12 Years a Slave

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.

Stand firm, then,

and do not let yourselves

be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

— Galatians 5:1

12 Years a Slave is a new movie that critic David Denby says is “easily the greatest feature film ever made about American slavery.”  He says it “leaves us grieving for (all) who never knew freedom, who were never able to tell their stories for future generations.”

There’s a scene in which a free-born African-American  who was kidnapped into slavery is hanging from a tree.  There is a noose around his neck.  One foot touches muddy ground.

Denby writes that “he’s left to dangle, halfway between stability and annihilation.”

That’s horrific.

That’s also where many Christians live: dangling between grace and condemnation.

It’s time to realize Christ has set us free from what has held us captive and get both feet firmly on the solid ground of Christ’s Gospel.

What does your freedom in Christ look like to you today?