Longing for Freedom

The season of Advent is filled with longing. We long for rest; we long for special times with loved ones; we long for the re-enactment of traditions; we long. Isaiah’s prophecies about the nature and work of messiah ache with longing. Isaiah longs for a messiah who enacts justice, sets people free, and creates a new humanity out of the old. During this season of Advent, our sermon series will encourage this ancient longing by pondering prophetic poems about messiah, which will warm our hearts with hope and prepare us to sing, once again, “Merry Christmas!”

Abundant Freedom, Galatians 5:1-26

This sermon series explores an ancient letter that remains relevant for Christians today, who like the Galatians, come to realize that their Christianity is not actually representative of Jesus’ good news to the world. The apostle Paul is indignant with the churches in Galatia because they have turned from a gospel of grace to a gospel of works. According to Paul, this means that the Galatians have forsaken good news and replaced it with bad news. He therefore writes a letter to remind the Galatians about the good news of Jesus and to compel them to return to a gospel of grace. This series therefore intends to do the same: to remind us that Jesus’ gospel is deeply good, and to compel us to live abundant lives enveloped and animated by glorious grace.