Freedom in Christ
It wasn’t long after Karen asked me to do the meditation for this service, that an outline began to form in my head. The day before Mom passed away, I had been listening to the old negro spiritual: “Steal away, steal away, steal away home to Jesus. “Steal away, steal away, steal way home. I ain’t got long to be here. I thought about how Mom went home peacefully, like sneaking out of the nursing home without triggering the alarm. But I also remembered how this was a song sung by slaves who were telling their family and friends that they were planning to escape that night. Today we are going to talk about how faith in the resurrection of Jesus sets us free, both in this life and in the life to come. What is the Gospel? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you h