11-6-2018

 Good Morning All,

        Galatians 4:5; “to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

     Do you remember S&H Green stamps? I remember them from many years ago.  You used to get them when you bought stuff.  I remember it mostly from gas stations and a few grocery stores.  I can remember the sales clerk putting her finger in the right number and then spinning the coupon dispenser and you would get a handful of stamps.  Then you would go home, lick the stamps, put them in a book and then look at a catalog to see what you could get for a certain number of books.  It seemed like it took a million stamps to fill a book.  (No, it wasn’t that much but when you were 5 or 6 and trying to figure out if you could finagle a toy out of the deal it did.) 

    I remember looking at the catalog and wondering how on earth anyone could possibly save that many stamps in order to redeem that many books of stamps and get some of that stuff.  It could take a hundred or more books for some of that stuff.  How on earth could anyone do that?  What did they buy that gave them that many stamps?  Of course, I was uninformed about “double stamp” days and promotions like that but still; that was a lot of stamps.  Yet the basic concept was good.  The retailer gave you stamps as a reward for shopping at their store.  After you had enough stamps, you could trade them in (redeem them) for something you wanted.  It could be a fancy set of steak knives or stainless steel mixing bowls or a bow and arrow set or any number of things.

    This is what God did for you.  He redeemed you.  He traded Jesus’ life for yours.  He gave up the life of his only Son so that you can live.  Rather amazing if you stop and think about it.  Jesus, the king of kings, the Word Incarnate, the active creative agent of the Father, was traded for you and for me.  Yet this shows us how much the Father loves us.  He traded so much for us; he must value us greatly and he does.

    The great thing about this is that our salvation was complete with that trade.  You and I don’t have to make it work anymore than that salad bowl or fondue set did when the green stamps were exchanged.  It is the value that the redeemer places on the item that matters and when God redeems us he places an extraordinary value on us.  His desire is to have us live with him in eternal life.  His desire is for you to live in his loving kingdom.  His desire is for you to be his own dear child.  So he traded the life of Jesus for yours.  He redeemed you from the consequences of sin. He freed you from eternal damnation and he gave you life.  So you have been traded for, you have been redeemed.

Gracious Father, you sent Jesus to redeem me, a lost and condemned creature.  Through the wonders of your mercy, you chose to save me from my earned punishment.  Give me the strength to live as a redeemed child, trusting only in your grace.  Guide me and keep me safe.  Be with those who do not experience the joy of this redemption.  Bring them to the saving knowledge of your love.  In the precious name of Jesus, our risen savior, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret