Celebrating Freedom
So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
How will you celebrate today? When I was a child, the Fourth of July was one of the most exciting days of the summer. We’d get up early and find a good spot along the parade route, waving our flags as marching bands, floats, and fire trucks rolled by. Afterward, we’d have a cookout with family—burgers, corn on the cob, and all the classics—and then cap off the day with the local fireworks show.
These days, my celebration looks a little different. I’m more content to stay close to home, especially since my cat is terrified by the noise of fireworks. Instead of the big crowd and bright booms, I now prefer to watch the musical 1776, reflecting quietly on the courage and sacrifice that shaped our nation.
And yet, whether surrounded by noise or nestled in calm, this day always leads me to reflect on freedom—not just the freedom secured by soldiers and statesmen, but the deeper freedom we have in Christ. The greatest freedom ever offered was won not on a battlefield with muskets, but on a hill called Calvary, with a cross.
Jesus’ death and resurrection secured a freedom that no law, document, or nation can guarantee—the freedom from sin, guilt, and fear. It is the freedom to live in truth, to love sacrificially, and to walk daily with God. This kind of freedom isn’t dependent on our circumstances or what nation we live in. It’s a freedom that begins in the heart and lasts for eternity.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the freedoms we enjoy in our nation, and for those who gave so much to secure them. But more than that, thank You for the freedom we have in Your Son—freedom from sin, shame, and fear. Help us never to take Him for granted. Whether today is loud with celebration or quiet in reflection, let our hearts be filled with gratitude and praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.