Reflecting on the Old Testament and Epistle readings (Jere 29:1, 4-13 & John 11:1-27 or 12:1-10)
Who doesn’t love a great story? It’s pretty common to the human experience. Story is a concept that transcends culture and is probably as old as language itself. When someone can weave a narrative that captures our hearts and minds, we are transported to new worlds and different times in history.
Some of my favorite stories are redemption stories. I think of movies like It’s A Wonderful Life, The Shawshank Redemption, and Good Will Hunting. In these stories we see characters that are broken down to their core. When they hit rock bottom, it is then that they find a path to redemption, usually through another character acting as their guide showing them the hope in a seemingly hopeless situation. There’s a reason these stories sell movie tickets. It’s because we can all relate to them in some shape or form. All of us have encountered an obstacle in our lives that seemed insurmountable.
The really cool thing is that the Bible is also a redemption story. A common thought line throughout all of scripture is redemption, God’s never-ending grace. From the exile of the Hebrews in Babylon in Jeremiah, to the salvation of the Gentiles in Romans, we see God at work, longing to redeem his children and bring us back into relationship with him.
God is our creator and our redeemer. We find courage and comfort in the fact that no matter what we have done God still wants us. God still loves us, and that can never change.
You are not GOING to be redeemed. You ARE redeemed.
(Recommended listening: I Am Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave)
Written by: Ben Trawick, FaithPoint Online Campus Pastor
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