Looking back and longing for the freedom of my chains . . (.Dobie Gray, 1972; Israelites , from the wilderness; and us pretty much all the time).

I love songs. One I've enjoyed singing lately is Amazing Grace (my chains are gone). For those unfamilar with the song, it is basically the traditional hymn, converted to 4/4 rather tnan 3/4 time (something I didn't realize until the first time I tried to lead it on the fly) with a bridge that proclaims, "My chains are gone, I've been set free . . "

Those of us who find God through the person of Jesus are familiar with this notion. We have always sung about it. "Glory, glory, hallelujah, since I lay my burden down." Apparently we are not convinced. It is like we are in a spiritual airport and some heavenly security officer is constantly announcing in a voice that sounds like Greg Bass, "Do not leave your burdens unattended"

It seems that we followers of the way have become infatuated with sin. We sing about it, study it, define it. We complain if our preachers don't mention it. We worry about how to tell a brother or sister that we think they are sinning. We worry if we don't tell them. You would think that the answer to the question, "What would Jesus do" would obviously be, "He would talk a lot about sin."

But He didn't talk about it all that much. At least not the way we do. He talked about love, service, freedom, and no condemnation. Most of the sin He talked about was when we fail to love or serve, when we restrict freedom, or when we condemn. He said come follow. He said go. He knew that for us to come follow and go we didn't need the heavy burden of our sin. That's why He got rid of it. As far as the east is from the west. Now that's some lost baggage. Or at least that's what Jesus thought. He wanted us to be travelling light so we could keep up with Him. But amazingly we find it and pick it back up.

Dobie Gray sang about an earthly relationship when he sang "looking back and longing for the freedom of my chains, and lying in your loving arms again." I love that song. The Hebrew children wandering in the desert were constantly looking back to the chains offered by the Egyptians as somehow preferable to their new freedom and the uncertainty it brought, having to eat the same old manna every day. And we, well we just can't seem to let go of our sin, or let anyone else let go of theirs.

But the comfortable thing about sin, it allows us to feel guilt. Jesus would probably be perplexed by all this guilt. I mean, the east is a mighty long way from the west. He thought He had taken care of this once and for all. But guilt is handy for us. It allows us to punish ourselves for the wrongs that Jesus has already handled. It allows us to convince ourselves that we are not worthy to go, to follow, to be Jesus to the world. We wouldn't want to mess up His ministry with our unworthy sinful, guilty selves. Who would want that?

Apparently Jesus wanted that. So you sinned. Who hasn't? Only the one who invites you to come and follow. Remember when He said, "Take up your old baggage and follow me?" Neither do I. Perhaps that is why we hold on. As long as we hold onto the old bags, it's hard to truly pick up our cross.