2025.04.27 | Freedom to Sing
“Freedom to Sing”
John 20:19-31
Preached by
Rev. Ashley Wai'olu Moore
Eden United Church of Christ
Hayward, CA
27 April 2025
Good morning Beloved! God is good all the time, and all the time God is good! On this day, we come to celebrate the second Sunday of Easter. For us, a full week has passed since the rock was rolled away and the tomb was found empty since Jesus was seen, outside the tomb. We continue to celebrate that Jesus has risen, that Jesus is the risen Christ.
But in the scripture reading we just heard, it is still the day that the tomb was found empty. That morning, Mary Magdalene had run to the disciples to tell them that she had seen Jesus. She shared the
message Jesus instructed her to bring them. But they were not ready. They were mourning and confused. They had had not yet connected these events with the predictions Jesus had made. So they were closed up in their dwelling with the windows shut and the doors locked. They were grieving and afraid.
Will you pray with me…
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So the disciples were shut up in their house, grieving and afraid. When suddenly Jesus is standing in their midst saying “Shalom Aleichem” (“Peace be with you”). Then he makes a point to show him the wounds and marks on his body and they are amazed! Abruptly they begin rejoicing as they recognize him, as they begin to understand. The text says that “the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” Once they do understand, he says again “Shalom Aleichem!” and declares “As the Father has sent me, so I (now) send you.” Then he breathes on them saying, “Receive the Ruach Hakodesh” (Receive the “Holy Spirit”).
What an incredible series of events! Not only do they get to see the risen Christ in their midst, but he gives them new instructions to go forth and the power of the Holy Spirit. Not only did he lift their sorrows and turn their mourning into dancing, but told them to end their silence and go out, share the good news, proclaim the kingdom of heaven has come near.
Of course, Thomas wasn’t present for any of this and he refuses to believe unless he sees for himself. But Jesus makes a point to give him that chance by retuning a week later saying “Do not doubt but believe.” I love that Jesus does this. He is again showing us that he is the good shepherd going out of his way for the lone sheep who has wandered off. Many times I have heard preachers use this story to shame folks who have doubt as if it is a weakness. But I think that it’s healthy for people in their faith journeys to have doubt and ask questions. To take the time to wrestle with profound theological issues both privately and in community. In this passage, we see that Jesus is okay with that and he takes the time to patiently help someone with their doubt. He goes to them a second time to satisfy Matthew's request to see for himself. Hallelujah! Lord, help us all with our unbelief! Amen? Besides, Thomas was NOT the only one of the disciples who needed to see to believe! Thomas wasn't really unique in that regard.
I also have to take a moment to say that I love that the United Church of Christ is a place where people can come and ask their questions without fear of being critiqued or shamed, where they will find people of faith who also asked questions and maybe arrived at different answers, but who are willing to come along side and help, uniting in their faith in Jesus, the sole head of our church. I love the UCC for that.
So the disciples were perplexed, amazed and grateful. In the following days, Jesus would appear to many continuing to teach and deepen their understanding. But at this moment, they did not yet understand what we do: that we are free. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been set free. That Jesus did not come to accomplish a military victory, but to defeat death. He came to forgive our failures, our sins, and the ways we neglect to serve the goodness of God’ Shalom. Jesus brought the kingdom of heaven to earth and created a new reality, a new age for all of God's creation. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah, this is good news.
But what is the nature of this freedom? It is not freedom for freedom’s sake. It is not the kind of individualistic freedom that is valued in the North American context. It does not give us a blank slate so that we can do whatever we wish without fear of consequence. Otherwise, why would Jesus have spent so much time teaching about how the kingdom of heaven works, about how God's mercy and judgment work, or calling on us to love one another and care for the most vulnerable among us?
So what does Christian freedom mean? Martin Luther, founder of the Protestant Reformation, posited that “A Christian is perfectly free, lord of all, subject to none.” Meaning that because we've been set free in God's grace, we do not have to earn our salvation or prove that we are worthy of salvation. We are entirely, permanently free from the power of death through Christ’s love and what he accomplished. But Luther continued, saying “A Christian is (also) a perfectly dutiful servant of all, subject to all, master of none.” Meaning that the freedom that Christ brought requires that we love one another as he loved us, serving the poor, the hungry, the sick and the outcasts; to be selfless, serving all. Luther says, we are not free for our own sake, but our freedom is about making others free. It is about extending the freedom that we have received to others. We are to imitate Jesus.
Jesus said that the greatest commandments are 1) to love God with all heart, mind, and soul, 2) And to love one another. And his final commandment to us was that we love one another as he had loved us. Therefore, we are called to be as Christ to one another.
Jesus said that he sends us as God sent him. We are called to do unto others as we would have done unto us, to give unto others as we have been given, forgive as we wish to be forgiven, judge as we wish to be judged. The wholeness that we are granted through Jesus sacrifice and God's grace is to be reciprocated and extended. In this way we build-up God's shalom and fulfil God’s desire that all people become full, complete and whole.
Which is why we cannot sit by silently in these times. Our freedom requires that speak out, speak truth to power, speak life to the powers of death, speak empathy to the heartless, speak up for those who have lost the voices, provide agency for those who have lost theirs, bear witness to the injustice and inhumanity of these times.
One of the best ways to bear witness and proclaim God's love, God's grace, God's desire for Shalom is to sing. We have the freedom to sing. Songs are testimonials. Songs are prayers. Songs can speak of pain, of loss, of grief, of hope, of goals, of needs, of joy. Singing is communal, cathartic, a way of uniting in a message, of prophesying, or partnering in shared visions, or calling out bad behavior. Songs can be comforting, edifying, encouraging, empowering, or invigorating. Songs were powerful tools for the Civil Right Movement and South African freedom fighters, and for the Israelites outside the walls of Jericho. I believe that singing builds up God’s Shalom.
And let us not forget that on the night he was betrayed, Jesus and his disciples had their Passover meal in the upper room. And when they were done, they went out singing.1 Which means that one of Jesus last acts as a free man was to sing of praise to God! The freedom to sing is part of my freedom as a Christian. I use it in service to others, to lift up hearts, to testify to God’s goodness, to comfort the broken hearted and sometimes to chant down Babylon. I can’t stay silent, I must sing for God’s joy has come!
Amen.
1 Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26