“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;” (Isaiah 61:1). “Let my people go” from the Book of Exodus is perhaps the ultimate rallying cry for freedom and liberation from captivity, slavery and tyranny. As we look to the Messiah to deliver us from evil, we imagine that once we have been freed, everything will be perfect and pleasant and easy. We will have no obligations or responsibilities and we can just bask in the comfortable warmth of unlimited leisure. However, “Let my people go” is not the whole phrase. What Moses actually said to Pharaoh after each and every plague was “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” The Lord intended to free His people from slavery, but would not dismiss them from His service. He would lead them out of bondage, but not release them from the bonds of the covenants that He had made with them. He would help them to shake off their wretched chains, but He would not rob them from their responsibilities. The liberty that the Lord gives is much different from our visions of swinging from hammocks and sipping from coconut shells on the beach. When we have had only negative experiences with service and work, then freedom looks like an abolishment of labor. But if we are delivered from the hands of our oppressors and carry with us the desire to serve the Lord, then we will know true freedom. The more we lose ourselves in service to others, the more we will realize that becoming a part of God’s work enriches our lives and empowers us with the liberty to direct our time, talents, and energies where they will do the most good not only for others but also for ourselves. Going from slave to servant may seem like a lateral move, at best. But Jesus showed us that this is not the case. “And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.” (Luke 22:25-27). So many of us today find ourselves in the bondage and captivity of idleness and hedonism and self centeredness. If we will abandon the slavery of selfishness and follow the prophet into the wilderness to serve the Lord, only then will we find true freedom - the freedom to work and to grow and to expand and to serve and love the Lord with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength.
