Pastor Chuck’s Corner: July 2025

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 NRSV)

Many of us will enjoy the long weekend that the 4th of July presents us with this year. I pray that your celebrations be filled with fun, laughter and the love of family and friends.

As the country rightly recognizes the anniversary of our independence, I would like to use the next few lines to talk about a freedom that this country, or any other, can possibly give.

I speak of course of the freedom Jesus Christ has attained for us all through his sinless life, crucifixion and glorious resurrection. This eternal freedom is something we could never earn on our own. Thanks be to God, Jesus has done it perfectly for us!

However, as the quote at the top from Galatians tells us, it is possible to lose sight of this precious gift of spiritual freedom. This can happen in many and varied ways. One of these might be that we simply take for granted all Jesus has done for us. Forgetting the cost the Lord paid for our freedom can bring about a spiritual lethargy that might quench the Holy Spirit’s fire within us.

To help prevent this from occurring to you, read again what the Scripture tells us: We are to stand firm in this freedom Christ has given us.

Yet standing firm does not mean standing still! The freedom Jesus gives frees us to live our lives actively for him. We can do this in so many ways. One simple act is to remember to thank Jesus each day for this very freedom to serve and worship him.

Another way to stand firm but not still is to continue to serve your church and community during the summer months. Many of the ministries of St. Mark’s need you to actively participate in them so that they can be most effective.

I pray that we all seek ways to continue to exercise the freedom Jesus has gained for us. In our service we not only honor the Lord, but we also get to share the joy he intends for us as we do.

Be blessed and be a blessing,

Pastor Chuck