“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1)
When I was in college, one of my favorite praise and worship songs was “Freedom” by Darrell Evans. My favorite line: “We will dance in your freedom, dance in your liberty.” I love the image of that, of “throwing off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1) and finally being able to walk and dance unfettered. I also love that Evans used “dance” and not just “walk”. There’s joy, celebration at being finally set free.
Living and growing up in this country when I did, I don’t really know a lot about being enslaved. And yet the idea of Jesus coming to “proclaim good news to the poor. . .to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners” (Isaiah 61) feels, and has always felt particularly relevant to me.
In my Bible study the other night we were talking about how the gospel has been diluted, reduced to a “get out of hell free” card. It appears we’ve forgotten that Jesus devoted a lot of time to telling us how to live. The gospel isn’t good news if we have to wait until we’re dead to reap the benefits. Jesus promises us transformation, liberation, in this life. It is for freedom now that Christ has set us free. Jesus came to release captives now not just when we get to heaven.
We might not all have physical chains binding us, but we all have things in our lives that are preventing us from being the best version of ourselves. I sometimes think my biggest hindrance is me. I get in my own way. In the words of the poet Paula Cole, “It’s me who is my enemy. Me who beats me up. Me who makes the monsters. Me who strips my confidence.” And still Jesus’ word is freedom.
This is the gospel. Freedom for captives (spoiler alert: we’re all captives to something).
Dance in it.
theRorishow 
Good stuff!