Come And Be Free

Come and Be Free is a series about a freedom most people do not know they need. We are still at the Feast of Booths. Last series, Jesus stood up on the great day and offered living water to anyone who would come. Now he makes a second claim drawn from the same feast: I am the light of the world. The pillar of fire that led Israel through the wilderness is standing in the temple courts. But the conversation that follows is the most confrontational in John's Gospel so far. Jesus tells the Pharisees that if they reject him, they will die in their sins. Then he turns to people who have just professed belief in him and tells them they are slaves. Over three weeks, we will watch Jesus claim to be the light, draw a line between faith and death, and redefine freedom in a way that offends everyone who thinks they already have it. This is where the summer lands. The one who raised the helpless, fed the hungry, and offered water to the thirsty now shines a light into the dark and says: the truth will set you free — but first you have to admit you are not.