fAMily Ministries - CrossRoads Church

Return HomeBy Chad Verity, Communications CoordinatorLeviticus 25:10 proclaims, “Set the fiftiethyear apart as holy, a time to proclaimfreedom to the land for all who livethere.” Of course, this proclamation wasmade to a people who lived thousands ofyears ago in a far away land. However thisyear is our fiftieth year and as a communityof people who are following Christ withour lives we are seeking what it means toproclaim a year of Jubilee here and now.What does it mean to proclaim freedomthroughout our land? What is freedom? It’sa search that must be made personally tothe centre of what it means to be a child ofGod, and one that would lead me to interestingconversations and places.For the ancient Israelites the word liberty,used in Leviticus 25:10, would conjure imagesin their head of a river flowing alongits proper course, or a bird in free flight.Such imagery is not foreign to us whenwe contemplate freedom either. The steepinsurmountable cliffs of the Rocky Mountains,or the vast expanse of bare prairielandscape. Though we know what freedomlooks like when we see it, it is somethingelusive to define. What is freedom?G.K. Chesterton wrote, “The idea of libertyhas ultimately a religious root; that is whymen find it so easy to die for and so difficultto define.” 1Where do you find it? How do you knowwhen you’ve finally obtained it? How canwe give it away to others without knowingwhat it is? The foundation of our country isbuilt on the human right to freedom, butwithout a proper definition of the word,how do obtain it? Every Canadian citizenhas the freedom of conscience and religion.The freedom of thought, belief, opinionand experience. Freedom of peacefulassembly and association. I have the freedomto go and to do whatever I set mymind to provided it does not infringe onthe freedom of others. It is easy to see thecaptivity present where these freedomsare denied. But is that the type of freedomproclaimed by the writer of Leviticus?Our society defines freedom as the abilityto choose your own path and go anddo whatever you want inside the parametersof our laws. We know this becauseour punishment for breaking these laws isthe subsequent removal of your ability togo and do whatever you want to. So obviouslythe place to test this definition offreedom is prison. If Jubilee is about proclaimingfreedom to people, and jail is theantithesis of freedom, then I wanted myown personal journey to start there. What Ifound there shocked me.What I found there was freedom. Inside aplace that uses the obstruction of freedomas a course correcting punishment are menand women who are continuing to pursuebetter lives in prison. People who are educatingthemselves through the resourcesprovided them, who are learning workplaceskills through work programs, maintainingrelationships with other inmates,and some who found a relationship withChrist through the chaplaincy program.Obviously these men and women are rare;they are the exception. But it proves thatfreedom can still be found in prison. Thereis a problem with that definition of freedom.It has to be more than being able togo and do whatever it is you want to.The same can be said for places like Chinaand North Korea. Places where people’sfreedom, those same ones guaranteed tothe people of a “free state”, are taken awayand where religion and peaceful assemblyare against the law. In places where the“freedom” to be a follower of Christ is notacknowledged, the church is flourishingand alive like never before.What confused me the most about thisis the words of Leviticus 25. There we seeland going back to its rightful owners,slaves and servants going back to theirfamilies, men not having to labour in thefields. How is that any different than thedefinition of freedom I’ve been working toresolve? I haven’t fully figured it out, but Ibelieve that the answer is found in Leviticus25:13. “In this Year of Jubilee everyoneis to return to their own property”.Another way to put it would be “everyoneis to return home.” In a year of Jubilee everyoneis free to return home. The phraseechoes back and forth through my head.Freedom, true freedom, is the ability toreturn home. Return to the place whereyou were born to be. Return home to bethe man or woman you were created to be.Return home to be the father she needs.Return home to be the husband or wifethey need you to be. Return home to bethe man or woman who was knit togetherin your mother’s womb. Everyone, fromthe incarcerated felon to the inattentivefather, is free to come home.I’m reminded of the story of the prodigalson in Luke 15. The son believed his sourceof freedom was found in his ability to goand do what he pleased with his life andwith his newfound wealth. However, hefound and experienced true freedom inhis ability to come home when everythingelse was gone. We have begun to pray aprayer that comes from one of our priorities.Part of that prayer goes like this: “Father,as You have shared Your heart with usfor those that were once near and are nowfar from You, we pray that we would, withgreat joy and much grace, join with You incalling and welcoming these people backinto Kingdom fellowship. Draw hundredsof individuals back to You and the fellowshipof Your people.” God has answeredthis prayer for us many times over, and wehave rejoiced to see old friends return toour fellowship.When I hear our leaders talk about thisyear of Jubilee for CrossRoads, I understandit is about welcoming people backhome. Not just people who have stoppedcoming to CrossRoads and have startedcoming again, but something deeper. Forpeople who physically have never left, buthave left home, left to be someone apartfrom the person God created. Jubileemeans that we welcome them back home,home to the person they were made to be.Home to be themselves. May we all be freeto come home.______1Chesterton, G. K. (2004). A Miscellany of ManNorfolk, Virgina: IHS Press.THE CROSSING || October 2012 || www.CrossRoadsChurch.ca Page 7