Free Indeed

The Festival of the Reformation

Fall Stewardship Series – Week 3

October 26, 2025

John 8:31-36

 “Free Indeed”

Last month, when my wife and I traveled to Italy, one of the must-see places we visited was Florence, birthplace of the Renaissance. In addition to visiting the massive cathedral, the duomo, we also visited several world-renowned museums, the Academia, which houses Michelangelo’s David, and the Uffizi. The Uffizi, Italian for “offices,” was built by the Medici family beginning in 1560 to house the administrative and judicial offices for the city of Florence, most of which were under the control of the Medicis. Eventually, the entire facility was given over to house their vast art collection, which is now open to the public. If you’re going there, get your tickets in advance! You still have to stand in line, but nothing like you would if you’re purchasing them on the spot. Within the Uffizi are vast halls filled with priceless paintings and sculptures. It’s truly amazing, and we walked away with art sensory overload. One of the great surprises at the Uffizi was finding a copy of Luther’s wedding portrait by Lucas Cranac the Elder, who helped arrange his marriage to Katherina von Bora in 1525. Luther the Reformer became Luther the husband, and found tremendous blessing and great freedom in the bonds of marriage. The freedom Luther discovered in marriage flowed out of the freedom of the Gospel that changed his life and that of the Church. On this Festival of the Reformation, the text for this sermon is based on Jesus’ words in the Gospel lesson (John 8:31-36), especially that final verse: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” “Free Indeed” is the title of this sermon. May the Lord’s rich and abundant blessing rest upon the preaching, the hearing, and the living of his Word for Jesus’ sake.

On this Reformation Sunday, we affirm the saving truth that guided the Reformation movement, and still does so today; namely, that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone, made known in holy Scripture alone. This is where true freedom is found – in what God in Christ has done for us, not in what we can do for God. How quickly we forget this, though. In today’s Gospel lesson, it is clear that God’s chosen people had completely forgotten their own history. They told Jesus: “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” (John 8:33). What about the 400 years of slavery that their ancestors endured in Egypt? The truth is that we also can forget about our own history and where true freedom is found. We look for that freedom in all sort of places: money and power, physical appearance, climbing the corporate ladder, living in the right neighborhood. But when all is said and done, these things all get left behind when we must leave this world. What then? The freedom that makes an eternal difference comes only through the cleansing blood of Jesus, shed on the cross for us and for our salvation. Moved by the Holy Spirit, this gift is received by faith and for faith. In Jesus and in Jesus alone, we are free indeed from the sin that enslaves us and we are assured of God’s forgiveness, love and mercy. We are free indeed from the threat of God’s righteous condemnation and eternal punishment. This is what we are set free from. But what are we set free for? How will we make use of this freedom?

By God’s amazing grace, we have been set free from sin, death and hell. It is what Paul writes in today’s Epistle lesson (Romans 3:19-28): “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24). But we have also set free for something, as Paul tells us in Ephesians: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10). We are God’s workmanship; his work of art, his masterpiece (ποίημα), and were created in Christ Jesus for good works. This is what we are free indeed for: loving and serving our neighbor as God in Christ has loved and served us. We are to use our God-given freedom in ways that will honor the Lord and bless our neighbor. What that looks like will be as wide and varied as each individual believer. This is where stewardship of our selves, our time, and our possessions comes into play. How are we using all of these things entrusted to our care for the glory of God? How are we using all of these things entrusted to our care to help others around us? In response to God’s redeeming love made known in Jesus, we are freed indeed to be stewards of God’s gift. All of this is a matter of stewardship, which is the free and joyous activity of the child of  God and God’s family – the church – in managing all of life and life’s resources for His purposes.

Our 3-week Fall Stewardship series, “Whatever You Do,” comes to a close today. Today’s Reformation theme of “Free Indeed” is a fitting conclusion to this. Truth be told, this is not so much an ending as a beginning; a new beginning. For the child of God, each and every day is a new beginning as we reclaim our Baptismal identity, meaning and purpose in life as God’s beloved sons and daughters. As we daily die to sin and rise to new life in Christ, we come to realize that, like the theme verse for this stewardship series reminds us, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). This is the great gift of freedom in Christ Jesus that we have been given. We are free indeed. May our use of this God-given, blood-bought freedom glorify the Lord, serve our neighbor and point others to him for Jesus’ sake. Amen.