By the Rev. Micah Krey
Revised Common Lectionary Reflection for Proper 8C
June 29, 2025
Key Verse: “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” -Galatians 5:1
Freedom is not the absence of responsibility; it’s the opportunity to respond faithfully. In the Galatians reading for this Sunday, Paul insists that Christian freedom is not license to do whatever we want, but an invitation to live by the Spirit. The question for stewardship, then, becomes: how are we using our freedom?
In many congregations, stewardship can be misunderstood as simply an obligation — something to fulfill because we “have to.” But Paul reframes this: through love, become servants to one another. This is the radical turn of Christian stewardship. We are free, but that freedom finds its highest purpose in self-giving love. In other words, we are stewards not because we are compelled by guilt or pressure, but because—in response to God’s grace and driven by the Holy Spirit—we are compelled by love.
This same tension between freedom and responsibility plays out in the Gospel text. Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem and calls followers along the way. But his call is not easy. One wants to bury a parent, and another wants to say goodbye at home. Jesus’ words seem harsh, but they echo the urgency of the Spirit-led life: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” It is not that Jesus denies grief or family—it is that discipleship, like stewardship, is a call to radical availability. There is no “convenient time” to follow Jesus. There’s only now.
Likewise, in the story from 1 Kings, Elisha leaves everything to follow Elijah. He doesn’t just walk away from the plow; he burns it. The oxen are sacrificed, the tools destroyed. It is a symbolic and literal moment of total commitment. Elisha is free to say yes because he chooses to let go of what once defined him.
For our preaching we can choose to play up or ease off the sense of urgency in each of these texts. Any time we speak of discipleship, there’s a tension. Do we take Jesus’ urgency seriously? Or are we saying that the urgency is less now or different in some way?
This is the great tension of these texts. And it’s the great tension of generosity and stewardship. We can’t say yes to every ask. We can’t say yes to every event that we are invited to. We can’t say yes to everything we are invited to volunteer for.
But we can’t say no to everything either. At some point, our faith compels us to step forward and say yes. And if it’s meaningful, then oftentimes it’s at a time when it’s not convenient or requires some semblance of sacrifice.
Stewardship, then, is about choosing what we hold on to and what we let go of. It’s about orienting our time, resources, energy, and lives around what the Spirit is doing. The fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 is not a checklist, but a portrait of what a life aligned with God’s purposes looks like. These are the qualities of good stewardship—not only for individuals but for whole communities.
In a culture that often defines freedom as “you do you,” Paul offers a different vision: freedom is for mutuality. It is for love. It is for fruitfulness. In a world of endless distractions and demands, the Spirit calls us to lives of purposeful, Spirit-led generosity. Stewardship becomes not a seasonal task, but a lifelong orientation of saying yes to God, even in times when it’s not convenient.
In Worship
Consider focusing on the Galatians text in preaching and liturgy. A sung refrain like “Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me” could set the tone for a service grounded in openness to the Spirit’s guidance. Include prayers of commitment that invite worshippers to release what holds them back and lean into the Spirit’s fruit. You might incorporate a ritual of release—inviting people to write down what they are being called to let go of on slips of paper and placing them in a bowl at the altar or in a planter with soil and seeds.
With youth
Youth wrestle with freedom and responsibility in very real ways. Their schedules are demanding and often not their own. Use this text to spark a conversation about what it means to be free in Christ. How do they use their time? How do they use their free time? How do they use their freedom to serve others? Create a wall of fruit posters—each labeled with one fruit of the Spirit—and invite youth to reflect on where they see these fruits growing in their lives or where they feel called to grow more. This can lead to deeper conversations about choices, calling, and Christian identity.
With children
Bring in a basket of fruit labeled with the Galatians 5 fruits of the Spirit. Ask the children to help identify each fruit and talk briefly about what it means. For example, “What does kindness look like at school or at home?” Emphasize that just like fruit grows on trees, these fruits grow in us when we follow Jesus and listen to the Spirit. Close with a prayer asking God to help them grow love, joy, and peace in their lives. If possible, send them home with a small fruit snack as a reminder.
Previous reflections for Proper 8C:
2019 – Called: Your stewardship of vocation
2016 – Freed to be free – Really free!
2013 – Now!
2010 – Keep your hand to the plow, no matter how crooked the furrow
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