Unchained Thinking

Scripture reference: read 2 Timothy 2: 8-15

I came across this sermon illustration just recently from one of the online streaming sources like Homiletics Online or Sermon Suite. It is speaking of possibilities that seem beyond one’s immediate resources, such as the devastation that hit Florida with Hurricane Ian and what happened in Puerto Rico a few days before.  What are the options that get one beyond being “chained?”

Jimmy Buffett was born in Mississippi, but raised in Alabama. Living his youth along the coastal waterway permeated his very being. The sea and the shore gave him his identity and calling in life. He wanted to share a life lived in the salt air with everyone.Thus, Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band became known for their laid-back tunes like “Margaritaville” & “Cheeseburger in Paradise.”

 

After the gulf oil spill, Buffett understood the frustration and anger of the Gulf residents and business owners. He also realized their sense of helplessness and hopelessness as wave after wave brings more oil upon the white pristine sands of Alabama. Accepting that this would be the way of life for a time to come, Buffett asked himself, “Now, what you do with that is a big question.”

 

So, he decided that he and his band would perform a series of free concerts on the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama. Buffett’s expectation was simple, “What I’m best at is two hours of escapism for people.” With a beach concert open to the public, for a short time anyway, he could create, in his own words, a “Mardi Gras mentality.”

 

For a brief moment, people could be free of their troubles and listen and refocus. They would have to go back to their lives, but now perhaps fortified with more determination. 

I believe Paul’s words to us are a similar encouragement when things seem hopeless. He tells us that “God’s word is not chained,” so it is possible for us to be unchained! When it comes to natural disasters that impact our neighbors down in Florida or in Puerto Rico, people have to recuperate and rebuild. That requires “unchained” thinking and action. It may mean foregoing the political boundaries that have sullied our relationships and perspectives. “Unchained” is the freedom to do what must be done. It can be as evident as how we witness as unchained neighbors working together in faith. Oh, I pray that we can be so unfettered in helping our neighbors rebuild and recover! 

Prayer: Lord God, let Your Word be an unfettered free message of hope. May it provide a new way of ministry and reliance upon You over anything that may divide us. Let us work as a united Body of Christ in faith and service to all in need, through Christ Who is Lord of all. Amen 

Rev. Dr. John J. Duling, Honorably Retired