Friday, 04 July 2008

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  What Do You Know About Redemption?

  Sometimes words or phrases start circling in my head just before bedtime, or right after I wake up. Often they're just a random collection, syllables that make a rhythm or sounds that slip together. My underused brain likes to play word games with itself and occasionally I get clued in on an unusual cadence or a repeated chorus. It's generally nonsense and makes me wonder if I should start doing crosswords intensively to ward off Alzheimer's. Once in awhile, though, I can pull a little meaning out of a repeated jumble.

  As I was brushing my teeth tonight, the question "What do you know about redemption?" kept playing in my head. It took a couple of passes for me to recognize that: A.) That collection of words actually forms a complete thought; and B.) That is a legitimate question. Was this really just a random thought, or an issue to be addressed? It couldn't hurt to think about, I decided. Now I only had to figure out if I was asking myself, or the collective world. Or (yes, this is confusing) was I asking a specific portion of those people? And just what kind of redemption was I talking about?

  These are things best thought of outside the bathroom. I sat at the computer because, well, obviously I've lost control of my own brain and need mechanical assistance. What is redemption? Dictionary.com has multiple options, including:

  1.	an act of redeeming or the state of being redeemed.

  2.	deliverance; rescue.

  3.	Theology. deliverance from sin; salvation.

  4.	atonement for guilt.

  5.	repurchase, as of something sold.

  6.	paying off, as of a mortgage, bond, or note.

  7.	recovery by payment, as of something pledged.

  Do you know what I pictured? The opening scene from Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones is putting the bag of sand in place of the artifact to keep the ancient traps from springing to life. That stone head, or whatever it was, was being traded out, and something took its place. Ridiculous, no? I don't think Lucas and Spielberg meant for that scene to be a great allegory. Mostly I think the purpose was to introduce a giant rolling boulder. Still, something was taken up, and something else was put in its place.

  Okay, so I have some definitions and an illustration. To me, though, the word "know" is not always just intellect. When have I witnessed redemption? Felt it for myself? Honestly, though I am a churchgoer and consider myself a Christian, I don't know if I have ever given this a serious thought. I have "known" that Christ died for my sins from day one, that he took my place on the cross to redeem me from the punishment I should receive for my many, many transgressions. But how often do I see redemption in the everyday world? It gets a bit depressing when you start to seek it out.

  I don't see it in the gleeful faces of newscasters as they expound on the latest addictions, broken marriages and untimely deaths. We have a celebrity culture built on reveling in the misfortunes of others. 'See,' we can say, 'at least I am better than you, even if you do have fame/millions/talent that I will never have.' This happens with our own acquaintances too. Why give them a little bit of the best part of yourself in exchange for part of their hurt or inadequacy? We don't need to be helping anyone else with their load. It's much easier to climb to the top of your own imaginary pile if you can push others down to use as stepping stones along the way.

  Nor do I see it in the Schadenfreude of church members as they discuss (but never, ever gossip about) the wrongdoings of this and that other parishioner. The ultimate example can be staring them in the face over the altar every Sunday, complete with his own hand-carved effigy and purple banners, and never once does it occur to them to exchange a little of their comfort for someone else's pain. Yes, our good fortune from God is a blessing, but how many we could redeem if we just commuted a little of it to others.

  I even turn away from friends and family when I feel their burden is too heavy. Then I cry and rail if their hands held out to me don't come quick enough. Sometimes I make myself sick with high-minded ideals and empty promises. If I can't expend the effort to go out of the way for someone I love, how will I ever understand this metaphysical redemption?

  Of course, I come back to the basis, the strong foundation in the end. The ultimate redemption is an exchange in which the payment far outweighs the thing being redeemed. Our actual God caused himself to be trapped in flesh, on a poor, dusty piece of earth. To be weighed down with my sins. Your sins too. To be beaten, nailed to a cross and spat upon, killed. To redeem us, since we couldn't handle this suffering on our own. He gave His whole self so that I could be free. Revelation 5:9 says "'For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation'".

  When I think of this, I can see a little redemption going on down here. Churches with recovery programs and open arms. Summer programs for high-risk kids. Handing out water bottles to the homeless on hot summer days. Giving up a little of your life so someone else can have more. Exhanging your time for their weariness and hurt. Even putting and arm around someone else's shoulder when you don't know what else to do. These things all redeem a little bit of the giver and the receiver. I can do this. This is just a tiny shuffling step after Christ, whose ultimate sacrifice gave me real life.

  So: What do you know about redemption?
  

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