Lady Liberty’s Broken Chains

2 July 2025

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” – John 8:36 (NRSV)

I love American history!

I love discovering a new story that captures the best ideas of our beloved country.

You’ve probably heard the following story long ago. But not me. How has it taken me 58 years to hear this amazing twist about celebrating the victory of freedom after the Civil War? I’m not sure, but so glad I’m finally in the loop. In honor of our Independence Day celebration, here it is:

The story regards Lady Liberty—towering in New York Harbor, torch held high—as a symbol of welcome and hope.

(I’ve never had the honor of climbing up to the top of the statue and looking out. Have you?) We’ve all learned her flame calls out to the tired, the poor, the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. But there’s an additional deep, often-forgotten truth embedded in her original design—one that echoes with powerful spiritual resonance. She was meant to hold not just a torch, but also broken chains in her hands, raised for the world to see.

Yes, the original concept for the Statue of Liberty by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was rooted in a powerful idea: liberty as the end of bondage—physical, political, and spiritual. Broken chains were meant to honor the end of slavery, a new freedom whose steep price was paid in the bloody American Civil War.

Though later versions of the statue shifted the broken chains to lie subtly at her feet (likely due to political considerations), the original message remains: true liberty is not possible without the breaking of chains.

Indeed, our Scripture often uses the image of bondage and freedom to describe what God does in our lives.

In Egypt, God freed the Israelites from slavery through Moses.
In Isaiah 61, the Messiah is foretold as one who will “proclaim liberty to the captives.”
And in Christ, we hear again and again the promise of spiritual liberation: “For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1).

Broken chains are not just history—they are the heartbeat of our baptismal lives.

This July 4—and every time I see the Statue of Liberty from now on—I’ll remember that freedom is not simply about arriving on distant shores; it also entails release from what binds us—from sin, shame, injustice, and fear. Praise be to Jesus who breaks our chains and gives us the victory!

In Christ’s freedom,

Pastor Fritz

Questions for faith reflection:

Can the broken chains at Lady Liberty’s feet be a visual metaphor for your faith journey?

What chains has Jesus broken in your life?
Perhaps it was the grip of self-criticism, or the need for approval, or the bondage of guilt.
What chains still need to be released?
Are there unspoken prejudices, habits, or doubts that still enslave your heart?
Whose chains can you help loosen?
God calls us to be agents of freedom—to work for justice, to forgive, to speak truth, and to walk alongside those still trapped in oppression.

Let us pray:

God of the broken chains,
We give you thanks for the many freedoms of our country. As we strive for even a more perfect union in our country, we recognize that You are the liberator of hearts and the Breaker of every binding.
Help us not only to celebrate liberty Christ provides but to live it—
to work for justice, to walk humbly, and to break chains wherever they are found.
Let us be torch-bearers and chain-breakers with the Spirit’s help.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.” – Luke 4:18