“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, ‘if you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'” –John 8:31-32 ESV
I distinctly remember a sermon from a couple of weeks ago. It was the first one that I heard in Haiti. He preached for about an hour and I miraculously understood probably 95% of the message. This is baffling to me since it was in Creole, which I don’t speak, and even if it had been in French I don’t think my French is that great. Whatever the case, it was a message that God wanted me to hear and He made it possible.
It seemed like the theme of his message was “Isn’t it a blessing?” but the topic was definitely Freedom or in French and Creole “Liberte.” Before I even came to church on that Sunday morning, I could sense the desperate need for freedom in this country. I could also literally hear their cries for Freedom at all hours of the day and night. At the 4am prayer meeting on Tuesday mornings to Sunday morning worship or the daily evening worship with the orphans, I could hear the people yelling “Liberte!” at the top of their lungs in between their Hallelujahs. From the day that the bus arrived in Port au Prince, I was consumed and overwhelmed by the darkness and despair of Haiti, a country that needs hope and light. During my whole time here, I felt like Freedom was the theme of the month not only for this country, but for me personally.
The sermon began by the pastor emphasizing how God chose us. He created us uniquely the way that we are and the way that He wants us to be. He did not go to the supermarket and randomly pick a person off the shelf and say, this will work. He designed us each special. He set us apart for a purpose and a life that He has prepared for us.
During the sermon, the pastor also talked about how regardless of our circumstances, that it is a blessing. Even if we do not like our current job, we don’t have a job, we don’t have money, we don’t have food to eat, or we don’t have parents or family, even through all of those things, God is there. He is with us and “isn’t it a blessing?” At first, my instinct is to say NO! How can it be a blessing when these orphans have no parents and no home? How can it be a blessing when children do not have enough food to eat and they are malnourished and suffering? Or even looking at things in my past that were difficult or undesirable, how are these things a blessing? But, God continued to speak through the Pastor. Even though these situations and these times may seem hopeless and terrible, God is there.
Just as God has chosen each one of us individually and just as He has a plan and a purpose in our lives, we also have a choice. We have to choose to accept His salvation. We have to choose to accept His presence. We have to choose to accept the freedom and joy that He has to offer us. Just as He chose us, we have to choose Him. Through making this choice to accept Him and what He has to offer, we can receive joy and peace even through the worst of circumstances.
Ok, so other than being another typical Sunday morning Christian sermon, what makes this unique? Here is how the message impacted me, This is the application that I found relevant to my life. I find that I take freedom for granted. Being born and raised in the United States, “the land of the free”, I take freedom for granted. I don’t think of myself as someone who is not free or who needs freedom. I think of someone who already has freedom and has never NOT had that. But the truth is that freedom is and has always been available, but I have not been aware of that nor have I embraced it. What does it mean to be free in Christ? What does it mean to live in freedom? For these orphans and many of the people in the country of Haiti, freedom means being free from the curses of Voodoo. Freedom means being free from the spirit of sexuality that is over that country. Freedom means no longer living in the bondage of abuse. Freedom means no longer being bound by the things that are not from the living God. Freedom means living in the identity of who God created you to be and not who the world has told you that you are. Freedom means that you do NOT think of yourself as an orphan, or a prostitute, or a homeless person, or a victim of abuse. Freedom means that you know who you are as a child of God.
Going back to the sermon, freedom is a choice. It is available to the people of Haiti, it is available to me, and it is available to you. But, you have to choose it. I have seen many Christians in Haiti who choose freedom daily for themselves and pray passionately for freedom for their families and their country. They cry out for it and they embrace it. It has been a witness to me this month as it is something I have taken for granted.
