Freedom. This word is often understood as being unconstrained, as in: “I can do what I want.” For Christians, freedom means something different. Freedom, in Christ, means you do not have to worry if you are loved by God, or forgiven, or what will happen to you after you die. But freedom also means to be committed to Christ’s way of service, truth and love. As Martin Luther put it:
The Christian [person] is a completely free lord of all, subject to none.
The Christian [person] is a completely dutiful servant of all, subject to all.*
The Christian [person] is a completely dutiful servant of all, subject to all.*
This week, my sermon series on “Lutheran Lenses” will continue with an examination of The Freedom of a Christian. After worship, I will stay around for a low-key in-person adult education opportunity on the sermon and the overall idea of Christian Freedom.
For those who are interested in getting a quick overview of this Lutheran lens, I suggest this two minute video. To go deeper, I recommend this study guide. And to read Martin Luther himself, read his treatise on Christian Freedom.
Last week, I started the series with a sermon on Justification by Grace through Faith. I used the example of the grace period at the library. You can hear the sermon here.
