The Grace of Redemption

We all have a story – a story that entails sweet and loving moments and possibly harsh or heart-breaking ones. Still, it is our story. In the last post, I spoke of Gerald Sittser and the extreme loss he experienced in his life. I mentioned that he included some other life stories in his book, as well. I’d like to share a portion of one story that was truly amazing:

There was a drug bust and a shooting and a young police officer was shot. For a short period, he lay brain-dead in a hospital, then his life supports were removed and he took his last breath. Several years passed, when his sister, Sunday, realized she had forgiven Fred, the accused murderer. She stated “While life was going on around me, God worked on my bruised and broken heart and made me aware of just how much He loves me.” One day, she received a very clear message from God saying He wanted her to go see Fred and He gave her this message: “Tell Fred that I love him. Tell him that I love him so much that I sent my only Son, Jesus, to die for his sins.” Then He said: “Tell Fred that it is not too late to become the man that I designed him to be.” Sunday went right to work on this, did research to locate Fred, wrote to him to ask permission to visit him and requested visitation rights, then met with him face to face. They spoke for quite a while; during that time she shared God’s message with Fred. Before her eyes, Fred committed his life to Jesus Christ; Sunday felt she witnessed a miracle. Sunday and Fred continue to communicate and have created a warm friendship. Amazing Grace.

Gerald Sittser speaks of how our story fits into God’s bigger story and talks of redemption being a paradox: “…we become who we already are in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is redemption; Jesus Christ is also the one who works redemption.” This brought to mind a couple passages from the Bible. In Isaiah 64:8 “But, now, O Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You our potter; and all we are the work of Your hand.” And in Zechariah 13:9 “I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested.”

From an article called The Refiner’s Touch, I learned that while a few women were studying the Bible, they decided to research how a silversmith refines silver: “…one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest so as to burn away all the impurities,” said the silversmith. He further explained: “he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire; if the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.” The women asked how he knew when the silver was fully refined. His response: “Oh that’s the easy part – when I see my image reflected in it.” As it was further expressed in Isaiah 48:10 “Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”

Gerald Sittser feels redemption has become “significant” in his life and for “very personal reasons;” however, he feels the term redemption can be “alien and even intimidating to us.” In his book, A Grace Revealed, he wants to “reclaim the word and make it understandable, useful, and meaningful for ordinary life.” He states: “Redemption is the work of Jesus Christ applied to the unfolding story of life, your life and my life.” And while “story” is the theme of his book, he stresses: “God has written and played the key role in the story of salvation, which promises to redeem our stories – mending what is broken, healing what is sick, making right what has gone so wrong…a gift of pure grace.”

Being tested in the “furnace of affliction” conjures up painful experiences of life; when we reframe the sadness and difficult times, we create space to know and trust we are being “tested” in the furnace of affliction in order to be honed until God’s image is finally reflected. This is the gift of grace revealed.