Signs of Redemption

This morning I awoke with a song in my heart that we sang on Sunday in church.  The lyrics go like this:

“You have redeemed my soul from the pit of emptiness,

You have redeemed my soul from death.”

God has redeemed me and bought me with His precious blood on the cross.  How thankful I am for His redemption in my life.  My life was empty and dead until Christ and His Spirit gave me new life and forgiveness.  I was like a dry branch that was lifeless and now I have hope and the budding green of new life because I am now connected to Christ.

I asked students a couple weeks ago about a symbol of redemption in their life.  It was a difficult question for some of them to answer.  I gave them the example of Glenn Beck’s story called The Christmas Sweater in which the gift of a sweater by his mother at the age of 12 was a symbol of redemption for him.  He was hoping for a new bike and got a hand made sweater made with love by  his mother instead.  In his words,

“I guess the real lesson I learned that last Christmas with my mother was that the greatest gift is any gift that is given with love. . . Pick up your redemption.  Cherish it.  Wear it.  Share it.  It has the power to transform lives.  It has transformed mine.” pp 271-272.

My sign of redemption is the star of Bethlehem.  When I was little my family all piled in our car and went to the Christmas Eve program at our church.  We would often have clear cold nights in Minnesota and as I looked out the window and into the sky I was looking for the star of Bethlehem, the star that marked the place of Jesus’ birthplace.  The wonder of Jesus, taking on flesh, being born in a lowly stable on a cold winter night, and giving his life for mine truly  humbles me.  Why would the God of the universe do this for me?  Because of His amazing love for you and me.  The “morning star” now shines in my heart and I am so thankful for His redemption and the price He paid for me.

What is a sign of redemption for you as you consider Jesus birth this Christmas?