A couple weeks ago, July 4th Independence Day we celebrated in the United States the freedoms we now enjoy have come at a high cost. And, it’s something we should thank God for every day. One of our nation’s symbols of freedom is the Liberty Bell. In 1751, Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly, Isaac Norris, first ordered a bell for the bell tower. It was used to call lawmakers to their meetings and the townspeople together to hear the readings of the news. The bell weighed 2,080 pounds at order. It was made of bronze. It was 70% copper, 25% tin, and contained small amounts of lead, gold, arsenic, silver, and zinc. The bell’s wooden yoke is American elm, but there is no proof that it is the original yoke for the bell.
On the first test ring, the bell cracked. Local metal workers, John Pass and John Stowe melted down the bell and cast a new one right there in Philadelphia. Not until 1830 did the old Statehouse bell begin to take on significance as a symbol of liberty. No one recorded when or why the bell first cracked, but the most likely explanation is that a narrow split developed in the early 1840s after nearly 90 years of hard use. In 1846, when the city decided to repair the bell prior to George Washington’s birthday holiday, metal workers widened the thin crack to prevent it further spread and restore the tone of the bell using a technique called stop drilling. The wide crack in the Liberty Bell you see today is actually the repair job. The repair was not successful. After the repair job failed, another crack developed. The second crack running from the abbreviation for Philadelphia up through the word liberty, silenced the bell forever. No one living today has heard the bell ring freely with its clapper, But as modern technology would have it, today’s computers provide some clue to the sound of the Liberty Bell.
Did you know that the Liberty Bell is engraved with a verse from the Bible? The inscription on top of the Liberty Bell comes from Leviticus 25:10 – “You shall thus consecrate the 50th year and proclaim a release through the land to all of its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.” This verse refers to the jubilee or the instructions to the Israelites to return property and free slaves every 50 years. The inscription reads, “proclaimed liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” So it didn’t take the whole verse, but it took part of the Bible verse. Speaker of the Pennsylvania assembly, Isaac Norris, chose the inscription for the state house bell in 1751, possibly to commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s 1701 Charter of Privilege, which granted religious liberties and political self-government to the people of Pennsylvania. Now a worldwide symbol, the Bell’s message of liberty remains relevant and powerful today.
Another symbol of our country is the bald eagle. June 20th marks the day in 1782 when Congress selected the bald eagle as the national symbol of the United States. The founding fathers made an appropriate choice when they selected the bald eagle as the emblem of the nation. The fierce beauty and the proud independence of this great bird aptly symbolizes the strength and freedom of America. The bald eagle is unique to North America, making them our eagles. They are majestic, bold, and faithful. In some Native American cultures, the bald eagle is considered sacred and is often associated with healing, vision, and power. It is the belief that seeing a bald eagle is a sign that someone is watching over you. The bald eagle’s range is entirely within North America including Canada, Alaska, the lower 48 and northwest Mexico. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the number of breeding pairs known to be occupying territories in California is steadily growing. This increased population of bald eagles allows more people to see them.
The U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution went into effect June 21, 1788, when New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify it. The 55 writers of the U.S. Constitution consisted of 26 Episcopalians, 11 Presbyterians, 26 Episcopalians, 11 Presbyterians, 7 Congregationalists, 2 Lutherans, 2 Dutch Reform, 2 Methodists, 2 Roman Catholics, 2 Quakers, and 1 Deist. I personally didn’t know what a deist was. I don’t know if I’m saying that right, but I found out it was someone who believes in a single God who created the world but does not act to influence events. The deists of the 18th century embedded their own natural theology.
Fourth of July or Independence Day celebrations generally leave us thinking about the concept of freedom. In America, true freedom means being able to believe what we wish, among other rights guaranteed to us in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The Bible, however, focuses on freedom in Christ and is more specific and applies to all humanity. Scripture’s definition of freedom is freedom in Christ. God gives us free will to continually and willfully choose him, follow his guidance, and ask for his assistance, and lean into his mercies daily. Despite that, many may think scripture celebrates freedom. It doesn’t diminish it. 2 Corinthians 3:17 – “Now the Lord is a Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
In this verse, we see that true liberty or freedom comes from God. God’s Spirit of liberty is a gift that is available to all mankind. With this freedom, we are free from sin. Galatians 5:1 – “It is for freedom that Christ set us free. Therefore standing firm and do not subject against, again to a yoke of slavery. There may be a misconception that Christian life is filled with restrictions, but the reality is that following Christ is actually true freedom. A life outside of God’s will might feel free to some people, but without God people are tied down to the riches of the world and do not know the graces and the gifts that our God gives us every day. Freedom in Christ is the most powerful thing one can have, because with it we have the promise of eternal life. Isaiah 61:1-1 – “Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the affected and the afflicted. He has set me to bind up the brokenhearted to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners.”
We live in a world that is filled with so much pain and God calls us to proclaim his good news to the poor and those in need and to spread this gospel to each and every person so that they may have a chance to hear about liberty and the freedom that God supplies. Excuse me. Psalms 118:5 – “From my distress I called upon the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me in a large place.” This verse tells us that the first step to true freedom or liberty is honest prayer and devotion. God gave us free will to choose to ask him for help. Whatever we are going through we are meant to go through it, not alone, but with God by us. Throughout all our struggles, we can come back to Jesus and live in peace and freedom in Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:23 – “all things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things are edified.” In this verse, it tells us that not everything is beneficial. Not everything we choose to do will always be to our benefit. Despite our right to make a choice about what we do and how we do it, unless we involve God in our decision, it will not benefit us. In our scripture lesson today, Acts 13:38-39, it tells us forgiveness makes us free. Everyone struggles with sin, but we can find freedom in Christ. Jesus forgave our sins and through the Holy Spirit we can have the power to resist any sin or temptation. Galatians 5:13-14 – “For you are called to freedom brethren only you do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh but through love serve one another for the whole law is fulfilled in one word in the statement, you shall love your neighbor as yourself”. In this verse, we are called to be free, but we shouldn’t embrace worldly freedom. The freedom for any and all wins. This verse encourages us to use our freedom to find ways to love others and lead them to Christ. This verse reminds us that we have freedom and power to commit our lives to Christ. God has blessed this nation like no other nation on earth. It is important that we use our freedom to express our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to elect leaders who fear God and most closely align with biblical values.
A church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. He wrote, “I’ve gone to church for 30 years now. In that time, I’ve heard something like 3,000 sermons, but for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them. So I think I’m wasting my time. The preachers and the priests are wasting their time by giving sermons at all. This started a real controversy in the letters to the editor’s column. Much to the delight of the editor, it was on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher. I’ve been married for 30 years now. In that time, my wife cooked some 32,000 meals, but for the life of me, I can’t recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this, they all nourished me and gave me strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today.
Remember, when you’re down to nothing, God is up to something. Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible, and receives the impossible. Thank God for our physical and our spiritual nourishment. Amen.
