Freedom

When Karmyn Bokma’s son was three years old, he said he wanted to follow Jesus “but only for two days.”

To a pre-schooler, that seemed like the maximum amount of time he wanted to be away from his family, from familiarity.

“That’s the theology of a three-year-old,” Burlington pastor Bokma told students at the fourth chapel of Spiritual Emphasis Week at Smithville Christian High School. But we do the same thing, she said. We say we want to follow Jesus, but only at certain times, or in certain places, or with certain friends.

“We all do it, this is not a guilt trip,” Bokma said. “Jesus offers us the best possible outcome of how we could live, but what keeps us from fully living it?” In John 8:12, Jesus says: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ “But what if I want to walk in darkness?” Bokma asked. “What if that feels like an easier way or a more fun way?”

Bokma said she wanted to talk about sin, and the ways in which our lives are not being lived to their fullest potential in Jesus. She said Jesus offers us a new heart, but our minds don’t make the switch. “It’s like the software update on your computer,” she said. When the notification arrives on her screen that her phone or computer update has arrived and she needs to click to install it, “I always pick ‘Later.’ I never want to do the update. I can function with my phone in the old software.”

We are free in Jesus, “but we want to live in an old software update.”

Bokma invited a student up to help make her point, handing him a rock, then another, then another. With only one rock in his hand, Asher could still do most of his daily activities. Same with two rocks, or three. But as Bokma piled on the rocks, and then loaded up a backpack with more, Asher finally gave up and said he couldn’t carry any more.

Bokma said we carry our rocks around with us because we think we don’t dare to be free, or that we deserve to be free. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Believe it, Bokma said. “Don’t walk out of the door holding on to a stupid rock anymore.

“I have said a bunch of words,” Bokma said, “but hear the words of Jesus: You matter. Jesus has a purpose for your life. The trade is always available.”

Today's worship time was led by Juno-Award winning singer-songwriter Elias Dummer and friends, who performed a private concert.