When I was a kid growing up, redemption meant S & H Green Stamps or Blue Chip Stamps. In all probability, most of you reading this column have no idea to what I am referring. Let me explain.

In days gone by, whenever you made a purchase at a participating retail establishment, they would give you tiny stamps representing the amount paid at the store. There were two redemption companies. One was S & H Green and the other was Blue Chip.

After receiving the said stamps, you would go home and paste them into little books. After accruing a number of books, you could “redeem” them at a merchandise outlet. You could preview the items via a catalogue or go directly to the store to redeem your stamps for merchandise.

It was fun to go as a family with your treasure trove of stamp books and redeem it for stuff. Occasionally, mom would let the kids get kids’ stuff. But, usually, we got household items.

I remember one time when my mom went to the redemption center and got our first set of TV trays. They were all metal and green with flowers on them. Boy, were they ugly. But, occasionally, we got to watch TV while eating dinner on those now beautiful trays.

We used those TV trays for years. They got all beat up and worn. Eventually, one them ended up covered and in the corner of the living room with a plant on it. I guess it got retired from its created function.

As a result of all this, my childhood introduction to redemption or redeeming was Green or Blue Chip Stamps. You took in stamps and redeemed them for stuff.

Eventually, however, all the redeemed merchandise either failed or was no longer useful. Planned obsolescence or normal wear made all the things redeemed useless or invaluable. None of the stuff withstood the test of time. But then, that is the nature of material things.

Today, my understanding of redemption is so very different. God has redeemed us through His Son, Jesus. We have been bought with a price. Our sins are forgiven through Christ. We can now access the very Center of Redemption rather than go a Redemption Center.

For those of us who have confessed our faith in Jesus, we have been “redeemed”. And, unlike the Green and Blue Chip Redemption Centers, God’s redemption lasts forever. It doesn’t wear out and it never becomes obsolete. What He redeems, stays redeemed and lasts eternally.

The past two weeks, I have shared about God, the Redeemer. It is one of His names. I also shared a practical way of looking at our Redeemer God.

Simply put – God doesn’t waste anything. He doesn’t waste anything in our lives. He can take the most painful experiences from our past and “redeem” them for good.

Come join us this upcoming week to hear the final message of a three part series on God, the Redeemer and may your life reflect the presence of our Redeemer God.

Blessings,
Pastor Cory, d.v.