The Ultimate Freedom
Howdy folks. This is the text of what I’ll be saying at the Landgrove Meeting House later this morning. Ten years ago I was invited to speak at Landgrove even though I had not done one single thing toward being a pastor. Which is proof that so many of the hoops the world makes us jump through are unnecessary. It all started for me at this charming little meeting house in the insanely beautiful middle of nowhere and I suspect that when it all closes down it will be there, too.
It’s raining and we still have that grim haze from the wildfires up north, so here’s my ‘sermon’ just in case you want to stay home today. Which I totally would if it wasn’t my job to show up in church today.
xom
So, yes, I’ve been at this pulpit ten summers now.
A couple of years ago I started coming on the Fourth of July weekend, so naturally I thought about freedom when I was considering what I might say.
Last year I talked about spiritual freedom. The journey to finding your true self, expressing your true self, largely in terms of creativity, and what it looks and feels like when it happens.
Two years ago I talked about the Declaration of Independence and how it’s infused with all kinds of religious/spiritual language. How that document refers to a higher power/divine authority several times.
Language like “all are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights…”
I thought it interesting that our foundational document acknowledges a belief in a divine source for the rights it names.
It closes with the line “appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions …”
Oof. Supreme Judge of the World. That’s a lot.
This year my thoughts turned to a realm that has become more and more important and compelling to me: the freedom that comes when we die. Which I might go so far as to call the ultimate freedom.
I know we don’t like to talk about death, which has always been curious to me given we’re all headed there. And we all have to deal with the death of people we care about before we get there ourselves.
Obviously we can’t know exactly what’s in store for us, but we do have the accounts of people who have had Near Death Experiences or NDE’s.
And this gives us a glimpse into what this kind of freedom might feel like.
In Saved by the Light by Dannion Brinkley he talks about the NDE he had after being struck by lightning. He describes a profound sense of freedom from his earthly worries and attachments.
In My Descent Into Death by Howard Storm ( who describes himself as a former atheist), Storm talks about the NDE he had after a life-threatening illness. During his experience, he says he was guided toward a state of unconditional love and freedom.
In Dying to Be Me by Anita Moojani, she recounts her NDE after battling cancer. She describes a state of pure love and light, where she felt completely free from physical pain and the fear that had dominated her life. She talks about the freedom she experienced from societal expectations and the realization that her true essence is boundless.
There are so many of these accounts.
In Heaven Is for Real by Todd Burpo, Todd shares the NDE of his four-year-old son, Colton, who underwent emergency surgery. Colton describes visiting heaven and encountering deceased family members. He talks about the place he went as a place where there is no pain or sadness.
I would probably be more of a skeptic if I hadn’t had my own NDE in 1987, after getting hit by a car while riding my bike. I don’t really have words to describe that experience, but I can say that it was really, really nice, very peaceful and lovely. I felt no worry, no fear, only curiosity.
We are living in a world with increasing chaos and uncertainty and weirdness.
The skies graying over, never-ending war, rising levels of depression and anxiety, the use of artificial intelligence to do … holy lord, we can only guess.
I know there are pockets of goodness and grace and there always will be, but we’re also living during a time when personal freedoms are being choked or revoked.
I know it leaves me wondering … where do we find hope?
And that always points me in the direction of what comes next, when we’re done here with this earthly walk.
If we pay attention to those who have made the journey to wherever it is we go, then we’re getting very good, very hopeful information about what awaits.
We learn that we may be in for an experience that allows us a kind of freedom we could only dream about here on planet earth.
The Declaration of Independence suggested to us some very nice ideas: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; a sovereign government that must be held accountable; equality among people.
I think if we were to give ourselves a report card on how we’re doing with all those original ideas and values, 247 years later, we might not get a passing grade. As humans, left to our own devices, we often make a mess of things.
If we crack our minds open just a little bit and consider those who have had a taste of what comes next, after we die, what we find is that something very beautiful awaits.
As people of faith, and I’m assuming most of us are, this should be the natural progression for our thinking.
When we talk about freedom of the soul, after the embodied experience, we recognize that our existence is not confined to the physical body or even the limitations of time and space.
We tap into a sense of interconnectedness with the universe, trusting that our souls are part of a greater cosmic story.
The freedom of the soul is a liberation that transcends the boundaries of the material world, and, from all accounts, we get to experience expansiveness and peace.
I mean, seriously, do we ever have that brand of freedom here?
It’s a lot to consider, I know, and most of us would rather think about anything than our impending death. But almost every spiritual traditions suggest that death is a kind of gateway to ultimate freedom.
That’s something.
In 2008 Dr. Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon, was in a coma for seven days, the result of a severe case of bacterial meningitis.
During that time he had a NDE that he describes in his book, Proof of Heaven.
He said that where he went there were no limitations imposed by the physical body or the constraints of time and space.
He described a sense of boundless exploration and movement, where he could effortlessly travel through different realms and dimensions.
He talked about how the freedom he felt was not only physical but also extended to his mind and consciousness.
Alexander said that in the afterlife he experienced, he had a heightened and expanded awareness. He felt a profound connection to the universe and a deep understanding of the workings of reality.
If that’s not freedom, what is?
If that’s not something to look forward to, then what is?
Amen.