There is a story of a pastor who, one day, met a young boy standing outside his church, carrying a rusty cage, in which several birds fluttered nervously.
The pastor inquired, “Son, where did you get those birds?” The boy replied, “I trapped them out in the field.” “What are you going to do with them.” “I’m going to play with them for a while, and then I guess I’ll just feed them to an old cat we have at home.”
When the pastor offered to buy them, the boy exclaimed, “Mister, you don’t want them, they’re just little old wild birds that can’t sing a lick.” The pastor replied, “That’s ok. I’ll give you $5 for the cage and the birds.” “Okay, it’s a deal,” the boy said, “but you’re making a bad bargain.” The exchange took place and the boy went away whistling, delighted with his crisp new $5 bill.
The pastor then walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue.
The next Sunday, the pastor took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek and to save the lost –paying for their sins with His own precious blood.
“That boy told me the birds were not singers,” said the pastor, “but when I released them, and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing: ‘Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!'”
To “redeem” simply means to “buy back.” When you hand the cashier a coupon, the store is literally “buying back” the coupon’s stated discount price.
You and I –along with everybody else– had been trapped by sin; sinful from the moment of our conception (Ps. 51:5), and condemned for eternity. But God, our heavenly Father, had such a love for you and me, and all mankind, that He sent His one and only Son, “born of a woman, so that He would be born under the law, in order to redeem those under the law, so that we would be adopted as sons.” (Gal.4:4,5 EHV). He was born to be our Substitute! With His perfect life, His innocent suffering and death on the Cross, and His victorious rising from the grave, Christ purchased (redeemed) our pardon! We are free and forgiven!
Now our song echoes the song of those liberated birds: “Redeemed! We have been redeemed!”
As we enter all the unknowns of this New Year, we do so with the utmost confidence, because our gracious and almighty God, who does know what the future holds, has purchased us and fashioned us into new creations, in Christ!
Now our lives have purpose, as we serve our gracious Savior-God, and we proclaim the Good News of Jesus; reaching out to others with the same amazing love He has showered upon us!