The Language of Liberation

Our collective story of faith is a story of liberation. From the Israelites in Egypt to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God has revealed the Divine’s commitment to setting people free. From Genesis to Revelation, that commitment is woven through each line of scripture.

Liberation is not just an idea; it is an action, a movement, and a sacred calling. Liberation is the language of God’s love the speaks into the depths of the brokenness of our world. It is a language that offers hope where there seems only despair, justice where there is oppression, and freedom where there is captivity.

Liberation theology is one way of understanding God’s work through the lens of justice and freedom. It calls us to see our faith not solely as a relationship with God but as a communal invitation to participate in God’s work of setting all people free. This theological lens resonates deeply with the Lutheran understanding of scripture, the Lutheran Confessions, and the call to love and serve our neighbors.

Liberation in Holy Scripture

The Bible is our window into the heart of God’s liberating love. From the very beginning, God reveals a commitment to hearing the cries of the oppressed and acting to set them free. In Exodus 3:7-8, God speaks to Moses from the burning bush:

“I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them"

This interaction between God and Moses is pivotal in our understanding of who God is. God is never indifferent to human suffering but is always an active participant in the struggle of liberation. God hears the cries of the oppressed and responds with divine action. It forms a pattern throughout scripture: God acts to deliver, to heal, to reconcile, and to restore.

Centuries later, Jesus begins his ministry by proclaiming the same liberating mission. In Luke 4:18-19, Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Here too the Divine’s commitment to participate is revealed: Jesus does not just speak these words; he lives them. Jesus’ entire ministry is marked by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, forgiving sins, and challenging the oppressive systems of empire and religious elitism. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, he enacts the ultimate liberation–freeing us from sin, death, and all that separates us from God and one another.

Liberation Theology: What Is It?

Liberation theology provides a way of understanding and living out our faith and it beings with lived experiences of those who are oppressed. It asks uncomfortable questions of us: What does the good news of Jesus look like to the poor, to the marginalized, and the suffering? How is God at work in the struggle for justice and freedom today.

The father of Liberation theology is Gustavo Gutiérrez, a Peruvian Catholic philosopher, theologian, and Dominican priest, who reflected on how the gospel speaks to the realities of poverty and injustice. Liberation theology highlights that in God’s eyes there is always preferential treatment for the poor and God is actively working to bring about justice and inviting all humanity to join in that work.

This should resonate deeply with Lutherans. Martin Luther’s own understanding of grace intersects with Liberation theology. Luther’s writing on the theology of the cross reveal God’s presence amid suffering and brokenness. Just as Jesus took on the suffering of the world, those who follow him are called to stand with those who suffer. Luther’s theology reminds us that God’s grace is not passive. God’s love is transformative, freeing us not only from sin but also for the work of loving and serving all our neighbors.

Liberation in the Lutheran Confessions

The Lutheran Confessions, while written in a different time and context, echo the call to liberation. In the Augsburg Confession, Lutheran’s confess that the church only exists where the gospel is proclaimed and the sacraments are rightly administered. But what is this gospel? The gospel is the good news that we are justified by God’s grace through faith. Our justification does not come by our own works or merits, but by grace alone. A grace that sets us free: free from sin, free from fear, and free to love and serve others.

The Lutheran Confessions also draw our attention to the reality of sin; not just personal sin, but the systemic sin that distorts the world. While written in the sixteenth century, Luther’s critique of the oppressive religious and political systems of the day remind us that the gospel always confronts injustice. Therefore, as followers of Jesus, we are called to speak truth to power, to challenge those systems that harm our neighbors, and to embody God’s liberating love in all that we do.

Called to the Work of Liberation

As the body of Christ, we are not only recipients of God’s liberating grace; we are also participants in God’s liberating work. This is both a gift and a calling. In Galatians 5:13, Paul writes:

"For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become enslaved to one another."

Our freedom rests in Christ and that freedom is not an excuse to live for ourselves. It is an invitation to live for others, to join in God’s mission of bringing good news to the poor, release to the captives, and freedom to the oppressed.

In this season, we are invited to consider: Where do we see suffering and oppression in our communities and in the world? How might God be calling us to respond? Liberation theology reminds us that the gospel is not just about personal salvation; it is about the transformation of the world.

Liberation Is Good News for Everyone

The full beauty of liberation is that it is not just for some people–it is for everyone. Yes, everyone! When the oppressed are set free, all of us are set free. When unjust systems are dismantled, all of us are made more whole. Liberation is a universal language because it reflects the very heart of God, who desires abundant life for all creation.

This season requires us to reflect upon our faith and as we do, remember that we follow a God who hears the cries of the suffering, who walks with the oppressed, and who invites us to join in the work of liberation. This is not easy work. It requires courage, humility, and a willingness to listen and learn. But it is holy work, and it is the work to which we are linked through our baptisms promises:

To live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?

As individuals and as the church, we are called to embody the liberating love of Christ in all that we do. In Jesus, we are set free, and through Jesus, we are sent out to work for the freedom of others. Friends, liberation is a universal language, and we are invited to speak it boldly, with love and hope, for the sake of the world God loves.

In the heart of Jesus,

The Rev. Eric Thomas M. Randolph