Hi everyone,

The other day I was chatting with a friend of mine and she mentioned how her husband was thinking about retiring. Wait, what? The guy is a year younger than I am… and he can afford to… retire?

No, I’m not jealous. Ok, maybe just a little bit.

Because from what I hear about retirement, it is awesome. You can do what you want, when you want. You can go where you want for however long you want. You can eat whatever you want… as long as your body agrees with you, that is. But the point is, with retirement come freedom. And I would love that.

So I’ll admit, I have dreamt about retirement. I wondered how I’d spend my time. I thought about the freedom.

And to be honest, I’d probably still do stuff for the church. I’d probably still be eating simple meals. I probably won’t travel any more than I am now. So I’m not sure I’d be doing much different from what I’m doing now…

Here are the readings for next week:
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm 46
Romans 3:19-28
John 8:31-36
and a video of them being read:

These are the texts that we get for every Reformation Sunday. And every Reformation Sunday, I mention how we have the same texts.

These texts, of course, are about freedom. But not just freedom in being able to do what we love, per se. But rather the freedom in finding love for what we do.

Whether it be as a student, in our career, as parents, or even a pastor, when we see our calling matching with what we are currently doing, that is freedom. When we see how where we are now is where we are to be, that is freedom. When we learn to love what we are doing anyway, that is freedom.

So the freedom that is promised to us isn’t about being freed from things that tell us what we must or mustn’t do, but it is about transferring our allegiance to a God that loves us, equips us, and calls us to be this God’s people in the world. And while that might take many shapes and forms, they are things that we can find fulfillment, purpose, and meaning. And again, that is freedom.

Thanks be to God! Have a great week, everyone!