to serve soldiers, civilians... and the enemy. But I saw that those categories are meaningless before God. He loves them all, and calls us to serve them all.”

Someone once said: “We keep asking God to bless America. He already has. Now it’s our turn.”
This Fourth of July, let us truly celebrate the gift of independence by doing the WORK OF FREEDOM: Cherishing the gift. Paying the price. And offering the invitation.