Join Me this July 4th in Asking, "Who Isn't Free Yet?"

I am grateful for freedom.
And to those who have made my freedom(s) possible.  

I am grateful I have the right to vote and worship God how I choose.  I am grateful I got to marry who I chose.   I am grateful I do not live in daily fear in or outside my home.

And yet in the midst of all of my gratitude this July 4th, I am reminded of Frederick Buechner's words about peace in Wishful Thinking: 

"...we are homeless even so in the sense of having homes but not being really at home in them. To be really at home is to be really at peace, and there can be no real peace for any of us until there is some measure of real peace for all of us. When we close our eyes to the deep needs of other people, whether they live on the streets or under our own roof-and when we close our eyes to our own deep need to reach out to them-we can never be fully at home anywhere." 

I think the same can be said about freedom.  Can there even be real peace without freedom?  

Will you join me this July 4th in asking the question, "Who is not free yet?"  
Who is not free to worship how they choose?
Who is not free to marry who they choose to?
Who lives in fear inside/outside of their home?  
Who has no voice in religious, political, and business institutions?

It shouldn't take too long to identify at least one person if not an entire group of people.
 
Then with the voice of the Holy Spirit and the entire tradition of the Holy Scriptures urging us on, let's take the next step and do something about it.  Like those who gave their lives for our country's freedom.   

Then this will truly be "the land of the free and home of the brave."

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