Liberty comes at a price – it always has. This country’s declaration of independence was taken as a declaration of war. Each age has had its battles to fight to ensure that the next generation has that same freedom that we enjoy. Our own congregation has seen its members fight the current war which is preserving our own freedoms as well as those of other countries.

I found myself needing a caffeine/sugar fix the other day and headed to the vending machine near my office. I put in a dollar bill, got what I wanted and out came my change. I looked at it – the change, that is. Do you do that? I’ve done that as long as I can remember. Look at the change to see how old the coin is or what type it is. Nowadays, our family looks for the State Quarters – is it a new one? Do we already have it? Is it a P or a D? (Philadelphia or Denver)

This one was neither rare nor a new state quarter. It was from the year I was born and I caught myself thinking that it was good to see something that old still being useful.

But I looked again at that quarter and noticed the simplicity of its design: portrait of Washington, the date, and two sets of words. “LIBERTY” at the top and “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the side. It struck me that “Liberty” may be the best single word to describe what this country is about. That is why it was founded and it remains the guiding principle for how we live today. Say “Liberty” out loud. Doesn’t it sound neat? No pun intended but it has a nice ring to it. Just saying the word “liberty” takes us back to remembering the freedoms we enjoy and take for granted. We enjoy so many freedoms in this country - to live our lives pretty much the way we want, to live where we want, to work where we want, to become who we want, to complain about all of the above.

How does Liberty happen? The other words on the quarter tell us that “In God We Trust”. And that’s how it happens. Something as special as the liberties we enjoy in this country can only come about by trusting our Creator to take care of us, to help us when we stumble, to bring us together, to give us wisdom to solve our problems.

Liberty comes at a price – it always has. This country’s declaration of independence was taken as a declaration of war. Each age has had its battles to fight to ensure that the next generation has that same freedom that we enjoy. Our own congregation has seen its members fight the current war which is preserving our own freedoms as well as those of other countries.

Liberty wasn’t a new concept invented by our country’s founding fathers. God gave us the desire for liberty in the Bible in the old Law (Leviticus 25: 10), in the Psalms (119:45), and in the prophets (Isaiah 61: 1). But it’s in the New Testament where liberty really finds its place and Paul, James, and Peter all talk about it. Liberty is from God, it is perfect, it is not to be abused to harm others. James talks about the “Perfect Law of Liberty” as something to look into (James 1:25) but it requires that we do something about what we see and hear. Paul warns us not to use the liberty we have to take advantage of others (Galatians 5:13). Being free means we have an obligation to help and to serve others.

Liberty comes at a price – it always has. The true cost of liberty wasn’t paid on a battlefield but on a cross. Trying to live without God is no life at all. Not as a country, not as an individual. Without God we cannot possibly stay out of trouble, out of sin. Sin separates us from our perfect creator and separates us from the life, the liberty, the happiness we want. We can’t afford liberty’s price. We need God’s help so it is in Him that we put our trust and he responds. Romans 5:6 says that “When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly”. That’s us. Because of that we enjoy so much freedom, so much life. Let us take that liberty, that freedom, and pour it out to others in Love.