Pentecost +5 Sunday – C3

Pentecost +5 Sunday – C3

Years C
Galatians 5:1, 13-25

"Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." - Kris Kristofferson

"Love means never having to say you're sorry." - Erich Segal

An internet search brings these variations:
"Victory means never having to say you're sorry."
"Backups ...."
"Apologetics ...."
"Being Wolfowitz ...."
"Sado-masochism ...."
"Coalition ...."
"Saying 'mistakes were made' ...."
"Self-love ...."

Now, think about what it would mean in your life to live freedom without all its current patriotic trimmings. Where freedom would mean never having to say you're sorry.

Thus freedom would not lead to fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strive, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, faction, (put your sorrow here, at the comma between verses 20 & 21), envy, drunkenness, carousing. Where we participated in such, we could not excuse it by an appeal to freedom.

Thus freedom would lead to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, (put your best here, at the comma between verses 22 & 23), gentleness, self-control. We are free to participate in such.

= = = = = = =

no law against love
but plenty of examples
of best intentions
gone horribly terribly wrong

no law against repentance
but plenty of examples
of having put our hand to the plow
never turning away

no law against new life
but plenty of examples
of turning a blind eye
to an open door