Freedom and other fanciful notions

I wonder what it would be like to be free. I mean truly and passionately free from the fear of man. Many think they are yet I have never met one who really is. Sure I have met the odd (and I do mean odd) person who spruces of a distaste for all things human, and declares loud and prolifically that he worries about no man, yet fear and worry pervades them. But is scripture is true...?

(Rom 8:19-21) "For the creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his children, because the creation was subjected to frustration, though not by its own choice. The one who subjected it did so in the hope that the creation itself would also be set free from slavery to decay in order to share the glorious freedom of God's children."

Imagine for a moment that you never have to give account to anyone; you never worry what he or she may be thinking of you, and your heart just over flows with love because all your strength, hope and life flow from that well spring of GOD Himself. WOW!!! NOW THAT would be freedom. When we finally wake up to who we are in Him, that's when it will occur.

In thinking this way, my thoughts have gone to a movie that has always fascinated me and made me really who I am today. The movie is "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest" For those of you who don't know the movie plot, a psychiatric ward becomes a representation of the oppressive nature of American society. This symbolic movie relays the story of an inmate standing up against the powerful forces that operate a mental institution, but it represents much more than just a classic case of “man versus the establishment”. The Author compels us to think about just how thin the line is that separates insanity from sanity, and treatment from control. Representing a heroic struggle of personality against an institution of mindless conformity, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” is one powerful movie.

In many ways this can and sometimes does resemble the church of today - full of control, and it’s hard to tell the difference between true faith and 'Parroted dogma'. We can also see when one looks hard enough the mindless conformity to a pattern that has somehow been promulgated by the preachers to cause a community of faith with individuals as varied as snowflakes, into the similarly dressed "amen" screeching parrots that make up the church of today. Anyone who is seen as 'different' is forced into conformity or must move on. The sad reality is that the church of the west today, in my eyes, looks nothing like what God intended it to look because we see our shape rather than the shape of those God destined for our ranks.

Now, back to the movie... Nurse Ratched represents the establishment. She is the ward superintendent; the ultimate authority demanding obedience and perfect order from everyone. This is the author’s way of conveying that she is powerful like the establishment; she makes and enforces the rules. She in many ways, is the sublime picture of the controlling ministers that at times, with all good intentions, rule from the pulpit, awash with passion and power yet failing to find the heart of Christ that enables the freedom that we all grope for. They preach passionately about our individuality and yet through ‘relationship’ (call it "redirection to my way"), the demand for obedience is re-titled 'Discipleship'. A little like

(2 Ti 3:5) "They will hold to an outward form of godliness but deny its power. Stay away from such people."

A heart retching part of the movie is when McMurphy, the star and rebellious icon, rises up with all sorts of skulduggery and almost gives back the passion and freedom to the inmates. Nurse Ratched teaches him the ultimate lesson on authority, which could be seen as a warning against rebellion. His lobotomy is “the establishment’s” way of quieting the unruly protests of those brave enough to speak their minds. The character of Billy is also meant to show us that disobedience can have disastrous consequences, when the evil Nurse Ratched drives him to suicide. I liken this to the hard liners in our churches when out of them we hear those all too familiar words..."Where is it in Scripture?" or "Is it scriptural?" Life and presence have been squashed and there is now such a fear of uniqueness and life.

(2 Co 11:3-4) "However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen."

The Chief, who acts as the narrator, is a tall and strong American Indian who pretends to be mute and deaf in order to protect himself from pain. McMurphy rescues the Chief from his silence, and he returns the favor by rescuing McMurphy from life as a vegetable. I wonder are we willing to make sure we stand up and proclaim loud and clearly the 'Gospel of freedom and Grace' - one that rescues us from life as a vegetable.

A rather pensive thought, yet it’s how I see it and what I want to see the world rescued from.

Pastor Rob